How to Choose a Med Spa Consultant: 8 Questions to Ask Before You Hire
Most med spa owners hire help after a year of working harder for the same numbers. That's the right instinct. The risk is hiring the wrong help: someone who hands you a binder of ideas, bills you monthly, and leaves your team exactly where it was. You lose the fee, and you lose the year.
We run our own practice, New U Women's Clinic & Aesthetics, and we've been on the buying side of consultants, agencies and coaches. These are the questions we'd ask before hiring anyone, including us.
1. Have you owned and run a practice yourself?
Advice is easy when you've never made payroll. Someone who has built a practice knows why a policy that looks simple on paper falls apart at the front desk on a Saturday. Ask what they've built, how long they ran it, and whether it's still running.
2. What will you look at before you recommend anything?
A good consultant starts with your numbers, not a template. Expect questions about revenue by service, revenue per provider hour, rebooking rate, consult-to-treatment rate, no-shows and how fast new leads get a reply. If the first meeting is a pitch with no questions about your business, that tells you how the engagement will go.
3. Where do you usually find money first?
You want someone who starts with money already in your building: overdue clients, consults that never booked, unused packages, prime hours full of low-margin services. Those fixes cost little and pay back fast. If the first answer is "more marketing," be careful. Marketing poured into a leaky practice mostly buys more leaks. (Here's where the money usually hides.)
4. Who does the work after the strategy session?
This is the question that separates advisors from operators. Ask exactly what happens in week two, week six and week ten. Who writes the scripts? Who trains the front desk? Who checks the numbers every week? A plan your team never puts in place is worth nothing, no matter how good it reads.
5. How will we measure progress, and how often?
Ask to see the scoreboard. You should know which handful of numbers you're moving, what they are today, and how often you'll review them together. Weekly beats monthly. If progress is measured only by how you feel at the end, you'll have nothing to judge the investment by.
6. What does it cost, and what's included?
A clear consultant gives you a fixed price for a defined scope, with no surprise add-ons. Ask how the fee compares with what they expect to find. Be wary of guarantees of a specific revenue number. Results depend on what actually gets put in place, and anyone honest will tell you that up front.
7. What happens with clinical and legal questions?
Med spas sit close to the line between business and medicine. Delegation, supervision, prescribing and compounding rules vary by state and change often. A responsible consultant knows where their lane ends and sends those questions to your medical director and a healthcare attorney. Anyone who casually tells you what your staff can legally do is a risk, not a help.
8. Can I talk to you before I commit to anything?
You're about to trust someone with your numbers and your team. You should get a real conversation first, with the person who will actually do the work, not a salesperson. And if they don't think they can help, they should say so.
The short version
Hire someone who has run a practice, starts with your numbers, goes after the fastest money first, stays with your team while the fixes go in, measures progress every week, and knows where their lane ends. That's the standard we hold ourselves to with Command Foundation.
Frequently asked questions
What does a med spa consultant do?
A good one finds where your practice is losing money, ranks the fixes by how fast they pay, and helps your team put them in place. Some focus only on startup, marketing or clinical training, so ask what they actually deliver.
How much does a med spa consultant cost?
Pricing varies widely, from hourly advice to monthly retainers to fixed-fee programs. Ask for a fixed price tied to a defined scope, and ask what the consultant expects to find compared with what you'll pay.
How long before a consultant should show results?
Quick wins, like reactivating overdue clients or following up on consults that never booked, can show up within weeks. Systems that hold the gains take longer. Be wary of anyone who promises a specific number.
Should a med spa consultant advise on clinical scope?
No. Delegation, supervision, prescribing and compounding questions belong with your medical director and a healthcare attorney. A responsible consultant will say so.
Andrew Fidino, FP-C, NRP, is the founder and CEO of Command Practice Partners and co-founder of New U Women's Clinic & Aesthetics. Clinical scope questions should always go to your medical director and a healthcare attorney.
Want to know which leaks are costing you the most?
Book a free 30-minute call with Andrew. If it's not a fit, he'll tell you straight.
Book your free call