Scratch the itch

Many years ago, I worked with a group of dentists to market a new service;  Dentists On Call.  Essentially it was a referral service.  One of the things I learned through that work is that a great deal of research had been done by the dental profession regarding patient usage and preferences.  While it seems like a no-brainer now, the 400 lb. gorilla in the room was FEAR.  The thing dental patients disliked the most about visiting the dentist and caring for their teeth was FEAR.  Second was PAIN.

Well, if you have teeth and you care for them you have probably noticed over the last 20 years that there has been enormous emphasis placed on pain prevention in dentistry.  (How is it possible, I wonder, that I can have a dreaded root canal and feel no discomfort whatsoever?!?)  You've probably also noticed that instead of Dr. David Pullanjerk, DDS on your dentist's door, you see something like "Happy Teeth" or "Smile Dr."  They don't even ask you to bend way over to spit any longer!  The dental profession has successfully addressed those primary patient comfort concerns in both the reality of the experience as well as the language and environment used in marketing.

We have two dogs.  That means a lot of dog food is consumed in my house.  Over the years we've tried many methods for dealing with the mess - plastic tubs, metal bins, etc.  If you have dogs, you know what I'm talking about.

Last week I purchased a new kind of food for them - Beneful.  I didn't notice until I got home that a MAJOR innovation had occurred.  Instead of the usual mess of torn bag and ungainly pouring. . . . this bag had a beautiful heavy-duty ZIP LOCK top!!!  Wow.  Instantly I had images of some brilliant researcher asking dog owners what they hated the most about dog food.  We don't taste it, so it isn't flavor.  We like to think we make purchase decisions based on vitamins and minerals but. . . . . .not so much.  What people hate about dog food is the way the bags rip/tear/shred and become instantly unmanageable once you have pulled the blasted little string.  (If you can find it.)

So. . . .why am I bending your ear with this stories?  Because as I stood there opening and closing the huge and sturdy zip lock on the bag I found myself pondering the legal profession.  What is the greatest barrier, the greatest irritant for the clients of law firms?  Well, I don't know of a public survey that has focused specifically on that question (if you do, I'd love to know.) but I do know of plenty that focus on what clients do want from their lawyers.  They want to feel safe.  Taken care of.  Confident.

We've all been talking about that for at least the last 20 years.  What changes have we seen in response to that?  I'm talking about MEANINGFUL changes.  Oh, I hear a lot of talk about how quickly telephone calls are returned.  And whether the receptionist is nice. But where's that blinding glimpse of the obvious?  When do lawyers and law firms decide to abandon all assumptions and re-invent themselves into something that speaks to the nervous/uneasy client in crisis?  And. . . . .as a side benefit. . . . ensures longevity for their practice in times of serious transition?

Well?

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[Chas Martin]

Successful marketers have highly developed skills for elevating uniqueness to a holy plateau. But, before marketing communications comes marketing insight. It’s called positioning. How you position your services relative to your competitors creates the foundation for buyer preference.

Positioning provides perspective. If you shift your point of view, your perspective changes. Seeing the situation differently exposes alternative solutions.

Creativity is not a “flash of inspiration.” It is a process of seeing things differently and responding with ideas outside the assumptive barriers that contain our imaginations.

Building a brand for a law firm, for dog food or for a dental practice, is a function of identifying the key differentiator and exploiting the distance it creates between you and your competitors. This isn’t rocket science. But to achieve the breakthrough insight, you may have to ignore logic and reason. That can be tougher than rocket science for most people.