Why the price belongs in the consultation
People come to a consultation partly to find out what it'll cost them. If they leave without a number, the consultation hasn't finished its job. They go home, compare your vague answer with another clinic's clear one, and ring whoever made it easy.
Example · Juniper's old ending and new ending
Before: Laura, Juniper's nurse prescriber, explained the treatment, answered questions and said, "Reception can go through prices when you're ready."
After: Laura finishes with a one-page plan: the areas, the sessions, the price per session, the total, the deposit and how long the price stands. The person takes it home, and reception has the same page.
The money conversation is easier for everyone when it's written down. Nobody has to remember a number, and nobody can say they were told something different.
Write the plan as a quote, not a brochure
A good plan answers "what am I agreeing to, and what will I pay?" on one page. It's for the person who'll read it again at the kitchen table, not for a brochure rack.
Copy and adapt · treatment plan
- For: [first name], [date]
- Treatment: [treatment] on [areas]
- Sessions: usually [number], [weeks] apart; sometimes [number]
- Price per session: [price per area]
- Total for [number] sessions: [total]
- If you need more sessions: [price each]
- Included: [patch test, aftercare, reviews]
- Consultation fee: [£] taken off your first treatment if you book within [period]
- Deposit: [£] to book your first session, taken off the price; refunded with [notice] notice
- This price stands until: [date]
- Questions: [practitioner or reception, phone or email]
Use your published prices, the same ones on your website and in reception's brief. If the plan says one number and your price page says another, people believe the cheaper one.
Give a range when you can't be sure
If the number of sessions depends on how someone responds, show the total for the usual number and for the most they're likely to need. A range with a reason beats a low number that grows later.
The sum · Juniper's plan for full legs and underarms
- Full legs: 6 × £220 = £1,320
- Underarms: 6 × £90 = £540
- Course of six: £1,860
- Less the £30 consultation fee, if the first session is booked within eight weeks: £1,830
- If eight sessions are needed: 8 × £310 = £2,480, less £30 = £2,450
In plain words: "It's £1,830 for both areas if six sessions do the job, and up to £2,450 if you need eight. Laura will tell you at your fourth session whether you're likely to need more."
Suitability, diagnosis, risks and treatment recommendations belong to your clinical team, so the practitioner decides the plan and the sessions. The quote just puts their decision into numbers.
Keep the fee, the deposit and the credit apart
Say each charge in its own sentence, so nobody confuses them. A consultation fee pays for the consultation. A deposit holds an appointment. A credit comes off a later price.
- Consultation fee: "Today's £30 comes off your first session if you book within eight weeks. It isn't refunded if you decide not to go ahead."
- Deposit: "A £50 deposit books your first session. It comes off the price, and we refund it if you cancel with 48 hours' notice."
- Payment: "You can pay £310 at each session, or the £1,860 course total upfront. The total is the same either way."
These match what Juniper's price page says. Our treatment prices guide shows how to label each charge on the website.
Let them take it home
Hand over the plan, tell them how long the price stands, and let them go. Juniper's prices stand for 30 days from the consultation. After that, the current price list applies; once the first session is booked, the per-session price holds for the whole course.
People rarely decide on a course worth over a thousand pounds in the room, and they shouldn't feel they have to. No "if you book today" pressure, no special price that disappears at the door.
Then leave it. Once the plan is in their hands there's nothing left to answer, so a "just checking" message is marketing, not service. If they ticked your marketing box, your regular emails keep you in touch.
Never chase a clinical decision with reminders.
Talk about payment in plain words
Tell people exactly when they'll pay and how much, before they ask. "£310 at each visit, or £1,860 upfront" is clearer than "flexible payment options".
If you offer finance, only do it through a provider you're properly set up with, and use their quote and wording. Don't improvise monthly figures in the consultation room.
Any charge everyone has to pay goes into the total. If the patch test or aftercare kit is compulsory, it's in the price, not added at the till.
Make sure reception, the website and the plan agree
The person should hear the same numbers on the phone, read them on the website and see them on the plan. If any of the three disagree, fix the source, not just the one you noticed.
Juniper keeps one price list. The website, reception's brief and the plan template all take their numbers from it, and the practice manager updates all three on the same day when a price changes. Our front desk guide covers what reception says on the phone.
Juniper's finished treatment plan
Give the person the plan, and keep a copy with their record.
Juniper's finished treatment plan
- Treatment: laser hair removal on full legs and underarms
- Sessions: usually six, six weeks apart; sometimes eight
- Price per session: full legs £220, underarms £90 (£310 a visit for both)
- Total for six sessions: £1,860, or £1,830 with the consultation fee taken off
- If eight sessions are needed: up to £2,450 in total
- Included: a review at the end of the course; the patch test is part of the consultation
- Consultation fee: £30, taken off the first session if booked within eight weeks; not refunded otherwise
- Deposit: £50 to book the first session, taken off the price, refunded with 48 hours' notice
- Price stands until: 30 days from the consultation, then fixed for the whole course once the first session is booked
- Questions: Laura or reception, on the Bath number
Do this today
Write the plan template for your most-booked treatment, using your published prices.
Done when: the template on the treatment plan sheet is filled in for one typical plan, with both totals worked out.
PatientPulse's 40-second film shows the briefed enquiry a clinic receives from its Treatment Finder, including the budget the person gave, so the price conversation starts before the consultation does.
Questions owners ask
Should the practitioner give the price, or reception?
The practitioner gives it, at the end of the consultation, because they decided the plan. Reception should have the same page so they can answer questions afterwards.
What if the plan changes halfway through?
Write a new plan with the new number of sessions and the new total, and hand it over before the extra session is booked. Nobody should find out at the till.
Can we hold the price if they come back in three months?
Say how long the price stands when you hand it over, and stick to it. If prices haven't changed, you can of course honour it; just don't promise that in advance.
Juniper is an example clinic. Its prices, plan and people are illustrative.
