The Problem with Anthony’s Pizza
I pulled into the parking lot of a new practice client one recent morning and immediately noticed the storefront of one of their retail neighbors. It was an attractive, well-maintained building, and unbeknownst to me at the time, it turned out to be but one location of a small, successful chain with stores up and down the east coast.
However, what sticks in my mind about the place isn’t the appearance of the building, or the number of locations. It is the name of the business.
Anthony’s Coal-Fired Pizza.
I suppose that “brick oven pizza” and “wood-fired pizza” are terms that have become too commonplace for Anthony’s liking, and that he wanted to have a unique description for his product that would serve to make him stand out from his competition. That’s a great idea in principle, and so I understand what he was trying to accomplish. It certainly worked with me.
However, the mental image that I have is this: Anthony uses coal to cook his food.
I don’t think I would find a coal after-taste to be a flavor enhancement for pizza. I’m not inclined to find out, either.
The words we choose within orthodontics convey also convey mental images – both positive and negative – for those who visit the practice. To cite one example, those of you who have worked with me in the past – especially you TCs – know what my pet peeve is: using the word “fee” to describe the financial terms of doing business at your practice.
My reason for disliking “fee” is this issue of mental imagery. What does the word “fee” convey to people? Expense. Penalty. Financial pain. The cost of doing business. And worst of all, the word “fee” isn’t even an accurate description of what is transpiring with payment, is it? After all, the patient is making a life-long investment that they will enjoy every day of their lives and the cost should therefore be described as such. This is why “the fee is $” becomes “your investment for treatment is $.”
Same message, different imagery. So the problem with “fee” is the same one with “coal-fired pizza”; the buyer understands what you mean, but the mental image is not positive. Your choice of words does matter.
Here are some other examples of small changes in verbiage that positively influence mental imagery:
Substitute “tender” for “sore”
Substitute “correct” or “enhance” for “fix”
Substitute “agreement” for “contract”
Substitute “installments” for “payments”
Substitute “deposit” or “down-payment” for “up-front cost”
Substitute “device” for “appliance”
Substitute “technology” for “machine”
Another rule of thumb in this arena is to avoid using the pronoun “you”, especially when conveying bad news. This serves to make the subject at hand more impartial and less personal.
“You have no insurance” becomes or “there is no insurance” or “this insurance does not cover orthodontics”.
“You can’t do that here” becomes “unfortunately, our office policy prevents us from doing that”.
“You need to bring a check or credit card to your next appointment” becomes “the down-payment will need to be made at the next appointment”.
One final note on imagery – when it comes to using photography, I recommend that doctors eschew the lab-coat look and choose a look that is informal and inviting. The best examples that I have seen are outdoor shots that include both the doctor and his or her family.
