Making the Intangible Tangible
Posted by Mike Ferris on Friday, September 14, 2007 and posted in UncategorizedIn home care we sell a service, an intangible. How do you make it tangible? By establishing credibility. The key is in finding ways to present yourself to your prospect.
The more real you become, the higher your credibility is. Here are some ways to make your people a reality for the prospective customer:
Invite current and potential customers to visit your facility. Whether they come to visit or not isn’t the issue, it is the offer that makes your agency more tangible.
Use staff bio’s and pictures to introduce potential customers to your company. Especially key staff that have been in the community and/or medical community for many years and are well respected. If the nurse running your cardiac telemedicine program worked in the cardiac care units at a local hospital for several years, she will be well known to local cardiologists. Advertising that he or she is on your team makes your company more tangible to potential referral sources.
Use a personal welcoming letter from the CEO, President or Administrator that includes an invitation to contact them directly.
Use testimonials. A personal letter of recommendation from a past client makes your services more credible and therefore desirable to potential customers. Including photos adds to that image.
Make sure that your staff in the community are visible, dressed appropriately and consistently visiting your customers. Good looking uniforms embroidered polo shirts and clean well designed photo ID tags all add to the perceptions about your agency.
Make sure that your website has contact information, including your physical address, on every page. At the very least you should include an “About Us” section somewhere on your site because this gives you a chance to talk about your company and what makes it special.