Pick up any newspaper or turn on the radio and you'll be bombarded with advertising about laser surgery. The interesting thing is that all the messages sound the same.

"Let me do your surgery -- I graduated from Harvard."

"I pioneered the LASIK procedure."

"I have the most special equipment."

"I've done thousands of procedures."

Unfortunately, when everybody makes the same claims, patients end up not knowing who to trust.

Positioning your practice

For your marketing to be effective, your practice needs to project a clear, unique image. This is called positioning.

One of the best ways to do this is to create a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) -- a short phrase or tag line that communicates what's special about you and your practice. (Some successful non-medical USPs include: "A lot is riding on your tires," "You deserve a break today," and "We try harder.")

The clearcut image that you establish in the marketplace with the help of your USP should achieve two things.
It should:

�         differentiate you from other practices in your market

�         give patients reason to think you're the best choice in a crowded field.

Classifying your practice

You have three main options for differentiating your practice from others:

�         Be the first. It's too late to promote LASIK this way, but you can use this approach if you're the first to implement a new technique, or the first to get an advanced piece of equipment.

�         Be less expensive. In many businesses, competing on price is a common strategy. Unfortunately, most independent ophthalmologists can't afford to compete with the bargain LASIK chains. For that reason, the third strategy is one of your best options.

�         Be unique. With this approach you differentiate yourself by altering how the patient perceives your practice. (This is called branding.) Creating a USP is a key part of this strategy.

Creating a Unique Selling Proposition

To develop a USP, set up a brainstorming session with creative office staff members. Once you have a list of suggestions to choose from:

�         Make sure your USP ties into the emotional gratification that your patient will experience. Patients don't buy LASIK just because a celebrity did, or because they'll see better. They buy it because they've felt handicapped by having to wear corrective lenses most of their lives.

�         Keep the message positive.

�         Try to use fewer than seven words.

�         Keep it vague enough to be open to interpretation.

�         Make it punchy.

�         Make sure it positions you as the patient's best choice.

�         Very important: Be sure it makes your practice distinct from your competitors. This is the whole point.

A good example is the USP used by the American Surgical Instrument Corporation (manufacturer of instruments for LASIK): "Today's precision . . . tomorrow's vision."

Following through

Once you've created a USP, make sure all your marketing and advertising reflects that message. Also, make sure staff members are trained to treat patients in a manner consistent with your USP. Otherwise all your work will be undermined.

As your message penetrates the marketplace, you'll find that your practice is standing out in the minds of potential patients. When they need eye care, they'll think of you.

Creating a USP isn't hard, so why procrastinate? In the words of another well known USP . . . Just do it!

Susan Villamena is a principal and co-founder of Practice Solutions Rx, a New York-based business development and consulting firm. She specializes in working with non-selling professionals, such as physicians, accountants, attorneys and architects, who want to build their practices or enhance their skills. Susan can be reached at (914) 697-7544.