A few days ago I wanted to see if I should change my Cable TV and Internet service. We have had DirecTV for over twelve years and now that we live in Las Vegas I wanted to see what was being offered.
Before you continue, remember I’m “old.” I was raised in an era when a business, any business, provided service. It was the name of the game. Doctors made house calls, milk was delivered to your door, your butcher called you in the evening to see what you wanted delivered the next day, and I delivered it.
I went to the Cox Cable store a twenty minute drive from our house, took a number and stood in line. When it was my turn I went to the counter where I stood while the sales person sat and tried to sell me a whole raft of services/features/benefits, (you choose the word) and products, each of which had its own price. Trying to find out exactly what it would cost to get service similar to my reliable DirecTV service was like pulling teeth. I walked away confused and upset at how I – the customer, had been treated.
How does this relate to hearing aids, you ask? Depending on your training and age, maybe it does and maybe it doesn’t. It all depends on whether you view yourself as providing a service or a product. Service has a perceived value and people are willing to pay for that value. Service is rarely discounted or priced to match the competition. Products, on the other hand, are frequently discounted and have no added value. You pay for what you get, and hope it was at the cheapest possible price.
Some people in our profession provide (sell) service and others, a product. In our business, service is so important; you can almost reach out and touch it. Most offices I know bundle their services as a way of reducing the client’s confusion and also because they know how important it is to provide the best service possible. Clients, unaware of how important your service is to the success of their rehabilitation will try to get away with paying as little as possible. Your client is bound to hurt you and himself if you provide service as an “add-on” or as a separately priced item. Remember, they are coming to you for a result that many are sure they don’t need, don’t want, that doesn’t hurt, and costs more than they want to spend.
So…which kind of office do you have? Look at your ads and compare them to your competition. Which of you is selling service and which of you are giving lip service to the word? Odds are, the successful offices are selling a service that just happens to require the client to also purchase a product.
