Does this show people I am a "normal" guy or does it send a not-flattering portrayal?I could see where it would go either way."
My answer:
Yes! It does matter, especially in a town your size... Remember, everything is a marketing op
portunity - even the fact you go to the gym is marketing. None of it is inherently good or bad - our only yardstick is "does it help you reach your ultimate vision" or not? Is it helping you create the practice of your dreams, or not??
I wear sweats in appropriate situations, but always with the knowledge that I take up physical space, do not magically disappear when I feel like it even when I just need a gallon of milk, and inevitably and invariably have an effect on those around me. We all do.
You are many, many things, including both a normal guy and the town dentist, which not unlike a minister, puts you in a special class in your marketplace. Other dentists in larger markets might be able to disappear when they want to - you cannot. The good news is you get to decide how to "be" in your community.
Earlier I mentioned our desire to find and obsess about magic bullet cures to our marketing woes instead of dealing with the real issue, which is that you are selling yourself to people who inherently do not want to trust you (50% of Americans are dental phobic, after all) or give you their money and time. You are selling a service that they cannot touch or feel or evaluate at the time of purchase, and which they generally really, really, really do not want to have to buy. They do so anyway because we've successfully convinced them through modern dentistry that quality dentistry leads to a quality life, and they buy it from you over someone else only because they like and trust you.
Your #1 marketing method, then, is to a. acknowledge that basic truth, and b. use it to your advantage without fear or apologies, beginning with one on one conversations and connections, trusting in yourself, your training and your ability to positively change lives through your skills, talents and experience. Once you have that core self knowledge, branding and marketing yourself as a service becomes a breeze, again because the yardstick becomes "does this help me reach my vision, or not?"
So tap into your humanity, both the good and the bad, and use that to determine how you want to portray yourself, just be sure you're in control of it and making a conscious choice.
I wear sweats in appropriate situations, but always with the knowledge that I take up physical space, do not magically disappear when I feel like it even when I just need a gallon of milk, and inevitably and invariably have an effect on those around me. We all do.
You are many, many things, including both a normal guy and the town dentist, which not unlike a minister, puts you in a special class in your marketplace. Other dentists in larger markets might be able to disappear when they want to - you cannot. The good news is you get to decide how to "be" in your community.
Earlier I mentioned our desire to find and obsess about magic bullet cures to our marketing woes instead of dealing with the real issue, which is that you are selling yourself to people who inherently do not want to trust you (50% of Americans are dental phobic, after all) or give you their money and time. You are selling a service that they cannot touch or feel or evaluate at the time of purchase, and which they generally really, really, really do not want to have to buy. They do so anyway because we've successfully convinced them through modern dentistry that quality dentistry leads to a quality life, and they buy it from you over someone else only because they like and trust you.
Your #1 marketing method, then, is to a. acknowledge that basic truth, and b. use it to your advantage without fear or apologies, beginning with one on one conversations and connections, trusting in yourself, your training and your ability to positively change lives through your skills, talents and experience. Once you have that core self knowledge, branding and marketing yourself as a service becomes a breeze, again because the yardstick becomes "does this help me reach my vision, or not?"
So tap into your humanity, both the good and the bad, and use that to determine how you want to portray yourself, just be sure you're in control of it and making a conscious choice.
No comments:
Post a Comment