Our family’s favorite restaurant in Charlotte is a sushi/burger fusion joint called Cowfish.
Christine loves the sushi.
My daughter and I love the burgers.
My son just loves the fortune cookies.
Every time we go, the first thing he does is grab a big handful from the bowl by the front desk.
He breaks them open, shoves the cookie in his mouth, ponders over the fortune, and tries to pronounce the Chinese words on the back.
He’s usually gone through half a dozen before we get our drinks, which probably isn’t great for an 8-year-old’s energy levels.
But at least it saves us money on appetizers.
The crazy thing is, fortune cookies are kinda terrible as cookies.
If you tried to offer round, bland, usually stale cookies at Applebee’s, people would just think it was weird.
Yet everyone loves fortune cookies.
Why?
Obviously, it’s not the cookie, which is fine at best.
It’s the fortune.
The fortune is what makes a fortune cookie special.
The fortune transforms a very average cookie into a delightful experience.
But most businesses try to market the cookie (the generic service) rather than the fortune (the unique experience).
Bernadette Jiwa makes this point in her great book The Fortune Cookie Principle, which I recommend for anyone who wants to learn more about marketing.
As a PT, what’s your fortune?
Are you letting everyone know what makes you special?
Or are you stuck trying to sell regular cookies like “manual therapy,” “expert care,” or “dry needling” at a premium price?
Those things are necessary, but no one gets excited about them.
To attract and delight your patients, offer them something more when they break open that cookie.
A personal relationship. A desired outcome. A new lease on life. A hope for the future.
A better fortune.
Otherwise, it’s your business that might be in for a bit of bad luck.