A series of approaches to effective dispensary sales
Staff at West Georgia Eye Carepoint out key benefitsto a patient on anoptical tour.
Mike Rothschild, OD
Carrollton, Ga
Implement Complementary Sales Systems
*Coordinate your frames presentation between all points that touch the patient, including check-in, pre-testing, exam/doctor recommendations, the hand-off to the optical department, optical tour, frame selection, lens selection and check out.
* When patients check in, instead of saying, “Please make yourself comfortablein our nice chairs.” Say, “Someone should be with you shortly.We made some changes to our optical.Do you mind if we show you around?”Asking: “Do you want to look around?” doesn’t work.
* In the exam room, make strong recommendations about the glasses: “Since your prescription is so strong, it is very important that you have two pairs of glasses, just in case.” Or: “It is obvious that quality means a lot to you, so you need to pay attention to our highest quality brands.”
* Watch the natural flow of your optical. Every space has a natural flow, planned or not.Watch how people use the space and place your best products at eye level where patients look.
* Implement an optical tour that always starts with your best products and highlights benefits (people buy benefits).Write down bullet points about the featuredframes so all ofyour staffers areable to give the tour.
* Be “ready to receive.”Make a point to have one person in the optical ready to take care of the next person needing assistance in the optical.Make them feel at home.
* Watch your exam time.Most people see the exam as a barrier to getting new glasses.Get them in and out when new glasses is the purpose of the visit.Pay attention to overall exam time: If they arenot back in the optical with a prescription 30 minutes after walking in the door, fix the situation.
* Try to put everyone in an “optical state of mind.”Someone has an IOP check and is scheduled to come back in a month for another IOP check.They pay their co-pay and schedule next month’s appointment at the front desk with their back to the optical.Why?Sit them down at the optical table and offer to clean their glasses or adjust their sunglasses. Create ways to start a conversation about those new glasses….
* Remember this: “Happy people spend more money.” Work at ways to keepyour patients happyduring their visit.
Mike Rothschild, OD, is founder ofWest Georgia Eye Carein Carrollton, Ga., and editor ofLeadership, OD. To contact him: mrothschild@westgaeyecare.com.
Mark Hinton
Smyth County Eye Associatesoptical dispensaryin Marion, Va. Anattractive, well-designed office that merchandises without confusion. This is a high-performing optical, producing prescriptions with 65 percentAR; 60 percent Transitions; and more than 50 percent of progressive lenses are high definition designs.
eYeFacilitate
Excite the Consumer!
* Know your inventory! Know your inventory! Know your inventory! So you can excite the consumer about thefive great new frames that “just arrived” that you believe would look absolutely fantastic on their face. Excite and engage them.
* Consumers buy with emotion and justify or rationalize their purchase with logic; so stay out of the consumer pocket and get them excited. At the first encounter, tell them you’re excited for them to see what they’ll look like in the new style thatjust came inthat’s ideal and unique for their skin tone and face shape.
* Always show your best first, so that the next lower price-point is psychologically better accepted.
* Stay light, and smile and present only a few framesat a time.
* Lenses first and always first. If the consumer chooses a frame that won’t work well with the lenses, you’ll have to start over.
* Don’t show more thanfive frames at any time and always work it down to the best two. Then, when the consumer agrees on the favorite, simply ask, “Would you like me to order the same frame for your sunglasses? Or would you like to use your second choice here? Or would you like to look atone of the sun-specific brands for your sunglasses?”
*Know the difference between injection-molded frames and handmade quality frames to explain the difference in price between budget and luxury. Always ask the frame reps to explain the benefits, not features, of the frame.
* Google the frame brand or designer name to learn and express key benefit points to the consumer.
Mark Hinton is chief executive officer and president of eYeFacilitate, a sales coaching service for optometrists and their staffs.He is an American Board of Opticianry-certified educator withmore than 30years in the optical industry. Mark is a graduate of Sandler Professional Sales Training,a graduate of Carew International Sales Development and graduate of “Selling By Design, the Art of Communication.” To contact him: mark@eyefacilitate.com
