[dropcap]R[/dropcap]arely a week goes by that someone doesn’t compliment me on my smile. I graciously respond by smiling and thanking them. And then I think about my story.
I think about Dr. Ritchie Beougher (pronounced boo-er) of Willow Bend Dental in Plano, Texas. Several years ago I was in a Barnes and Noble in North Dallas, and I saw a rack of magazines positioned right at the entry. In the rack was the current issue of D-Magazine. The magazine cover caught my eye. It featured a photograph of an attractive person with a gorgeous smile. I pulled the magazine out of the rack to see more and saw that the issue of D-Magazine was about the top 100 cosmetic dentists in the D/FW area. I began thumbing through the pages until I landed on the feature story. It was a story about the value of a winning smile, and there was a picture of Dr. Beougher and his wife, both with gorgeous smiles.
I purchased the magazine, and the rest was history.
Taking the first step was easy. I had the phone number to Willow Bend Dental and the offer for a free dental x-ray and a complimentary consultation with Dr. Beougher. I thought, there’s no harm calling and getting information about improving my teeth and maybe my smile.
I remember my appointment vividly.
While waiting in the plush and luxurious waiting room, a flat screen monitor provided a slideshow of clients’ “before and after” images. Relaxing music was in the background, and the friendly staff offered me a refreshing cold drink. I was anxious and excited. I had never experienced a dental office visit like this before. My mind raced as I pondered whether I could have a smile like what I was seeing.
And then it was my turn.
I remembered Dr. Beougher from his photograph in D-Magazine. His smile was perfect.
After a few pleasantries, he said, “Jeff, are you a smoker?”
“What?” I responded, “No, I’ve never smoked in my life.”
“Well, I noticed that your teeth are turning yellow, and I wasn’t sure if you were a smoker, or maybe you drink a lot of coffee or sodas.”
“No, I don’t drink coffee or soft drinks either,” I said. “My teeth look that yellow?”
“Yes, they are. But don’t worry.” And with a smile, he added, “I can help you with that.”
“Let’s begin by getting some photographs of your teeth and smile, along with a few x-rays. Then let’s create some digital images of what we can do to help you get a perfect smile.”
Well, I’m sure you know what my response was.
“Yes, let’s do it! I don’t want yellow teeth, and I’d love to have a great smile.”
When I walked into Dr. Beougher’s office that afternoon, I had come in for a free dental x-ray and a complimentary consultation. In a little over 90 minutes, I walked out with before photos and the proposed digitized after photo smile. Let’s not forget there was also a hefty invoice that was in the thousands of dollars to achieve the perfect smile and white teeth that I wanted. Dr. Beougher had strategically led me through a robust process that I call the Value and Trust Ladder.
Second, he provided value to me from the moment I walked into his office. He created a show that captured my attention. He topped the show by creating more value, giving personal attention to my problem and investing in me with x-rays and a digitized model of the smile I could get. Because I had received value, the trust had grown, and I naturally wanted to move forward and get additional value from him.
Before I left, Mrs. Beougher came in and introduced herself though she didn’t have to, I remembered her picture from the magazine. She realized I probably had questions, so she offered to share the most common issues and answers that customers have had with this procedure. Now realize I’m a marketer, and not easily impressed, this presentation, however, was impressive. Naturally it came down to money, and of course, you guessed it, they had a plan.
One of the most important things I do with new customers is to take the time to explain the concept of The Value and Trust Ladder. It is a critical step to getting clarity around this concept BEFORE you even think about building your inbound marketing platform or any sales or marketing funnels.
As you can see from the illustration above, the left axis is Value and Trust, and on the bottom axis is Price. The place we want to take our customer to is the upper right-hand corner where there is the dollar ($) sign. This is the place where you provide the most value, and where trust is the highest.
From my experience with Dr. Beougher of Willow Bend Dental, here is how I perceive his Value and Trust Ladder.
For Dr. Beougher, his highest value is cosmetic surgery. For my company, it’s helping business owners and sales professionals build marketing platforms for driving sales qualified leads. It’s the highest form of value I can provide my customers.
If Dr. Beougher would have approached me with his highest value item and presented me with the price first. I would have walked right out the door thinking he was crazy.
Why?
We had just met. He had to start first by providing value in order to build trust. That value coupled with adding more value made it conducive for higher levels of trust. It was worth it to Dr. Beougher to create an experience that cost him time, energy, creativity, and a few hundred dollars to be in front of his target audience. Who was his target audience? It was me, the person who would respond to the value presented.
Another great show is ArtLab Dentistry
If you are in the Los Angeles area and want a beautiful smile and experience let me encourage you to check out Dr. Mamaly Reshad of ArtLab Dentistry. Click here to begin experiencing his show.
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