This week I had a great meeting with our client, Vera Whole Health. Vera operates on-site primary care clinics for employers across the western United States. Their clinic experience is very different from the standard healthcare experience. Appointments are 30-60 minutes. There's no waiting time when you arrive at the clinic. The care teams uses an empathetic listening approach when they interact with patients, and health coaches are embedded inside of every care team.
Sounds too good to be true, right?
In this meeting, we were discussing the best way to welcome new patients to a newly opened clinic. The following question guided our conversation: "How might we introduce this new healthcare benefit (experience, really), in a welcoming way, to people who haven't experienced this kind of healthcare before?"
To answer this question, we did an exercise to identify both positive and negative welcome experiences. One of the negative experiences stood out (orange post-it below). If any of you have been to Jimmy John's or heard their commercials, you'll know that their unique selling proposition is fast. Their website headline is "Fresher Faster." Everyone must want it, right?
Wrong. On our white board, one person listed Jimmy John's as a negative welcome experience. For them, it's too fast. It makes them feel pressured. They might like the sandwiches, but likely think twice before stopping to get one.
Now I'm not saying that Jimmy John's should change their messaging. They know they can't please everyone. And they know their audience.
Knowing your audience means leaving some people out. You won't make them happy, and frankly, you shouldn't care. They aren't your audience.
Knowing your audience is very important. It helps you know when to say yes, and when to say no.