Most companies, in seeking to differentiate themselves, focus their energy only on their products or services. In fact, a company has the opportunity to differentiate itself at every point where it comes in contact with its customers—from the moment customers realize that they need a product or service to the time when they no longer want it and decide to dispose of it

Brand Loyalty by benefiting the patient and keeping the patient

No Perceived Substitute – Creating a Unique Selling Proposition

“Your customers are only satisfied because their expectations are so low and because no one else is doing better. Just having satisfied customers isn’t good enough anymore. If you really want a booming business, you have to create Raving Fans.” – Ken Blanchard

The patient has an augmented perception of your services and with today’s market focus on information, the patient may push you in order to understand technical aspects, durability, market findings/ratings, techniques, therefore, the more you differentiate, the more you will need to justify your position

First: Map the Consumption Chain – Which is your Patient’s total experience of your services

Patient Calls the Office
Any Follow-up from the office prior to the first visit
Patient walks in the door
Patient walks to the front desk
Paperwork
Patient Waits
Patient brought back
Seated
X-rays
Exam
Treatment
Patient Walks to front desk
Patient Pays
Patient Leaves
Follow-up

Second, Analyze Your Patient’s Experience
Now work through your findings as a team and make the entire process exceedingly better

Sometimes you will need to add employees. E.g. We added a
Sterilization assistant in our office which freed-up our assistants to spend more time on the patient experience. We also added a Patient Concierge to focus solely on creating exceptional patient experiences.
You may be thinking, I can’t add additional overhead which is what I thought as well, but, the marginal benefit of adding labor exceeds the marginal cost which is the cost added by producing one additional unit of service.

1. Profitability is stimulated by loyal customers (Heskett et al. 1994)
**Heskett, J.L., T.O. Jones, G.W. Loveman, W.E. Jr Sasser, L.A. Schlesinger. 1994. Putting the service-profit chain to work. Harvard Business Review 72(2) 164.

Take the case of Blyth Industries, a candle manufacturer. By differentiating and redifferentiating its products, Blyth has been able to grow from a $2 million U.S. producer of candles used for religious purposes to a global candle and accessory business with nearly $500 million in sales and a market value of $1.2 billion.

Consider the problem of differentiating an everyday consumer product, such as a toothbrush. For many people, brushing is a ritual to which they pay relatively little attention. As a consequence, many brushes are used well past the point when their bristles are worn and are no longer effective. Toothbrush maker Oral-B discovered a way to capitalize on this widespread habit. The company, by introducing a patented blue dye in the center bristles of its toothbrushes, found a way to have the brush itself communicate to the customer. As the brush is used, the dye gradually fades. When the dye is gone, the brush is no longer effective and should be replaced. Customers are thus made aware of a need that previously had gone unrecognized. So far, the idea sounds like something out of Marketing 101. What gives it particular value is that the need can be filled only by Oral-B’s patented process. The company turned differentiation into a competitive advantage.

Ways:
24 hour phone lines
Offer your product in areas where others do not
Making the search process less complicated,
more convenient,
less expensive, and
more habitual are all ways in which companies can differentiate themselves.

Can you make the selection process more comfortable, less irritating, or more convenient? Look for the ideal situation, in which competitors’ procedures actually discourage people from selecting their products, while your procedures encourage people to come to you.

What is the customer really using your product for?
How is your product or service paid for?
What do customers need help with when they use your product?
What about returns or exchanges?
How is your product repaired or serviced?
Analyzing Your Customer’s Experience
Apply the 4w’s at each link of the consumption chain

CarMax and AutoNation “sell” cars by letting customers create their own selection process.

What makes you choose one company over another? Why would you use FedEx over the USPS? Why would you stay at a Four Seasons versus a Motel 6?
Why would your patients choose you over some other practice?
Go discover, Create and Differentiate!