Chapter 218 Customer Loyalty

The deputy director said that doctors working in major hospitals actually also carry out some research projects.

For example, the large children's hospital near the Lin Real Estate office building is packed daily with not only the ophthalmology department but also all the other departments. Children from all over the country come here for treatment for difficult and complicated illnesses. Pharmaceutical representatives frequently visit to promote new drugs and equipment.

If we find this hospital and conduct research on myopia treatment devices, the company will provide equipment and money so that patients participating in the research can enjoy treatment free of charge. The hospital will cooperate with relevant doctors to prescribe examinations, conduct regular follow-up visits for patients, make timely corrections, and use the data to write papers. The hospital will definitely not refuse this kind of mutually beneficial cooperation among all parties.

Jiang Fang was puzzled and asked, "We provide these devices for free and reimburse patients. So where is our profit point? Do we rely on word-of-mouth from these few patients to encourage more people to pay for the devices to prevent and treat myopia?"

Lin Ruoyan had seen this routine in the real world and laughed, "This device isn't meant to be used for a year or two. It needs to be used every day. Once you notice signs of myopia, you should use it twice a day. Although it's only used for a few minutes each time, it needs to be used over a period of three to five years.

Our hospital partnerships offer free equipment for the first year. Patients will then need to sign a contract with us to rent the equipment. We can also set up a supporting service center, offering annual equipment leases or multi-year leases with regular visits to our service center for replacement and maintenance.

The deputy marketing director thought carefully about what Lin Ruoyan meant and realized that this was no longer the traditional logic of selling goods in one transaction. He immediately agreed, "Boss Lin is right. The equipment is only rented and not sold. This is quite smart."

Jiang Fang also figured it out at this time.

In the past, her sales thinking was that the work was basically done after the goods were sold. What she pursued was the sales result. In order to sell such things, she would have various marketing methods.

But what if the property isn't "for sale"? For example, some houses can't be sold normally because the property ownership certificate can't be divided, so they can only be rented out long-term, and the rent is actually almost the same as the selling price.

The actual cost of a product like myopia treatment device is likely to be less than 10,000 yuan. It is sold at one time, and the other party takes the device away. It has no relationship with the company anymore. It may only be a novelty for a while. Even if the company has follow-up services, the general practice is to ask you for warranty if there is a problem with the equipment.

Human laziness reduces the likelihood of continued use over time. After all, people tend to think, "This thing is mine now. I can use it whenever I want, and I can leave it when I don't." "You're the seller, and my parents don't care about me. I don't owe you any money, so of course I can do whatever I want."

Unfortunately, this device requires daily use, morning and evening, even though each time is only for a few minutes, but it needs to be used continuously over time. If you don't use it for a day or for a period of time, it will have no effect.

When a ticket is traded, if neither the buyer nor the seller cherishes it, few people will truly persist in using the instrument. What if the concept is changed to renting? My instrument is not sold to you, but rented to you. The effect may be completely different.

When Jiang Fang was little, book and video rental shops were popular on the streets. VCRs were expensive, and her family was poor, so she had never seen one. But she could still afford to rent books.

She rented books for 50 cents a day, and she rushed to finish them, reading them in class and at night under the covers with a flashlight. She saved up the ten-yuan deposit for a month, and even accepted it was more expensive than the book itself. Instead, she would keep the deposit at the rental shop, taking a different book home each day, and reading very quickly.

Because the deposit was expensive, once she chose a bookshop, she would typically finish reading every book she was interested in before switching to another, leading to exceptional customer loyalty. She also tried to ensure the books were undamaged, as damage would result in compensation. On the other hand, she didn't pay much attention to books her parents bought for her, figuring they were hers anyway and she could read them later when she had time. Even before graduation, she still hadn't finished many books.

After starting work, Jiang Fang discovered that some office equipment can be rented long-term. There are shops that rent copiers and printers, as well as computers and other large items costing tens of thousands of yuan. Small businesses, starting out and lacking the funds to purchase their own assets, often consider renting equipment. Furthermore, they offer free on-site maintenance and replacement services for any equipment deemed damaged during the lease period, making it a very cost-effective option.

Cheap things can also be rented, for example, you can rent flowers for a few days to display at a sales office or shopping mall for an event. When the flowers wither, they will be replaced for free. During the few days you use them, you don’t have to take care of them at all. After you are done using them, you can return them and you don’t have to worry about what to do with them.

Therefore, there is actually a lot of knowledge to learn about the concept of leasing.

Lin Ruoyan shared some of the "leasing" business methods she has seen in the real world to inspire everyone:

"For example, when we first promoted this myopia treatment device, we partnered with hospitals to allow patients to try it for free for one year. We only collected a deposit for each device and returned the deposit to the patient after the expiration date.

Once patients find the device effective and are willing to continue using it, we sign a paid service agreement. The annual rental fee is several thousand yuan, with a deposit of two to three thousand yuan. There are discounts for renting for two or three years, like renting for five years and getting one year free.

We found a convenient location to open a service center, where members who rent our equipment can come for regular, free eye exams. The equipment is also regularly maintained, replaced, and upgraded, and small gifts are given during festivals. To ensure these after-sales services, we assign a dedicated contact person to each member, who conducts weekly and monthly follow-up visits to ensure they use their equipment on time.

Of course, this type of tracking can also be assisted by the device’s own program. If the frequency of use does not meet the standard, there will be feedback, which can remind customers in time.

This series of services significantly reduces the likelihood of members switching to other similar products. Furthermore, because our comprehensive service creates a strong impression, they won't take the risk of trying something else. Not only do we subtly cultivate customer loyalty, but our long-term stable customers can also attract new ones."

"The key to all this is service, and also the way we promote our products combined with service." Jiang Fang nodded and discussed with the deputy director how to set relevant prices and organize activities in the future.

Based on the current production cost of the instrument, Jiang Fang suggested a rental price of 6,000 yuan per year, 10,000 yuan for two consecutive years, and a significant discount of around 20,000 yuan with a free year after four years of use. This translates to a monthly price of 500 yuan at the most expensive, but with the discount for five years, it's just over 300 yuan per month.

At this time, the average monthly salary in major cities in China has exceeded 1,000 yuan, the proportion of dual-income families with a monthly income of more than 2,000 yuan has increased year by year, and the average annual disposable income has also been growing steadily.

Jiang Fang's pricing structure is more expensive than current membership fees on practice test websites, as this is a truly effective high-tech product. Furthermore, all services are paid upfront, requiring the initial payment to be paid before subsequent services are available.