While physicians know what they need for surgical laser use, clinicians who use aesthetic lasers frequently overbuy or buy incorrectly.

MedPro does consultative selling and attribute their 30% repeat business to approach. Moreno offers suggestions for consideration when buying equipment:
· Can you transfer the warranty?

· Are there recertification fees to keep the equipment from devaluing?
· Do a background check on a pre-owned system and get as much information as you can about the equipment history
· Can you get service on it?
· Can you get help when there's a problem?
· Get multiple references from previous customers
· Can you get training? (We have two certified trainers that go anywhere in the US. MedPro teaches didactic in the morning and hands-on in the afternoon.)

"Surgical lasers are a smaller portion of our business because physicians know what they want...a CO2 for endometrial ablation, for example," said Moreno. "Aesthetic customers call us to order what they think they want but it is not necessarily equipment that will meet their needs. The reason we're successful is because we have no vested interest in any one brand. We're interested in matching the customer's needs with proper technology."

He continues, "Consultative selling means a better educated customer and better transaction up-front. There is no one perfect device for everything."

Edward Kirk is President of Spectrum Laser Services, an independent service organization in the Philadelphia, PA region. He confirms that impulsive buyers frequently have remorse. "Buyers fall in love with one model and make a quick decision. People that do not do their homework before the purchase suffer greatly. Beyond price, there are other factors that have to be addressed. Patient satisfaction is one that many do not think about until they have a patient complaining about comfort levels, whether it is pain or the amount of time the procedure takes."

There are horror stories, too, as Moreno relates. "A gentleman called me. We negotiated the price, and I explained our terms were half down and the balance COD. He hemmed and hawed and then told me he had sent $65,000 to a representative in an equipment deal and never got the equipment. That's the kind of situation that makes everyone selling pre-owned equipment look bad."

New Equipment

Aerolase offers compact laser technologies in two models that are as easily portable as briefcases. The LightPod®Neo™ (Neo) has been on the market for approximately two years and the LightPod® Era™ (Era) has been selling for four years. Both are Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet; Nd:Y3Al5O12) lasers but have different wavelength and cosmetic utility.

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