What Are Some Ways to Improve Your Optical Sales?

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What Are Some Ways to Improve Your Optical
Sales For optometry practices, optical sales are
everything. In fact, glasses and contact lens
sales make up about 60 percent of revenue for
these practices. But as more and more patients
opt for the convenience and price cuts of online
retailers, some optometrists are starting to
worry that their revenue may suffer. Luckily,
there are several tactics you can use to maximize
your sales and keep those sales in house instead
of losing them to online competitors. It starts
with looking at the weaknesses of those retailers
and designing your practice around combatting
them. Train staff members A web site doesnt
have helpful staff ready to steer customers
toward the right frames. You do. So capitalize
on that by training staff members to maximize
their efficiency. Create orientation procedures
to use when new employees join your practice. By
creating and implementing established training
procedures, your office wont have to scramble to
teach new employees. On the other hand, training
as you go could create scattered instruction. It
could waste the valuable time of new and veteran
employees alike. More established orientation
procedures also ensure that all employees receive
the same training. If there are updates or
changes to your office procedures, schedule
special sessions so everyone continues to receive
the same information. When all employees are on
the same page, theyll be better able to
represent your products, services, and office as
a whole.
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Harness technology Technology could also help
you and your staff represent your office,
products, and services. Use your practices
website as a sales tool. Add web pages about your
optical services. Your patients might know you
for your medical expertise, but might be unaware
that you offer, fit, and sell eyewear. Applying
technology could also assist you and your staff
members. Investing in specialized eye care
software could help you make and manage
sales. Connecting these tools to your practices
electronic health record and practice management
systems could help you every step of the
way. How? Say your patient receives cataract
surgery at your clinic, needs to schedule
appointments before and after their procedure,
and then requires a new eyeglasses prescription.
Along the way, the patient has questions about
the procedure, their changing vision, and their
insurance coverage. Advanced eye care software
could help you and your staff offer assistance.
Itll help them schedule appointments and
surgeries, manage insurance and payment issues
related to them, and store relevant information
in the patients electronic health records
(EHRs). By integrating eye care software to your
online patient portal, you could save your
patients eyewear prescriptions and enable your
patients and staff members to exchange messages,
ask and answer questions, and share additional
information. Such comprehensive software
solutions provide personalized assistance that
online eyewear retailers just cant
match. Merchandise your products People might
not know what to buy (or how to buy it) unless
you show them. Pay attention to how you
merchandise your products. Highlighting their
best features could highlight your best
features. If you have a brick-and-mortar optical
store or optical area in your medical office, use
this space to your advantage.
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Make sure different eyeglass frames and contact
lenses are easy to find and try on, if
applicable. This physical contact lets them see,
touch, and interact with your products in ways no
website can match. Dont stash eyeglass frames
in dark corners or in drawers. Put them on
display in well-lit areas. Customers might not
know what theyre looking for, but they might see
something that catches their eyes, something they
maybe never considered before. Arrange your
products in ways that please the eye and trigger
curiosity. If people find displays attractive,
they may linger longer to look them
over. Throughout your store, add posters and
other literature that explains the frames
features, use, warranties, or other pertinent
information. Less work on the part of the
patients may lead to easier sales
transactions. Create welcoming
environments Make your online and in-person
merchandising environments warm and
welcoming. When designing your website, include
flattering product photographs and an attractive
layout. Youll want to include descriptions of
your optical goods and services, but dont add so
much text that it overwhelms the page. When in
doubt, make your pages simpler. In addition to
being attractive, your web pages should be easy
to use. Add accessibility features for people who
have vision issues or other special needs. Such
features could include larger font sizes and text
thats a contrasting color from the background of
the web page. Customers real-life experiences
should also be inviting. Make sure your store or
optical area is well-lit and contains comfortable
seating. Providing enough space for private
conversations with your staff members could also
create peace of mind and more pleasant
experiences. In fact, emphasizing conversation
could help you seal the optical deal. Most people
dont want heavy-handed sales pitches. They want
to talk with someone in a low-pressure
environment. They want and need to talk with
people who know about eyes and vision,
particularly their eyes and vision. Theyre eager
to speak with people who will answer their
questions, assist them, and help them fulfill
their needs.
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When people feel that others truly care about
them, not just their money, they may be more
likely to buy. By offering welcoming spaces and
building personal relationships, you can help
make this happen. Specialize your optical
offerings Sales arent just about people and
places, though. Theyre also about specific
items. That is, product sales may increase if
you have more (and more desirable) products to
sell. Diversification could assist you here. In
your brick-and-mortar optical, you might want to
offer designer frames, frames used for specific
activities, or childrens frames. Consider the
clientele of your eye care practice. If a lot of
your patients are children or young people, for
example, you could stock larger amounts of
eyewear for younger clients. Create areas in your
optical geared for them, with adjustable seats,
mirrors of different heights, and literature
targeted toward different age groups. Or, if you
have patients with higher incomes, you might want
to emphasize luxury. Carry high-end brands of
eyewear and display them in equally luxurious
areas. Placing some eyeglass frames in locked
cabinets sets them apart physically and
psychologically. It could portray your offerings
as exclusive and luxurious. As an added bonus, it
could also keep them safer from theft. Offer
discounts Not all your patients and clients will
have the means or inclination to buy pricier
products, though. To entice them, consider
offering discounts, promotions, and/or rewards
for loyalty. For patients who buy a pair of
prescription eyeglasses, you might offer ½ off on
an additional pair of glasses, such as some
sunglasses. If multiple members of a family visit
your medical practice and optical, you might
offer them discounts on their purchases. You
could also reward long-time patience for their
patronage by offering them a free or greatly
reduced pair of eyeglass frames after theyve
purchased five pairs from you. Or, offer them
discounts if theyve visited
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you a lot in the past, say 1 for every year
theyve been a patient or customer. Include
coupons on your digital patient portal. You could
make the discounts greater if patients submit
feedback or take a survey. Since these actions
encourage patients to use your online tools and
communicate with you, they could be win-wins for
everyone. Ask for and incorporate
feedback Feedback, in fact, could help drive
sales as well. Offering coupons or other
incentives for feedback about your practice and
optical could be a good way to solicit such
opinions. Creating a suggestion box that allows
patients to add anonymous comments could also be
helpful. By making the communication anonymous,
you might be more likely to receive more honest
statements. These statements might not be easy
to accept, but theyre important. They let you
know what patients and customers are really
thinking and could serve as guidance for making
what could be much-needed changes. If you need
some assistance making these changes, you could
contact Eye Care Leaders. Well help you find and
implement digital solutions to improve your eye
care practice and optical for the better.