Unfortunately, dental prospect's are seldom interested in reading about you. All of that *me, me, me* information is not what normally influences a prospect to pick up the phone and make an appointment with you.
- This is who I am.
- This is what I do.
- This is where I got my training.
- These are the organizations I belong to.
- Here's a list of procedures I do.
- Impressive, isn't it!
Here's what the prospect is really thinking whenever she reads or listens to or watches an ad or marketing pitch ...
What's in it for me?
How will I benefit?
How can you help me?
That's universally true.
At all times.
At all times.
"But, what about when I buy a gift for someone else," you may be thinking. "I'm not asking 'what's in it for me.'"
"Or what about when I give to charity. I do that ONLY to benefit those less fortunate than me. I'm not wondering how it will benefit me."
Bull doo-doo.
Those might not be your conscious thoughts,
but if you look very carefully, you'll find the
"what's in it for me" lurking in the background
Those might not be your conscious thoughts,
but if you look very carefully, you'll find the
"what's in it for me" lurking in the background
For example: There are any number of personal-benefit reasons why you buy and give gifts ... to be appreciated, to avoid embarrassment, to gain an advantage, to avoid guilt, to name a few. And when you give to charity you do so because it makes you feel good, or keeps you from feeling guilty.
A few days after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans I sent a check to the Red Cross. Was it to help the unfortunate? Sure it was ... but it was just as much to shake my feelings of sadness and guilt (here I was living and enjoying the comforts of my home while those poor people were living in hell). As always happens when I give to charity, it just made me feel better to do so.
Here's further proof that people (even the best of the good-hearted people) are always asking "what's in it for me." When the state of Florida changed their lottery advertising appeal from greed (Win Millions ... Live Like A King) to helping others (Help Improve The Education System, Buy Lottery Tickets), lottery ticket sales dropped by $80 million in just six months.
When you are trying to persuade prospects to come to your practice, be sure to initially talk about them and the benefits they'll enjoy ... not about yourself.
Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson
