Iconic – what pictures, people or concepts does that word bring to mind?
Someone famous and well-known? A particular idea? A brand that’s widely established? Someone or something known for superior excellence?
These are all concepts of being iconic. And in this post we’ll explore:
- How to look to successful companies and “steal” their iconic ideas
- How to create movements that make your clinic mightier
- How to identify emerging trends and tools to drive your practice
- How to make patients raving fans of your iconic brand
- How your practice, your business, and your philosophy can be part of the bigger solution
1. Know your “Mighty Why”
How did companies like Apple, Starbucks, Nike, Louis Vuitton, Lululemon, Victoria Secret and Tesla create their cult like following? Why do these brand icons stand apart from their competitors?
Focusing on your mighty why – Simon Sinek’s iconic Ted talk, which coined the phrase “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do things!”
As highly technical health care practitioners, we spend a huge time perfecting what we do and perhaps very little time thinking about our mighty why. Today it is critical that sole practitioners, clinic owners and corporate executives examine the critical question – Why? Why should anyone care about us? What is your cause? What are your beliefs? Taking time to identify your mighty why is the key to your business success.
According to Sinek, the ultimate marketing strategy is to do business with people who believe what you believe. So if your answers to your mighty why – include to make profit, unique selling propositions, or because you’re a genius physio etc. I suggest you book a beach vacation and really think about it. Knowing clearly what your “why” is, is the starting point to build a cult-like following. Ultimately what you provide and how you run your practice are intangibles, but are smaller variables in the emotional connection you want to build with long term clients.
Let’s look at Lululemon’s mighty why: “Elevating the world from mediocrity to greatness by creating components for people to live longer, healthier, fun lives”. How they execute their mighty why: “We make technical apparel for yoga, running, dancing and most other sweaty pursuits”. I don’t think there is a soul in this world that would not want to be part of this movement.
What movement can you create from your mighty why? How effective can your marketing methods be when your why becomes that much mightier?
2. Nothing fails like success
What can we learn from companies like Blackberry, General Motors, Blockbuster Video and McDonalds – “nothing fails like success!”
These are great companies that stopped doing what they did best in their prime; i.e., they stopped innovating products and systems, and most importantly failed to understand their customer base.
A Canadian icon Tim Horton’s is an excellent example of how we should fine tune our practices. Tim’s started as a coffee and donut joint and has quickly become a go-to spot for breakfast, lunch and your double double addiction. One can thank competitors such as Krispy Kreme, Subway, and McDonald’s who in the past have pressed the iconic Tim Horton’s for market share. Take a careful look at Tim’s today and you will see important lessons from their competitors that are incorporated into the Tim’s business model.
You can thank Krispy Kreme for bringing the baked goods into glass cases, putting donuts into artisan boxes, and the advent of gourmet donuts. You can thank McDonald’s for solidifying Tim’s menu as the go-to place for breakfast on the run. You can even thank Subway for the introduction of fresh sandwich and soup items to fuel your lunch-hour fix. So even if you don’t care for Tim Horton’s and think their drive thrus are worse polluters than the oil sands, you have to give this company credit for never settling for obsolescence.
Today the physiotherapy market is facing immense pressure from so-called rehab experts. We are in a pivotal time where we need to start innovating how we deliver our services, what products we represent and ultimately reshape our business model(s).
What is competition doing well and how can you learn from them? What emerging products are on trend and ripe for your practice? What online tool(s) can you utilize to set you apart in the marketplace?
3. Why Starbucks delivers a cup of Java for the soul
I have to admit, I’m a bit of a coffee snob, and the white cup and green logo doesn’t make my list for an amazing espresso. But what Starbucks does better than most is to create an emotional connection through a hand crafted experience. Who would have thought that a white cup, black sharpie and a few check marks could be elements to retail genius. But every aspect of the Starbucks experience exudes customer delight.
From the moment you walk in, you are greeted warmly, your order is taken to the exact specification despite the infinite number of permutations. Even better, if for whatever reason you don’t like the taste, they will remake it no questions asked. I don’t feel bad for asking for a Venti Ristretto Americano Coconut Milk Misto, because it’s hand crafted, perfected to an art, has my name scribbled on it and its actually pretty tasty. It’s even better when you walk into the café, and its already ready at the bar before I have even paid. I actually went to a Starbucks for months because one particular barista would do this for me. I didn’t go to Starbucks because it had exceptional espresso, but their staff created an exceptional experience that started my day on a winning note.
The question then remains how can physiotherapy clinics and physiotherapists learn from this model?
What systems can you incorporate with your front desk staff? How can you mentor your physiotherapists to deliver a hand-crafted experience? What can you instill in your team to make every experience an exceptional one?
4. Delivering 10x value to your clients
What would we do without Google? Seriously what other company gives you access to secure email, helps you search for info in seconds, translates foreign languages, gives you directions, stores your documents in the cloud and all for free! The value of Google is that they give their end user an exceptional experience by utilizing technology to make our lives simpler. There isn’t much I can’t look up, email or search for that Google could not answer.
So what can we learn from the Googles of the world? We need to understand that creating a successful practice begins by exceeding the deliverables we give our patients. Giving them 10-fold their expectations of what a great treatment consists of. Exceeding our client’s expectation of great value is the measure of success we should all aim for. The key in our practice would be to give highly effective care that is both time sensitive and includes a restorative home program to ensure results are maintained. I’m asking you to shift from solely a mindset of strict evidence-based methodology to a mindset of creating the “Wow Effect”! Creating deliverables that are so desired, create so much value, that there is no doubt of where rehab care starts.
We as therapists need to make our clients like disciples, who ask “What would we do without our physiotherapist?”
5. Making your clients volunteer soldiers to building your empire!
What would you call a person who curates content, works effortlessly to have their friends and family admire it and disseminate it to a peer group, builds company international branding and millions in profitability, and does it all for FREE! A social media user!
Right now if you’re on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Snap Chat – your efforts, likes, clicks and shares have enabled corporations to monetize your time. Genius! So what can private practice owners learn from this?
Inspire your clients to become raving fans of your craft. I can think of no other time in our history where increasingly everyone has a voice. Digital media has allowed individuals to speak their voice across the international medium we call the internet. It is particularly concerning that individuals can post online anonymously to rate services and businesses. Therefore, social media has become an important catalyst that regulates the viral nature of the information put out into the black hole we call the “web”. So it is important for us as therapists, as practice owners, as executives to understand the influence of our clients.
I think it is important that we inspire them so that they share their small wins within their networks. In essence, your clients become your marketing soldiers. The bigger the emotional connection one makes with them, the better you make them feel, the more they will want to share their good fortune.
What are you doing to make your clients raving fans?
6. Delivering purpose behind purchasing power
A more recent corporate icon that shifted the retail space was the rise in popularity of Tom’s Shoes. Putting their supposed foot support aside, the “One for One” concept behind the company was nothing short of fusing the minds of Elon Musk and Mother Teresa. A simple purchase made at your local mall had the ability to affect global poverty, a cause that was not only notable but gave the company international notoriety.
Today there are no shortage of brands built on “Purchasing for Purpose”. Even the dining industry has adopted a similar approach – called the “MealShare”. In fact, I recently visited a new breakfast hot spot in the city and was stuck between two very good food options, my deciding factor was which one was part of their MealShare program. I left with a great sense of intestinal satiation and a great sense of gratitude that I did my part to make this world a better place.
The fact you are reading this article on your phone, tablet or notebook justifies how lucky we are in our station in life. There are so many ways physiotherapists can adopt this philosophy in our practices and influence the less fortunate in the world.
If you are like me and believe being iconic is about the number of people’s lives you can influence for the better, then I ask one simple question – how can your practice, your business, your philosophy be part of the bigger solution?
What programs can you inspire and institute? What #hashtags can we create to deliver global changes? What local initiatives can we take nationally? Let me know when we can become iconic together.
