Does the market need another Brand / You?
Last time, we spoke about finding your Brand�s DNA, its Uniqueness. Brand DNA is how your brand walks, talks and dresses. And in the service industry where most franchisees reside, Brand DNA is what your customers walk away with after an experience with your product or your service. They may not remember exactly how your pizza tastes but they will always remember how you made them feel!
So in a world of parity products and accessible technology for all, where can brands differentiate? Does the market need another brand; is there a customer need which none of the existing brands can fulfill? Can you do a better job than all these existing brands?
One of Pilot Consulting�s pioneer clients is a very famous Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery clinic. In 1998 when I first met the doctora, she had only two (2) clinics and a clear vision to become the country�s acknowledged expert in her field of specialization. But as she intimated to me, the main hurdle was how to shift the staff doctors� paradigm, from treating the patients as cases, to treating them as customers.
As far as the products and services were concerned, doctora heavily invested in bringing in the latest machines, products and technology and regularly sending herself and the staff doctors abroad for continuing technical training and education. But she knew that it was only a matter of time before every other derma/plastic in the country would follow suit. While first mover was a definite advantage, it was not sustainable. The differentiation needs to lie within the way the clinic would make its patients feel, by building a culture of customer satisfaction.
Our challenge was how to undo more than 10 years of medical school training which teaches doctors to maintain an arm�s length from their patients, and to not be emotionally involved with them. I will never forget the first diagnostic meeting I had with them, when I asked them to role-play how they greet their patients. The doctors all looked at me with a quizzical face, �what do you mean by greet?� So I re-phrased and asked, �what is the first thing you say to a patient as they enter your room?� �Ah,� they all reply in unison, �ano po ang problema?�
Ordinary mortals like you and me know that when we go for a cosmetic procedure, even just for a simple facial, we go not necessarily because we have a problem. So that greeting was inappropriate and the doctors were not aware of it. To them, their service is always to provide a solution to a problem and the service is delivered once a prescription or procedure is written up, thus the abrupt cut to the chase.
Since then, we have helped, through regular training and process audit and improvements, motivate the medical staff to think of their role as the providers, not of service, but of customer satisfaction. Service is what we give, which is not the point of our business. Satisfaction is what we get in return, and that is the reason why there may be room in the market for us.
So did the market need another doctora? Doctora created the space for herself, her products and her services. Today, despite what some conservative quarters might say, with seven beautifully appointed and highly profitable clinics and a packaged consumer product line bearing her name, she is the leading practice in the field of dermatology and cosmetic surgery. She has succeeded where the earlier brands fell short: in consumer-izing and de-mystifying what used to be the luxury only of a few. I am not aware of any other business in this country that is growing this fast, almost doubling its size every other year. Proof of the brand�s dedication to customer satisfaction, which has not been replicated, even by the recent challenger brands.
Next time, we will share more about living brand differentiation. Till then, let me know what you think. I�d love to hear from you! Email me any questions, comments or suggestions at [email protected], and we will endeavor to reply to all of them privately or thru this column
Jinggay Gallardo is President of Pilot Consulting, a Marketing Consulting firm she established in 1996, after almost 20 years in Corporate Marketing & Brand Management, 10 of which were with San Miguel Corporation. At present, she is also a part-time lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University�s John Gokongwei School of Management. |
