New This Week
Jay Binkowitz, president of GPN, producer of The EDGE, and partner in American Eyecare in Astoria, NY, presents the first in the video series “Keys to Profitability in the Optical: Good Frame Board Management.” It is essential to map out and track all frames on display, he advises, and then to adjust inventory according to sales. Keys to improving sales include buying deep into select brands, enlisting frame reps in brand-training your optical staff, rotating inventory, and incentivizing your sales staff. There also are differences in how to handle and measure turnover in luxury brands, versus mid-priced designer brand frames. Inventory is a major investment, Binkowitz says, and good frame board management provides good ROI. >>READ MORE>>
Staff Management
Be Comprehensive in Orientation for New Hires
By Larry Golson , OD
Offer a thorough orientation for new hires. When your entire staff focuses on educating a new employee, it pays off long-term in service excellence. >>READ MORE>>
Contact Lenses
Keep Dry Eye Patients in Contact Lenses
By Charles Aldridge, OD
The population of dry eye patients is expanding—and dryness is a prime issue with contact lens patients. You can address dryness issues and keep these patients comfortable in their contact lenses long-term.
Frames
Your Best Frames Advertisement? Your Staff
By Oliver Lou, OD
When your staff wears new frames that you feature in your optical shop, patients notice and respond with purchases. Create incentives for staff to model the latest styles.
ROB Fast Fact
Why Do Patients Continue to Wear Progressives?
The majority of consumers–68 percent–who previously wore progressive eyeglasses and continue to wear progressives say they do so because they were satisfied with the design , according to The Vision Council’s 2012 Progressive Lens White Paper. Of first-time progressive purchasers, 42 percent said they wanted something they could use for both distance and reading while 39 percent said they wanted something that did not have a line visible to others. Only 26 percent switched to progressives because their ECP recommended they do so. Of consumers who previously wore single-vision lenses and switched to progressives, the majority said they did so because their prescription changed.
Click HERE to read more from Review of Optometric Business professional editors Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD, and Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD, on putting more patients in progressive lenses by linking lens design to patient lifestyle.
In Brief
ABB CONCISE and CareCredit Partner to Increase Annual Contact Lens Sales
ABB CONCISE has partnered with CareCredit to offer eyecare professionals another tool to compete against online retailers and increase sales of annual supplies of contact lenses. ABB CONCISE believes the acceptance and active use of CareCredit can increase patient retention and referrals. The CareCredit healthcare credit card program is designed to qualify patients quickly and provides a variety of tools practice staff can use to explain the payment options and benefits of being able to purchase higher-dollar items. >>READ MORE>>
Nominations Now Being Accepted for the 2012 Transitions Awards
Transitions Optical is now accepting nominations for its annual Transitions Awards program. The awards recognize independent laboratories, eyecare practices and retailers for their year-long commitment to enhancing vision and changing the way their customers see the world. >>READ MORE>>
ROB Poll Results
Readers Cite Misunderstandings About Vision Benefits as the Top Cause of Patient-Staff Conflict
Asked about the most common cause of patient-staff conflict, 48 percent of ROB readers cited misunderstandings about vision benefits while 35 cited patient perception of staff as rude and insensitive to their needs as the most frequent culprit. Nine percent cited dissatisfaction with eyeglasses as the top cause of conflict and another 9 percent said patient-staff conflict is most often caused by patients waiting too long for appointments to begin.
