You’ll likely remember these words from the 1989 movie, “Field of Dreams.” In this epic film, Kevin Costner portrays an Iowa farmer and baseball fan who keeps hearing that phrase and decides that if he can build a baseball field on his farm, then baseball players will come to play. And he did. And they did.
The phrase soon entered our jargon as a cliché for how, building somethng like a new highway, tends to generate demand for that very thing even though demand might not have materialized as quickly if that highway had never been built.
Well this same rule applies to building your dream practice and, especially, your facility. In an environment of increasing competition on multiple fronts, from vision plans to internet eyewear sales to telemedicine, the quality of your physical plant has never been as important.
Let’s face it. The American consumer is generally unsophisticated when it comes to the purchase of eyecare and eyewear. That’s why they’re so susceptible to the “let’s make a deal” approach to marketing of our industry’s products and services. It takes education and consistency to raise the awareness of patients as to the importance of quality and service. It’s this long-term educational process that builds a brand.
Building a brand takes years of focus and consistency. And, as an eyecare professional, you certainly know that most scientific and education researchers agree that about 75 percent of our learning is through our vision. That’s why your facility…your building…is so important to your brand. It’s a physical embodiment of what you stand for and, therefore, it’s mission critical…perhaps the most important element of your brand because it’s the physical embodiment, the visual manifestation, of all for which you stand.
What’s a Brand?
“…the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.” — Seth Grodin
Building the WOW has been a focus of our consultancy for our entire history. We’ve learned, through observation of the best of the best, that practices which invest in their physical plant perform better and are more profitable. Practices with a top-shelf facility retain the very best workers and patients, because people want to work in and experience a comfortable and contemporary facility.
Your brand separation largely evolves from you, your team and…your facility. That’s why we now sponsor The National Eyecare Facilities Conference. This event provides participants with an immersion into developing, creating, designing, equipping and marketing this most important leg of your branding stool.
You invest much of your day asking the question…
…do you like this?
Or this?
Join us for the National Eyecare Facilities Conference and learn how to build your brand to a new level of performance.
See you there!
