1. TODAY’S PRACTICE
Marketing Mishaps
Dare to Be Different
Is all LASIK created equal?
BY SHAREEF MAHDAVI
T
here’s a problem with Virtually all great brands of
how LASIK is being product or service have carved
perceived by the pub- out a unique position that causes
lic. It’s gone from the consumer to value it and
being thought of as a miracle often pay more for it than a non-
to becoming a generic com- distinguished offering in the same
modity product. It seems like category. If people can perceive
providers have been “dumbing differences among basic house-
down” the benefits and risks of hold items—ice cream, laundry
the procedure to the point soap, and mustard, just to name a
where the public thinks LASIK few—then people can certainly
is the same procedure no mat- perceive differences among LASIK
ter who performs it. providers, especially given the
Just like the old saying, “no complex nature of the product
two people are alike,” no two and the decision process of
ophthalmologists are alike acquiring it.
either. The profession has large-
ly missed this point, either MAKE A SACRIFICE
because members haven’t con- In order to achieve a position,
sidered how each one of them well-known brands had to focus
is unique, or because they have failed to communicate their product or service offering, actively selecting one
what makes them special. If you think of LASIK as the point of difference and sacrificing others. Providers have
product, then the sum total of everything you do—not been reluctant to do this, mainly out of fear of limiting
just clinical results—becomes your product offering. And their appeal. As is the case with targeted marketing,
as long as the bulk of providers fails to distinguish how which narrows the scope of the audience, effective posi-
their product offering is different, LASIK will continue to tioning requires you to distinguish among all the things
be stigmatized as a generic solution to vision correction. you do and all the benefits you provide and narrow the
focus of what you communicate to the outside world.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? Attempts by LASIK providers to create positions have
What every provider should be aiming for is a unique varied in their uniqueness and their success. Using tech-
position in their market place. Positioning is a market- nology is expensive and will be matched by other
ing term defined as how you differentiate your offering in providers who have deep financial resources. Using low
the mind of your prospect. This marketing concept yields price is also expensive (think “lost profits”) and very easily
two related truths. matched. Focusing on a milestone attribute, such as
“first to perform” in the market, “most procedures in the
Truth No. 1 market,” or “treated a particular celebrity in the market”
You must effectively differentiate yourself and communicate are better but limited to a select few.
that difference in order to have sustaining success. Every provider needs to ask, “Why should patients
choose me to perform their LASIK?” The answer to this
Truth No. 2 question is the first step in developing a differentiated
Everything can be differentiated. service offering. It’s an important question to answer,
APRIL 2002 I CATARACT & REFRACTIVE SURGERY TODAY I 59

2. TODAY’S PRACTICE
because every person out there considering LASIK is ask- known for taking exceptional care of patients’ needs
ing themselves the mirror-image question: “Why should I prior to surgery, you will likely achieve the halo effect of
choose you to perform LASIK on me?” being perceived as a great surgeon. Conversely, if your
Even if you aren’t one of the surgeons who performed reception area is sloppy, you will likely be perceived as
the first LASIK procedure, don’t perform the most LASIK being a sloppy surgeon. It doesn’t matter what reality is,
procedures, or don’t offer the newest twist in LASIK, you people create perceptions which, once formed, are
need to determine your own point of distinction. You mighty hard to change.
will have to work hard to find the answer, but the alter- Walk into any business, such as a restaurant, and within
native is to be thought of as “no better or worse than the seconds you can pick up and perceive differences, each
next doctor”. That title is not motivating enough to have with a distinct genetic code that defines its level of service.
someone choose you.
Your answer needs to be unique to you and believable GO BEYOND RE SULTS
to prospective patients. Take inventory of what you cur- Because you are in a service business, it’s important to
rently do to attract refractive surgery candidates. Ask remember that service amounts to much more than the
prior patients what they LASIK procedure itself.
remembered and valued Patients are paying for the
about the procedure they “Every provider needs to ask, entire experience—before,
had with you and your ‘Why should patients choose me during, and after surgery.
staff. Analyze your patient It’s up to you to examine
database to see if a specific to perform their LASIK?’” every aspect of your service
patient niche or grouping to find out what you’re
emerges. In short, make doing extremely well (that
your point of differentiation one that reflects you, your might be different enough to become a distinction of
staff and your patients. It should be something you live your offering), as well as what needs to be improved. This
and breathe daily. includes the clinical results of the procedure, yet extends
well beyond.
M ARKETING TR APS TO AVOID If the profession stands a chance to increase the overall
There are some pitfalls to watch for when deciding demand for refractive surgery, then LASIK—today’s dom-
how to differentiate yourself. Following are a few of the inant procedure—must move away from being perceived
most common. as a generic offering from generic providers. New tech-
niques (e.g. custom ablation) and new procedures (e.g.
Trap No. 1 phakic IOLs) will always be on the horizon, but they are
Keep in mind that your positioning can’t be something not going to carry your unique and differentiated service
that everyone aspires to have and to which no one wants offering. They will become part of your product mix, and
the alternative. For example, “quality” and “trust” are weak they will be part of everyone else’s too. If you want to
distinctions; everyone strives to achieve them. restore the shine in the LASIK jewel today, then take a
hard look at how you communicate about the procedure
Trap No. 2 and your offering.
You need to stop thinking of marketing as advertising. Differentiation among providers offers greater per-
Marketing is the sum total of everything you do to ceived choice to the consumer, and will help build the
attract and retain patients. Whether you advertise or perception that “not all LASIK is created equal.”
not, your prospects for LASIK perceive differences right Next month, we’ll look at how differentiation plays into
away: how they’re greeted on the phone, how you competition and try to answer the question, “with whom
respond to their questions, and how they’re treated dur- are we truly competing for refractive surgery patients?” ■
ing an evaluation. Consider this: A LASIK evaluation
works both ways. Each month, industry veteran Shareef Mahdavi looks at
a different topic relating to the business of refractive surgery,
Trap No. 3 exploring how mistakes from the past can be used by all
Avoid trying to be “all things to all people.” In the providers for more effective marketing.
prospect’s mind, there are two forces at work. One is that He formerly was the head of marketing for VISX and is
there is a limit to how much a mind can perceive and based in Pleasanton, California. Mr. Mahdavi may be
retain. The other is that people associate. If you are reached at (925) 425-9963; shareef@sm2consulting.com
APRIL 2002 I CATARACT & REFRACTIVE SURGERY TODAY I 61