THE IMAGINATION GAP

After becoming a finalist in the Magnetic Marketing contest, and hearing what I won, I tried to imagine what a whole day with Dan Kennedy, someone I’ve followed for 40 years, would be like. For weeks before going to Cleveland, I crafted the questions I would ask the Master of Marketing, just as I had before I met with the Godfather of Influence, Dr. Cialdini. The “Winner’s Weekend”, as they called it surpassed my expectations. Not only did I have quality time with Dan but the entire Magnetic Marketing team over-delivered.

Dan told many stories, underlining the rationale behind his pragmatic and often contrarian approach to marketing. One was about Gunthy Renker and their product Proactive®.

Part of the strategy he crafted involved defining WHO the real customer was. One would think it was the pimply teenager who wanted to look better. Dan thought differently. Who was going to pay for it, he asked? Usually, it was the parent. So, Dan created commercials that were geared predominantly toward mothers and fathers who wanted to get their miserable teenagers out of their bedrooms and out of the house. Dan figured that parents would pay anything to get a smile on their daughter’s or son’s sourpuss face and get them out of the house. The goal of the commercials was to promote the image of that clear-skinned, smiley face. That was the emotion Dan wanted to promote. And it worked masterfully. Eventually, Gunthey Renker was bought by Nestle.

One of the things that Dan discussed was how most people have an “imagination gap” when it comes to your product or service. For dentists, that means they have a hard time imagining what they would be like AFTER they are treated. The job of whoever is presenting both treatment and fees is to bridge that “imagination gap” as effectively as possible.

When the “imagination gap” remains, PRICE becomes a major factor, if not the ONLY factor. I’ve previously referred to this as the patient’s WHY, but I think Dan’s correct. Resolving the “imagination gap” involves the patient’s WHY, or what emotional needs they hope to gain, but it adds an additional layer…the imagination. When a patient can actually envisionthemselves with their desired outcome (or better), acceptance is almost guaranteed.

Imagine buying a car without seeing it. As a mode of transportation, going from point A to point B, things like mileage, charging ability, reliability, and other functional factors will be judged. And of course, all things being equal, the price will probably be the deciding factor between 2 equally functional automobiles. That’s how most dentistry is presented, from website to treatment presentation.

But that’s not how we buy cars, is it? Cars are bought by imagining what it would be like driving them down the road. A driver might imagine what they will look like behind the wheel. A driver might imagine how others look at them as they drive down the street. The point is, that imagination and the emotions behind them play a key role and explain why people pony up sometimes exorbitant sums of money for a transportation device that accomplishes the same ultimate goal of getting from point A to point B.

If you appreciate the value of overcoming the “imagination gap”, the question you might be asking is; HOW IS THAT ACCOMPLISHED?

Dan Kennedy believes that 2 strategies are most effective in bridging the imagination gap.

What Dan means by testimonials, is not what most would read on a typical Google review. Dan says that the most effective testimonials are those that follow this formula: I was just like you, i.e., “I had the same exact problem you do, and now I can enjoy life, pain-free, unencumbered by what was ailing me and able to do X, Y, and Z.” Such a testimonial helps a prospective patient overcome their “imagination gap” by envisioning their future more concretely.

When Dan talks about video, something he helped pioneer with infomercials (like those for Proactiv®), he does NOT mean videos of the process. Rather, he means videos of the outcomes and how people will feel and act afterward.

A friend, a cosmetic dentist, deploys a version of this in his office. Its walls are peppered with oversized, photos of people whose smiles he crafted. The message sent is “You can look like this too.” But properly crafted videos can drill even deeper. They can more readily bridge the “imagination gap.”

When videos and testimonials are combined, the desire to achieve the outcome will overwhelm the price issues. Failure to overcome the “imagination gap” is why most case presentations fail.

To more effective case presentations,

Michael

P.S. Dan told of how when Nestle bought Gunthy Renker, they ruined everything he did. “Big Dumb Companies”, he said always think the companies they bought were stupid and they know better. It’s why he recommended carefully crafting any buy-out agreement with “carve-outs” to prevent total misery in a transition or to get paid extraordinarily well so the pain can be ignored. If you’d like to learn more about how I’ve helped dentists accomplish that, schedule a complimentary strategy session.