New This Week
Fine Tune Your Practice to Your Community
Mike Rothschild, OD, and Amir Khoshnevis, OD, discuss how vital it is to understand your community in defining and differentiating your practice. This is part of an ROB video series, “Mike and Amir Agree to Agree…and Disagree.”
Frames
Optical Shop Revamp: Create a Practice-Differentiating Space
By Elaine Happ, OD
Energize your optical sales by creating a large, well-planned space that fulfills your total vision. Don’t settle for the physical space you inherited. Invest well in a renovation–and see a measurable return. >>READ MORE>>
Practice Management
Peer Advisory Groups: You Can Learn from Non-ODs, Too
By D. Penn Moody, OD
Good ideas come from anywhere–not just from within our profession. Joining a peer advisory group with business owners outside optometry can provide great ideas for running an optometric office and dispensary.
>>READ MORE and WATCH VIDEO>>
Staff Management
Take Your Practice to Optometric Conferences–and Make it Pay Off
By Rajeev K. Raghu, OD, FAAO
Taking your whole staff to optometric conferences is costly, but the gains can be great. The key: Plan your activities well, and discuss specific goals in staff meetings before and after the event. >>READ MORE>>
ROB Fast Fact
Households Over $60,000 in Annual Income: How Much Do They Spend on Plano Sunwear?
There is a significant disparity between households with annual incomes over $60,000 and those households with annual incomes up to $60,000 in the purchase of plano sunwear, according to The Vision Council VisionWatch June 2012 Plano Sunglasses Sales report. Households with annual incomes over $60,000 spend a total $2,080.8 million in plano sunwear in the US, while households with annual incomes up to $60,000 spent a total of $1,391.4 million.
Click HERE to read more from Review of Optometric Business professional editors Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD, and Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD, on rethinking your sunwear pricing strategy.
In Brief
Do Your Patients Know How to Keep their Children’s Eyes Safe from Household Accidents?
Most people don’t know there are many common objects in the home that can cause serious eye injuries to children. For that reason, Prevent Blindness America has named October Home Eye Safety Month. Watching children is the best precaution, the organization advises, but there are other steps you can take to ensure their safety and well-being. Teaching kids about eye safety is one way. Using eye protection for risky tasks is another. >>READ MORE and DOWNLOAD Information Sheet for your office>>
Anne Klein Announces Exclusive World-Wide License Agreement with the Altair Division of Marchon Eyewear
The Jones Group Inc. announced that it has entered into an exclusive, world-wide license agreement with Altair, a division of Marchon Eyewear, Inc., for the creation, production, marketing and global distribution of ophthalmic eyewear and sunglasses under the Anne Klein brand. Under the new agreement, the Anne Klein ophthalmic eyewear and sunglass collections will be marketed and sold globally in upscale optical chains and specialty retailers and by independent ECPs, beginning in Spring 2013. >>READ MORE>>
ROB Poll Results
Readers Say Ample Counter Space is Most Important Dispensary Nicety
Asked about the optical dispensary nicety that makes the most difference to the patient experience, 50 percent of readers cite ample counter space with seating for patients to work with opticians. Nineteen percent say soft, complimentary lighting is most important while 16 percent say seating for accompanying friends and family is most essential. Fifteen percent say full-length mirrors are most helpful.
