Photo courtesy of Wendy Buchanan. Buchanan in the background with her client, Sian Gunney, a sales success strategist, in the foreground. Buchanan says that leading with feeling is a key to growing optical revenue.
Growing optical revenue
By Wendy Buchanan
May 7, 2025
As the owner of your optometry clinic, you know that optical revenue is a vital part of your business and a key driver of sustainable growth.
An optical department, built on strong sales and multi-pair purchases, fuels your clinic’s success and ensures you can continue to deliver exceptional care.
But growing a profitable optical isn’t just about offering great frames—it’s about creating an experience where patients are excited to invest in multiple pairs that suit every part of their life.
The question is: how do you inspire your team to present multiple pairs in a way that feels natural, genuine and fun?
How do you build enthusiasm that makes patients want to say yes—and feel great about it? When your team learns to lead these conversations with confidence and authenticity, your optical sales can flourish… and so can your practice.
Shift from “Selling” to “Styling” in Optical
The first step is shifting your team’s mindset around selling. Often, optical teams focus on the clinical and functional aspects of eyewear—what the lenses do rather than how the frames make patients feel. The game changes when your team stops thinking of themselves as salespeople and starts seeing themselves as personal stylists.
When the conversation pivots from function to fashion—centered around each patient’s unique Spec Style—it becomes more engaging and less transactional.
Recommending a second or third pair isn’t about pushing a sale—it’s about helping patients build a versatile eyewear wardrobe that fits their lifestyle, just like clothing or accessories.
Presenting a second pair that makes them feel empowered or a pair of sunglasses that make them feel like a celebrity is far more inspiring than talking about UV protection. When your team embraces this styling mindset, patients are more excited to say yes—because they’re investing in their image and how they want to show up in the world.
In the Optical, Enthusiasm Sells. Energy Engages.
Patients can feel energy the moment they walk into your clinic. It’s contagious! When your team lights up talking about a frame, when their excitement is genuine, and when they show authentic interest in helping someone find the perfect pair, it completely transforms the experience. Enthusiasm makes people lean in, it builds trust and creates a sense of fun and possibility.
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But here’s the thing: if your frame boards are replaced with the same frames that you sold last week, and they’re styling the same frames over and over—just on different faces—that enthusiasm can fade. Conversations become scripted. Recommendations start to sound rehearsed. What was once an exciting, personalized experience begins to feel a little… routine.
And patients notice.
When styling feels stale, the energy shifts. The sparkle dims. And patients pick up on it. They may not be able to put their finger on why they’re hesitant to say “yes,” but they’ll feel it.
On the flip side, when your team is genuinely interested in the person sitting in front of them—curious about their personality, clothing style and how they want to express themselves—everything changes. The energy returns. The conversation becomes dynamic and personal. And the patient feels seen, heard and understood.
Pair that authentic connection with a fresh, exciting frame selection, and now your team is styling from a place of passion and creativity. Patients feel that. They want to be part of it. They’re inspired to say, “I’ll take both!”
Focus on Feeling in Your Optical
Good salespeople know the frame brands inside and out. They can rattle off the facts:
✔️ This frame is lightweight titanium.
✔️ These lenses are progressive with blue light protection.
✔️ This style comes in five colors.
And while that’s useful information, features alone rarely inspire patients to make a buying decision—especially when they’re choosing between want and need. Patients don’t just buy specs for the materials or tech specs. They buy because it fits into their life and their identity.
Great salespeople go a step further. They connect the product to a solution:
✔️ These lightweight frames will feel comfortable all day.
✔️ The blue light filter can reduce your eye fatigue from long hours on the computer.
✔️ The bold color on these frames brings attention to your eyes—without overwhelming your face.
When you sell the benefit, the patient understands why they need it. Do people need another pair of killer shoes or do they want them? Need justifies the purchase. Want drives the decision. When your team connects with want, you’re not selling glasses—you’re delivering style, zest and that “I have to have it!” feeling.
High-Producing salespeople sell a feeling. This is where the magic happens. These are the conversations that move beyond logic and land in emotion. Because at the end of the day, patients make decisions based on how they feel.
These salespeople (and styling teams!) focus on creating an experience:
✔️How does your patient’s body language change wearing these glasses when they look in the mirror?
✔️How do they imagine being perceived—sleek, chic, modern?
✔️How will it feel to leave your clinic with not one, but two (or three!) pairs that make them feel like a million bucks?
Your team is now selling a transformation. Patients walk away feeling more like themselves—refreshed, self-assured, on-point. And that feeling is priceless.
Style with Confidence, Not Scripts in Your Optical
A well-trained team doesn’t need a script—they need the ability to be flexible and curious. And that starts with a team who shows up with confidence, not cue cards.
A scripted sales pitch can feel robotic, impersonal and stale. It boxes your team into saying the same thing to every patient, regardless of their unique needs, personality or style.
The magic happens in those unscripted moments—when your stylist makes a patient laugh, when they point out how a frame color complements their wardrobe, or when they suggest that second or third pair because they genuinely believe it elevates their patient’s look and lifestyle.
When your best salespeople show up ready to collaborate with your patients it releases the tension to sell. They’re listening, not just talking. They’re curious, not assumptive. They’re able to pivot, adapt and create a conversation that feels authentic and effortless.
And when patients feel seen and heard, they trust your recommendations—and they’re excited to say, “YES to the SPECS”!
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Wendy Buchanan is a renowned styling expert and the visionary and founder of the Be Spectacular sales training program. An award-winning optician and business entrepreneur, Wendy partners with optometrists to transform your optical team into high producing sales stylists to grow your optical gallery. To contact her: wendy@bespectacular.com
