Insights From Our Editors

How Many Patients Buy Annual Supplies of Contact Lenses?

You still have your work cut out for you to convince patients to buy annual supplies of contact lenses. Just 20.7 percent of respondents to Jobson Optical Research’s 2013 Contact Lens Wearers Insight Survey say they purchase one-to-two year’s worth of contacts. Some 28.8 percent say they purchase a six-month-to-one-year supply, and 24.0 percent say they purchase six month’s worth. Some 10.1 percent say they purchase three month’s of contact lenses. At the other end of the spectrum, 4.5 percent say they purchase two-or-more year’s worth of contacts. Some 3.4 percent say they purchase just a month’s worth, while 3.1 percent say they purchase two months of contacts. Some 0.6 percent say they only purchase two-to-three week’s worth.

Click HERE to purchase Jobson Optical Research’s 2013 Contact Lens Insight Survey.

Here’s an effective four-step system to get more patients to purchase an annual supply of contact lenses.

Step 1 starts with your in-office messaging. Before the patient gets to the exam room, the following in-office messages should be prominently displayed to preset patients to purchase.
An annual supply of contact lenses …
1) Is healthier for your eyes
2) Costs less due to rebates

Summit Eye Associates states this message this way: “… we care not only about your eyes, but also your pocketbook. When you order a yearly supply you protect your eyes and save money–what a great deal!” Click HERE to see more of their messaging.

Step 2 occurs in the exam room. The doctor needs to prescribe an annual supply of contact lenses. The patient needs to hear from the doctor that an annual supply is prescribed and why. The script for the doctor speaking to the patient is: “Based on your history and the findings of my examination today, I’m prescribing an annual supply of contact lenses for you. The reason why you need an annual supply of contact lenses is that studies have shown that patients with annual supplies are more compliant with contact lens wearing schedules and that results in healthier eyes–and we need to make sure your eyes stay healthy because you are going to use them every day during every waking minute.”

Step 3 occurs in the optical. The optical staff script is: “Isn’t it great the doctor prescribed an annual supply of contact lenses for you? Because of that, there are rebates available giving you savings on the cost.” Notice that neither the doctor nor the staff talked about boxes of contact lenses. Only annual supplies of contact lenses are discussed by the doctor and the staff with patients. If the patient brings up boxes, quickly turn the discussion back to the savings the patient receives with an annual supply.

Step 4 is the Assumptive Close. This is the key point in the process where the patient either gets or doesn’t get an annual supply of contact lenses, so it’s essential to do this step correctly. In the Assumptive Close you are not trying to convince the patient to buy, you are simply assuming the patient is moving forward with the purchase and acting accordingly. The script for this is: “How would you like to take care of that today–cash, check or credit card?” When the Assumptive Close is used, it is low pressure and very effective.

Don’t forget to measure your results. It’s your job to beat the Jobson Optical Research’s 2013 Contact Lens Wearers Insight Survey results and also beat your results from last year. Put your results from last year into the chart below to establish your base line. Then, as this year unfolds, continue measuring and updating your results. By employing the system described above, this year’s results should be significantly better than last year.

Amount of CLs Purchased

Jobson’s Survey Results

Your results

last year

Your results

this year

2 or more years

4.5%

1 – 2 years

20.7%

½ – 1 year

28.8%

3 months

10.1%

2 months

3.1%

1 month

3.4%

2-3 weeks

0.6%

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