Education: A Key Component of Success
Here at CryoDerm, we have a huge focus on education, through several channels. First of all, we have a roster of knowledgeable and respected Education Partners who provide continuing education to licensed massage therapists and chiropractors. They use and share our products during their classes, teaching professionals how to use them and how to talk about them to their clients and patients. We don't want to just put a product out there that is directed at healthcare professionals without giving them tools to work with.
We educate through the Research page on our website. We educate--not just try to sell products--on our social media pages on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. We educate by having informative videos on our YouTube channel. We educate at conferences and conventions. We educate whenever someone calls our Customer Service with a product question. We educate with the brochures and product sheets we include when we ship an order.
All those things help our business...but it's not all about us. It's about the healthcare providers who use, recommend, and retail our products, and ultimately, it's about the end users--their patients and clients.
This is the Information Age. There are so many product choices out there for consumers to choose from, SOMETHING has to make them choose your product. You can always tell people "Google CryoDerm (or whatever else you're selling) and you'll get a lot of information." That's not an effective strategy. We're all in too much of a hurry; it seems to be the human condition. While some providers, like massage therapists, may get a full hour or longer with a client, that's not the case in many healthcare practices. Especially when you feel the pressure to see X amount of patients per day.
Earlier this week, I was with a friend in a cancer center that has an on-site pharmacy. I was sitting near the pharmacy counter and observed several people asking the person at the counter questions about products (they sell OTC products as well as fulfilling prescriptions). The person on duty answered every question and concern. You could tell they were knowledgeable about what they were selling, as they should be.
It's no different with any product you may be recommending to your clients and patients. You should be knowledgeable about the ingredients, any contraindications for using the product, and knowledgeable about how it works. You should be sure that anyone who deals with the public in your practice, whether that's the receptionist or other people at the front desk, is able to educate and answer product questions. There's a big difference in educating people and just handing them a sample packet and saying "Here, this will help you." Tell them how and why it will help them. Education is a key component of success--for you and for them.