Cultural, Economic and Marketing Changes Part 1
Cultural, Economic and Marketing Changes Part 1
Like many things in life, societal change can sneak up on you. Even when evidence abounds that supports those changes, most cling to the past as the surest route to success in the future.
While it is true that history repeats itself, the clarity of that repeating is most easily observed from when it has already happened, usually years afterwards. It is called hindsight.
Here I am going give you some prognostications you can apply and use. The future can be exciting. Your climb to higher levels of success can certainly be aided by these observations and predictions and give you an edge over your competition. I do suggest that you carefully consider the beans I am about to spill. Decide what makes sense to you for application and then get busy.
Let's start with our culture. Right now the pendulum has swung once again away from the Age of Me symbolized by Madonna's song "Material Girl" to the Age of We symbolized by the rise of the group consciousness. We have swung away from conspicuous consumption and "bling" to a far more conservative fashion consciousness and not displaying "all you got."
"McMansions" that were the trend of the upper middle class and upper classes will be replaced by smaller, more energy efficient homes. Second homes will still be around as will multi-car families. Do expect hybrid cars and electrical ones to rise in importance. The only thing holding these back now is the technology. Strangely, GM at one time was way ahead in this field with its EV1. That car was killed by GM much to the dismay and disbelief of Ev1 fans and users. It is rumored that Big Oil had a hand in the demise. I doubt that Big Oil can use that level of influence again given what we experienced with the run up in the price of oil. While oil has come down from its stratospheric levels, don't expect it to stay that way. Demand on supply will again push prices up. Most of the American public gets that. The demand from India and China will continue to increase as they become increasingly important economic powers. They are the two largest countries on earth in population, and the sheer demographics tied with nearly instantaneous communication and technology portends their further development.
Right now, the world is experiencing this same recession as the US, the two aforementioned countries included. China, in particular, has carved a path that demands economic growth at an unprecedented 8-10% per year. That isn't happening now and tens of millions of Chinese are now looking for work.
The constant of the present is its inconstancy and change. Get used to it. Protest will not work. Refusal is senseless.
Understanding the changes and working within this flow of change does make sense.
These societal changes are predictable by the way in forty year cycles, according to the book, Generations: the Future of America's Future 1584 to 2069 by Neil Howe and William Strauss. It is a bit of a hefty read, but worthwhile for the readers among you.
Conservative political thought has given way to the need for change, as evidenced by the election of the most liberal senator in Congress to the position of President of the United States. (I'll talk about more of the marketing changes that helped win that election for Barack Obama in the future.)
Another cultural shift is the demand for durability and quality. (This is more bad news for China for many of its products are built cheap and disposable.)
Longevity is "in" both in products and in healthcare! The most affluent of generations, the current Boomers, are not going into retirement quietly; ready to assume their rocking chairs. They are looking for meaning and to live the remaining years of their lives actively. Many are starting second careers. Far fewer plan to retire in the same way as their parents.
None want to live the remaining years of their lives warehoused in nursing homes, drugged into submissive behavior, feebly getting by with dentures that are lost by the orderlies. None want their lives cut short by an inability to have proper dental function. You see the difference already in your patients that maintain their teeth versus those who do not. Those that keep their teeth and function live very different lives than the dentally crippled.
Today's consumer is more demanding of the facts and less tolerant of hype. They want authenticity, and less sizzle. The marketing hype that was acceptable for so long by the Boomers and Silent Generation is not for the Gen X'ers and Millenials. Substance matters more now.
Details matter more. Information matters more.
Health and "what's really important" have ascended the ladder of what really matters. This happened the last time we had a significant recession in the early 80's. That is more good news.
Working together to accomplish worthwhile goals and group consciousness are part and parcel of this new thinking and cultural imperative. Demand for being environmentally sensitive will only increase.
Look around. These changes are upon us.
With all this change, one thing will not change human nature. We are all still quite the complex mix of the rational and irrational, emotions and logic. That is more good news.
Here is another big take away: A significant change for the better in your practice is the rising trend of Thoughtful Spending. A new logic has come around again that says:
When times are turbulent, invest your money and time where you know it will pay dividends. The stock market isn't looking good. Real estate is a mess. Soinvest in yourself, your health, your education, your experiences. Those can't be taken away and are sure to help.
The last time we had a big recession I used this logic to get many big cases to go ahead. It is working again. Just in the past two weeks I have had two patients expand their five figure treatment plans into six figure treatment plans using this emotional logic.
You might mention to your patients why this is the best time to invest in significant dentistry, this time of thoughtful spending when it makes sense to invest in your health and future. You can and should paint the picture of the future with and without your work for them.
This does require a light touch; diplomatically suggest why your patient may want to consider moving ahead now. You could tell the story of a patient and what she told you was her reasoning, what her "because" was, and why she went ahead now. Interestingly, using the word "because" as a magical power to influence others to your way of thinking, as was pointed out in Robert Cialdini's Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.
How will you systematically apply these changes in your practice to leverage your success?
DO THIS
Make a list of areas of application. Hold a staff meeting to discuss. Share this memo with the group. Discuss how you can use language and these changes to get patients to say yes. Put these to use right away.
You may be surprised how quickly these cultural changes can be put to good use inside your practice and ratchet up your productivity and profits.
Coming Up
So what are the marketing changes and how will they affect you? I have already started testing them and getting some pretty startling results. I will let you in on these secrets next time
Best,
Charley
Copyright 2010 Charles W Martin
Email Marketing DOs and DONTs Cultural, Economic and Marketing Changes Part 2 Cultural, Economic and Marketing Changes Part 3 Fap Turbo Software - A Total Rookie Made 300,000 us dollars In 2010 on Fx Market Marcus Campbell Scam - Marcus Campbell Review Simple sites big profits reviews - Legit or Scam? Is Affiliate Marketing the Easiest Online Venture to Get Into? Techniques On How To Select The Best Affiliate Marketing Guru Simple Sites Big Profit Review - Scam or Any Good? 2011 Trends and Tips for Effective Use of Mailing Lists for Marketing 7 Essential Skills Of Attraction Marketing ES E-Mini: Profit from What the Market Offers, Not Your Expectations Full Movies Scam or Legit?