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How To Clarify Your Message So Your Practice Can Survive & Thrive

 

 

I want to help you get more people on your treatment table. And that’s what these talks are all about. To help you be seen, to help you be heard and to ultimately bring people into your practice so that you can make more money, change more lives, help more people, and kind of create the life and grow into the dreams that you imagined for yourself.

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Disclaimer: The following is an actual transcript. We do our best to make sure the transcript is as accurate as possible, however, it may contain spelling or grammatical errors.  Due to the unique language of acupuncture, there will be errors, so we suggest you watch the video while reading the transcript.

Hi folks, Jeffrey Grossman here. Thank you for this opportunity to share some practice and marketing insights with you. For those of you that don’t know me. My name is Jeffrey Grossman and I’m the founder and owner of Acupuncture MediaWorks, Accu downloads, and Accurate, Perfect Websites. And I started my practice in 1998 and I had a lot of these trials and tribulations and so many struggles that I basically had no marketing savvy that I had to start from scratch like many of you listening today. And I noticed that I had a problem in knowing how to market my practice and properly communicate to my patients because all I wanted to do was to treat them and not to market to them. But this struggle took me down the path to create the companies that I run today. And it’s, it’s a longer story and best preserved for another time.

So what I want to remind you is, is, is that we as acupuncturists, you, as an acupuncturist are an incredible resource. You’re a natural healer. You now, how to help people get and feel balanced and healthy. You know how to help people get well using safe and natural methods and you change lives every single day. The thing is, people want your help. They’re looking for your help. They need your services, but unfortunately many people don’t even know that we exist and we’re gonna help you change that. Oh, I want to help you get more people on your treatment table. And that’s what these talks are all about. To help you be seen, to help you be heard and to ultimately bring people into your practice so that you can make more money, change more lives, help more people, and kind of create the life and grow into the dreams that you imagined for yourself.

So I also want to remind you is that you’re never alone, that I’m here for you. I’ve been where you are and I’ve struggled. I have one of the same issues and concerns. And if at the end of today’s talk that you feel like you need more help getting set up or becoming focused. Or if you just need a little motivation to move forward, please please reach out to me. The, there are so many opportunities than ever for you to help more people, but you have to understand what people are looking for now and how you can best present that to them. And because of that, because I feel like I want to support you in your practice growth on what you to have the latest updates, the latest research. So I created a detailed report for what is working now and recommendations on how you can make it work for your practice to get more people in your treatment table.

It’s a 15 page resource that you will find invaluable. And I’ll share that with you at the end of today’s talk. So you could use, today’s talk. You can use this ebook resource that I want to share with you, um, to help you grow your practice. And just one or two of these changes that you walk away from, from today’s talk and tap into from what we’re going to be sharing with you today, or from this ebook can make all the difference for you. Okay? So let’s go ahead and get started. I want to talk with you today about the three part framework to clarify your message so that your practice can not only survive but thrive. And today I want to talk with you about two marketing concepts that everyone on this call should consider adopting into their practice. And what I’ll be sharing with you today will separate you from your competition and allow you to deliver a more clarity and focus messaging to the community that you serve.

So you may have heard of Donald Miller. He is a profound author and influencer in the business world and his teachings and ideas. They’re not new. He’s simply been able to articulate them and simplify them for the marketing newbie to understand and connect with the concepts that I want to share with you are from his book. Marketing made simple and also from his other book called developing your StoryBrand. And I want to talk with you briefly on how to tap into the idea of creating your story brand and how to craft your one liner. And I’m going to break these down for you, tell you what they are, how to create them for your own practice and share a couple of examples with you. So first, let me talk with you about the importance of StoryBrand today. We live in a fast paced, overly automated, digitally driven society and expressing our humanity and cultivating connection is becoming a new premium.

These days. We’re surrounded with convenience and instant gratification. Making personalized human connections are increasingly scarce and they’re coveted these days. And with this kind of environment, your practice can no longer to appear to be human lists or a faceless entity. And in order to survive these days, you need to connect and bridge that human gap with prospects, engaging on a deeper level than before. And this is where your StoryBrand comes in. StoryBrand is the cohesive narrative that weaves together the facts and the emotions that your brand or AKA your practice evokes. And this is where you give your prospects, the reasons they should choose you, your services over your competition. Story. Branding is no longer a nice to have. It is a need to have and what will ultimately maximize your practices, visibility its profit and its impact. So treat this, treat your story brand as a compass for your marketing strategies.

So I want to briefly review the seven step framework of creating your story brand. Okay? And it’s more detailed. It is book for you to get it if you want to. So the first part is the customer is the hero a K a your patient. So you need to identify and be clear about who you are attempting to help targeting everyone is like targeting no one. So you act, you need to strictly define who you are helping. This is where I feel a lot of my clients fall short when it comes to identifying their perfect ideal patient. Step number two is that a problem exists, external internal conflicts that a patient may have. And there’s a reason that your customers choose you over the next practitioner is because of the external problems that you solve or frustrating them in some way. And if you can identify that frustration, put it into words and offer to resolve it.

Something special happens. And this is the first step to helping, which is clarifying the problem, your hero, AKA, your patient is facing step three, meets a guide, which is you. You’re the practitioner. The customers are looking for help, AKA a guide to help them through, to solve. The problem is that they’re faced with and the guide, which is you offers advice or wisdom or experience. And you share with them what they, what, what, what they would have done differently. Had the, how, how, how do you known better at the time? And you offer positive way, excuse me, a positive way forward to overcome their problems. Step number four, there’s a plan which is a treatment plan or home care recommendations. So customers are going to trust a guide practitioner who has a plan. So make sure that you make the hero note that you have suggested that you know why you’re suggesting the path that you’re suggesting to them.

So what steps do they need to take to schedule with you? What steps do they need to take to enjoy maximum benefits from your care? So spell out those steps. And this is usually mapped out during your report of findings and step five, there are calls to action. So coming in for care and following care recommendations, customers are challenged now to take action and nothing is going to happen unless they act on a plan. So a guide will motivate them or motivate the hero to take action. And having Claire clear calls to action means customers. They’re not confused about what actions they need to take to do the work with you. Step six, help them avoid failure, right? And this is when patients aren’t achieving their healthcare goals. So everyone is trying to avoid a tragic ending. So knowing what could happen if no action is taken is required to motivate the hero, to act on a plan that you’ve collaboratively set up with them.

And step seven seven, which is, it ends in success, which means you’re solving their internal and external problems and helping them achieve their healthcare goals. This principle shows people how your services can positively influence their lives. People are drawn to transformation. And when they hear about and see about transformation in others, they want it for themselves. And the more you, you featured their transformative journey with your customers that have ever have experienced that the faster your practice will grow, the more referrals you’ll regret. So that’s basically the seven step framework that you should go through in order to create a story brand for your practice. And I’ll tell you how to use them in your marketing shortly. So now let’s get, um, get into the next step, which is the importance of creating your one-liner. And this is another area that Donald Miller suggested all businesses.

And in our cases, our practices have dialed in a one. Liner is a concise statement that clearly explains your offer. And it gives you a simple, clear, and memorable way to tell potential customers what you do and how, what you do, benefits them. And it outlines the problem that you help your customers solve in a simple, relevant, and repeatable way. And this is composed of three parts, the problem, your solution, and their reward. And it’s incredibly easy to create, but it can take some time to refine. And here’s how to begin the process of creating your winning one-liner part. One is to identify the problem and in this step, identify your customer, right? And the major problem that you help them eliminate, where is their life painful or uncomfortable, and what do they want to change? What’s not working for them. What keeps them up at night and you can get specific, but keep it concise.

And when someone asks you, what you do, your habit is probably to give them a direct, not very compelling answer. For example, if you’re in the house cleaning business, then the normal way that you’d likely answer this is by saying I clean people’s houses. Or if you’re really could, you might say I clean people’s houses so they don’t have to. And when you answer in the normal way, you’re cutting out the part of the equation where you have the most opportunity to connect with people. And that’s exactly what the problem section of your one-liner does. In other words, if you start with the solution, I E that I clean houses, then you have nowhere to go in the conversation, which is why it’s vitally important to start with the problem instead, because the problem opens up a story loop in your conversation. So instead of answering with I clean people’s houses, you start with this kind of response.

Instead, most people pay cleaning their houses. It’s a completely waste of their time and it robs them of their weekends every single week. And when you begin your answer with the problem, instead of a success response, you’re drawing the other person into a more, uh, into more than just a conversation. What you’re doing is you’re actually inviting them into a story. And since you’ve only provided one part of the story, which is AKA are the problem that you start mentioning, you’ve opened up what they call a story loop in copywriting lingo, and their brain wants to know, and it needs to know the rest, right? So once you tell them that most people cleaning their house. So they’ll immediately think to themselves, that’s totally right. I pay cleaning my house every single week, and now they’re waiting for the rest, right? And no, you know, you’re not being sleazy or salesy when you approach the conversation.

In this matter, you’re simply engaging people in a story and using a more effective approach to marketing and sales. And here’s an example of the problem that you may be familiar with. And I’ll be sharing the rest of this. This is a gamble as they go on in the next few steps. But for now, the problem in this example is people are tired of taking pills. Okay? So just keep that in mind. I’ll get back to that in a second. So now for part two, so the first part is identifying the problem. Second part is coming up and bleeding what your solution is. So now that you’ve opened up the story loop by starting your answer with the problem, it’s time to begin to close it, but not entirely. The solution is where you get to begin telling them what you do. So going back to the housekeeping example, you could continue by saying, so I have an entire team of professional cleaners who clean your house and make your home look like a million bucks.

Again, you don’t just say I clean houses, you spice things up a little bit. You had some, some juicy little details and you include emotional elements, right? And you leave people thinking, wow, that sounds incredible. How do I get my hands on that? So if there is something unique about what you do or what your practice provides or what services that you provide, especially, especially if you’re in a crowded market, the solution section is also where you can include those details. In that case, you don’t just say I clean houses is dead. You tell them. So I have an entire team of professional cleaners who clean your house using state-of-the-art vacuums and all organic cleansers. Okay. You started the conversation, whether it’s taking place in person or on your website, you’ve started this conversation with a problem and you’ve opened up the story loop and you started bringing people in and interested into what you’re saying.

Okay. And the solution is where you solve that problem. And so how do you write the solution section of your one-liner? Well, writing the solution section sounds pretty simple because it can often be the easiest portion of right. And that doesn’t mean you don’t still work at it and write it down. You should come up with like three or four variations before you land on the winner. So here’s part of my familiar example. So the problem was, people are tired of taking pills. That’s the problem. They’re tired of taking pills. Your solution would be. So we offer traditional Chinese medical treatments and state of the art therapies for the relief of chronic pain. That’s the solution you offer now on to putting all this together in part three, which is the reward to this point in the conversation, again, whether it’s in person or in your marketing materials, you’ve introduced a problem that potential customers are facing, and you presented your solution that you have to offer, right?

So now it’s time to aim high and hit a home run. And the reward section of your one-liner is where you get to brag a little bit. And this is where you get to tell people what your life, I’m sorry, what their life will look like after they’ve used your services. And this is where you share the transformation that can occur in their life. As a result of working with you again, that housekeeping example, people don’t want their houses cleaned, and they don’t just want it to look like a million bucks. They want their weekend back. They don’t just want to spend that time cleaning. And the reward section is where you remind them that that’s exactly what you provide. How do you write the reward section in one of, in your one-liner? Well, you want to focus on how your product makes a customer’s life better based on the transformation that you identified already.

And again, you likely won’t man, nail it on the first, try instead, write out four or five or more options or different variations and see which one that you liked best. So remember at this point in your one-liner, you need to make sure that each section is telling a consistent story and that they all flow well together. And to put my familiar examples together, here’s what your one liner should sound like. The problem people are tired of taking pills, your solution. So we offer traditional Chinese medical treatments and state-of-the-art therapies for the relief of chronic pain and their reward is we help people have less pain, more movement and a better life. How awesome is that? One liner, people are tired of taking pills. So we offer a traditional Chinese medical treatment as there are therapies for the relief of chronic pain, and we help people have less pain, more movement and a better life done.

Okay. So to recap, what’s the pain point you want your customer, your customer wants to resolve. Okay. What’s your unique solution to that pain point? And how does your customer’s life look after their pain is resolved? Well, now that you’ve made your one-liner it’s time to share it with the world and I suggest doing it the following way first practice it. Okay. Ask some brutally honest friends or strangers at a coffee shop to listen to your one-liner and tell you if it is clear, what you do and how you help second memorize it, and like actually memorize it. Right? And if you have a team, have them memorize it to other part, put it on your website. This statement should be the first chunk of copy that people see when they hit your website. And don’t forget, make sure that you use it. So next time someone asks you what you do, give them your one-liner and see what happens and add it to all of your marketing materials, your business cards, email signature, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Google, Twitter, okay, just put it out there in the world.

This is transformative. And if you dial it in will set you apart from your competition. Here’s a couple of examples I want to share with you too many people struggle with pain and injuries. We provide effective treatment that allows you to perform well in life sport and work without pills, surgery, and high costs. We offer unique and individualized evaluations and treat injuries with prenup, cupping, and acupuncture so that at our, so our practice members can go out when their next race and feel great. So now you can clearly communicate what your practice offers and why people should buy from you in one simple sentence. So now the great thing is that this is the one-liner that you’re going to repeat thousands of time to every single patient until they can repeat it as clearly as you can. And this is the single line that your front desk is going to be using.

And it’s also what you’re gonna be telling your accountant as also what your spouse will repeat and your kids will repeat, and you’ll even put it on t-shirts or even hats. And, and if you can create a clear and concise message for your practice members, they will reward you with sending friends, family, and everybody else to you. Okay? So I hope that you receive some answers and inspiration and insight for what you needed today. And I want to encourage you to reevaluate your plans, right? What are you going to be doing over the next 30 and 60 and 90 days in your practice? Do you want to put together a one-liner? So, hi, I’d love to help you and give you a fresh perspective. If you need help. I love to start a chat with you and I offer a free 15 minute mentoring and discovery calls.

What you could do is shoot me an email at Jeffrey, J E F F R E Y at acupuncture, immediate works.com. And I’ll get back to you as soon as possible in the subject line, say, I saw you at the AAC. So again, Jeffrey, J E F F R E Y at acupuncture, mediaworks.com. And I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. And remember that you are an incredible resource. You change lives day in and day out. You know, all about this amazing natural life, changing ways to support a person, um, to be healthy and to be strong and to be immune strengthened. So people are looking for you and they want your help and they need your help. So how are you going to show up? So if you’re looking for help, I encourage you to reach out to me, shoot me an email then for those of you that are sticking around here is the URL for the free resource that I put together, which is called resetting your practice for 20, 21.

How to get more patients on your table, you can go ahead to, uh, grab this URL at Accu media, a C U M E D I a dot U S slash reset, 2021. So Accu media.us/reset 2021. You can download that ebook and reach out. Let me know, be well, stay strong, continue to change lives. One person, one needle at a time, you are awesome and the world needs you. And again, reach out if you need some more support next week, Lauren Brown is going to be joining us on the AAC network here. So be there, take care, stay beautiful. Talk to you guys too.