How Top Aesthetic Practices Answer “How Much Does It Cost?”—Without Killing the Conversion

We recently sat down with two top minds in aesthetics to unpack one of the most common—and most mishandled—moments in patient acquisition: the price question.

Specifically, the inevitable incoming call that starts with: “How much does it cost?”

In this conversation, we focused on what actually works when patients lead with price—and how high-performing practices turn that moment into momentum instead of friction. See who we talked to (jump to guest bios).

The #1 BIG Takeaway

If your team treats, “How much does it cost?” as a problem to dodge—or a number to blurt out—you are actively leaking high-intent patients.

Price questions are not objections. They are signals.

Handled correctly, they are one of your strongest conversion opportunities. Handled poorly, they create confusion, mistrust, negative reviews, and lost cases.

The difference is not scripting.
It’s mindset, structure, and control of the conversation.

The 5 Questions Every Practice Should Be Asking (and Answering)

1. Why do patients lead with price in the first place?

Most patients are not being difficult. They are being uninformed.

From the patient’s perspective, aesthetic procedures appear standardized. A “tummy tuck” is a tummy tuck. A “breast augmentation” is a breast augmentation. They assume they are comparing apples to apples—and therefore believe price is the primary differentiator.

What they don’t yet understand:

• Surgical approach varies dramatically by surgeon
• Facility, anesthesia, safety protocols, and recovery plans differ
• What they think they want is often not the procedure they actually need

Price becomes the default question because it feels like the only concrete variable they can evaluate early.

Your job is not to correct them.
Your job is to reframe the decision.

2. What should your team understand before responding to a price-first caller?

The most important internal shift: assume positive intent.

A price-first question usually means one (or more) of the following:

• The patient is trying to self-qualify financially
• They are afraid of wasting time (yours or theirs)
• They are overwhelmed and reaching for certainty

When teams interpret this as “price shopping,” they rush, deflect, or shut down the conversation. That immediately escalates tension. High-performing teams do the opposite:

• They acknowledge the question directly
• They validate the concern without validating the shortcut
• They confidently redirect toward the right next step

This is how you maintain authority and trust.

3. What should your team never say when asked about cost?

There are three common mistakes that quietly sabotage conversions:

Mistake #1: Dropping a hard number immediately
This anchors expectations before the patient understands value, scope, or customization.

Mistake #2: Hiding behind policy
Phrases like “I’m not allowed to give pricing” or “I don’t have that information” feel evasive—even if they’re true.

Mistake #3: Asking clinical qualifiers too early
Jumping straight to height, weight, or medical history before acknowledging the question feels transactional and dismissive.

Each of these signals one thing to the patient: “You’re not being heard.”

Once that happens, the conversation is already uphill.

4. What does a strong response sound like?

The most effective responses follow a simple structure:

Acknowledge → Normalize → Redirect

For example:

• Acknowledge the question so the patient feels heard
• Normalize that pricing matters (especially in today’s economy)
• Redirect them to the right person and process to get an accurate answer

This keeps the conversation collaborative rather than defensive.

Importantly, strong practices avoid getting into tactical financial details too early. Instead, they position the Patient Care Coordinator or consultant as the expert who can walk through:

• Personalized pricing
• Recovery considerations
• Timeline planning
• And yes—pay-over-time and BNPL options, including monthly payment plans through PatientFi

This preserves continuity, authority, and conversion flow.

5. Should front desk teams ever give price ranges?

In short: almost never.

Wide ranges create more problems than they solve. Patients remember the lowest number they hear—and anchor to it emotionally. When reality doesn’t match, trust erodes fast.

Even worse, misaligned ranges lead to:

• Angry consults
• Accusations of bait-and-switch
• Negative online reviews

High-performing practices understand this: Accuracy beats speed. Every time.

It is far better to slow the moment slightly and route the patient correctly than to rush an answer that creates downstream damage.

The Bigger Picture: Why This Matters More Than Ever

Today’s patients are more price-sensitive, more comparison-driven, and more digitally influenced than ever before—even in historically insulated markets.

Practices that win are not the cheapest.
They are the clearest. They train their teams to:

• Control the conversation without sounding scripted
• Normalize cost discussions early and confidently
• Introduce monthly payment options as a standard—not a fallback

This is where tools like PatientFi become strategic—not just transactional—helping practices frame affordability without discounting or devaluing care. 

Listen to the full conversation at PracticeLand by PatientFi.

Learn more at www.patientfi.com.

Guests We Spoke With

• Andrea Watkins – VP of Practice Growth at Studio III Marketing, advising 100+ aesthetic practices nationwide on patient acquisition, lead management, and revenue optimization. Connect with Andrea
• Allison Petriella – Plastic surgery and medspa consultant with 12+ years of experience helping practices optimize front-desk performance, sales workflows, and conversion strategy. Connect with Allie