THE FRAMEWORK FOR YOUR BRAND
SO HOW DOES BRANDING SPECIFICALLY RELATE TO REHAB AND PERFORMANCE SPACE?
A personal brand holds significant importance as it plays a crucial role in establishing your identity and reputation. Whether you are working with patients, athletes, organizations, or collaborating with fellow professionals, your personal brand is on full display, influencing how others perceive and engage with you. Understanding the framework for a personal brand is useful for maximizing patient and athlete outcomes and professional opportunities.
As discussed in Part 1, a brand is defined as "the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer's decision to choose one product or service over another.” What do these four components of personal branding look like in the rehab and performance space?
1. Expectations | “Own the Basics”
Bottom line, the expectation is that you are good at what you do, period. In essence, your competence in your field is the foundation of your brand. A strong brand can and will never compensate for a subpar product. Therefore, before delving into any other factors that contribute to a successful brand, the focus should be on offering the best product in the form of your skill set and services. Early in your career, emphasize mastering the fundamentals and seek out mentorships to establish a baseline of excellence upon which to build. Delivering consistent effective outcomes for all stakeholders will earn trust and credibility in your brand. A reputable brand is synonymous with quality, and consistently delivering quality builds a loyal customer base.
2. STORIES | “EXPLAIN THE WHY”
Some of the world's most exceptional brands [insert your favorite], excel at the art of storytelling. They have a remarkable ability to captivate audiences emotionally, ignite curiosity and foster engagement. Through their stories, brands not only reveal the features of their products but also unravel the underlying WHY—why what they’re offering is valuable, why you should be involved, and why their products stand out as the best in the market.
PATIENT AND ATHLETE
One of my mentors exemplified his talent of storytelling remarkably. Regardless of the patient who walked into the clinic, he had the ability to identify their interests and then skillfully weave those elements into his explanations of the WHY by using metaphors and relatable examples. Through his storytelling, he could create meaningful and impactful connections with each individual, making complex concepts easily understandable and relevant to their lives.
Colleagues and organizations
Mastering the art of storytelling also involves tailoring your message to your audience. For example, within a sport organization or team, you may have a consistent WHY but it's essential to be able to communicate it in multiple ways to the various stakeholders. The way you engage with a patient or athlete about their particular medical diagnosis or prognosis will differ from how you would provide management or medical staff with the same message. By telling the same story in various ways, you ensure that each party fully comprehends the message you are conveying.
Career Context
Build your work experience with intention. Your background, educational achievements, volunteer work, affiliations with an organization or employer and network, collectively help form a compelling story. This story explains WHY you could be a strong candidate for a particular organization, team, or your desired role.
3. Memories |“It’s about the customer, patient, & athlete experience”
Do you remember how you felt when your team won or lost, when you ate at your favorite restaurant, when you saw your favorite artist in concert? These are all memories that were taken from a particular experience.
The question is, when a patient/athlete leaves a session or when you leave a meeting or interview, what residual impression, feeling, and memory is left? A big mistake that companies often make is they fall in love with their product and forget to focus on their customers’ experience with the product. It is about the outcome as it relates to the customer experience that the product created. Why is Apple such a successful software company? They were not the only company to make a great product; but they were the first to understand how to address all the elements that shape a great customer experience, which in turn, influences customer’s memories. Apple merged great form and functionality between all products, created elegant packaging and an exceptional retail experience with an open store layout suggesting sociability, collaboration, and creativity among staff and customers. All these elements build upon each other to leave the consumer with a positive experience which equals positive memories.
Day One Treatment
One thing that was emphasized to me in my clinical training is the need to make a change during the first treatment. This could be a change in pain level, improving the ability to perform a task, or enhancing the understanding about expectations given a particular prognosis or goal. Ensuring that a tangible change occurred during the first session is crucial, as it forms a lasting memory that creates trust moving forward.
Long Term Rehab and Training
In the world of rehab and performance, the journey can often be a lengthy and gradual one. The daily routines might seem mundane, lacking immediate noticeable progress. Maintaining positive consumer experiences and memories over a long period can be difficult. Guide patients and athletes toward small victories that contribute to the larger picture of their recovery or training. By doing so, they can leave each day with a positive memory of their accomplishments, adding value to their overall experience.
Career Context
How do you create positive memories with colleagues and/or an organization after leaving a meeting or an interview? Find something you can connect on beyond just the professional requirements. Before an interview, don't only be knowledgeable about the topic you are going to be discussing or the position for which you are going to interview but find out interests or commonalities that you can connect on. Remember that the goal is to leave a lasting and positive impression as both a skilled professional and a person who contributes to a collaborative and engaging team.
4. Build Relationships | Patient/Athlete & Colleagues
It may not be an overstatement that, especially in the world of sports rehab and performance, building strong relationships with patients, athletes, and colleagues might be as crucial as demonstrating an exceptional skill set. One of the most valuable pieces of advice I ever received is:
“They [patients/athletes/colleagues] need to know you care before they care about how much you know.”
Treating people as individuals, taking an interest in, and taking the time to listen to their situation is critical in laying the foundation for meaningful connections, enabling a deeper understanding of each other's perspectives and experiences.
Take the example of a brand partnering with an athlete; the brand must demonstrate genuine care and interest in the athlete. It's essential for the player to feel valued before putting their name on the product. Similarly, patients and athletes recognize and know when their perspective has or hasn’t been heard, and if their goals and interests are being considered. In the professional space, genuine relationships pave the way for opportunities. When people know you genuinely care, they are more willing to collaborate and engage with you.
STAY TUNED FOR PART 3: REFINING YOUR BRAND COMING NOVEMBER 2ND
MEET THE AUTHOR: chris meinhold
Chris is passionate and an advocate for post graduate mentoring. He completed his Fellowship in Sports and Manual Therapy and an Orthopedic Residency. Currently, he mentors students and new graduates as an adjunct orthopedic professor. He is a graduate of Azusa Pacific University's Doctor of Physical Therapy Program and UCLA, where he earned his bachelor's degree in Communications and was a student athlete. Chris is also part of the USA Ski and Snowboard medical pool, specifically working with the Para Snowboard Team. He and his wife are based in Southern California and love traveling to find good snow to ski, and waves to surf.
Follow Chris:
Email: chris.meinhold@gmail.com
Instagram: @chrismeinhold
Follow us on instagram
