This fabulous quote reappeared on my feed this morning.
It’s from Jerry Garcia, principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, who said:
“It’s not enough to be the best at what you do; you must be perceived to be the only one who does what you do.”
I’m not a fan of the Grateful Dead. but I am a fan of insightful thinking, and that’s what this quote is all about.
In business, the successful businesses are the ones that have customers buying and returning to buy more, because those customers are of the belief that nobody else does, or will do anything, as well as that business is able to do it.
It’s the reason why people prefer to purchase the name brand pharmaceutical medication over the generic brand medication, although chemically and pharmacologically the two medications are identical.
The perception is the reputation of the name brand.
The name brand is presumed by more to be better purely because it is perceived by the public to be better.
How is your business perceived?
When people came to work in Parramatta, and they asked at the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce monthly events:
“Where’s the best place to go to the dentist?”
they were told, without hesitation:
“The only place to go is Active Dental. You’ll pay a little more there, but it’s worth it.”
This was because at my dental practice, Active Dental, we strived to be the best at what we did, and we also made sure that we were perceived as being THE ONLY DENTAL PRACTICE IN TOWN that did what we did.
And what we did at Active Dental was that we provided a memorable Five Star World Class Customer Experience to each and every patient at each and every one of their visits.
Most dental practices believe that their patients come to them because of the technical excellence of their dentists, but I’ll let you in on a secret….
At dinner parties, cocktail parties, and barbeques around the world every weekend, people aren’t pulling back their lips and cheeks and saying to each other:
“You should be going to my dentist. His crown margins are only fifteen microns.”
What these people are telling their friends is how their dentist and his team of dedicated staff go out of their way to make them, [and all of their patients for that matter] feel valued, and understood, and appreciated, and respected.
Because the staff and the dentists at these great practices truly do understand that their patients really do believe that no other dental practice around will treat them with the same care and respect.
Because ultimately, for these patients, it’s not about the dentistry….
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Dr. David Moffet BDS FPFA CSP is a certified CX Experience coach. David works with his wife Jayne Bandy to help SME businesses improve their Customer Service Systems to create memorable World Class experiences for their valued clients and customers. Click here to find out how David and Jayne can help your business