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The Multifocal Rodeo

How to successfully rope those presbyopes

JOSHUA LAHIFF, O.D., CHEYENNE, WYO.

As a volunteer eye doctor for Cheyenne Frontier Days, an annual rodeo and celebration of the old West in Cheyenne, Wyo., this past summer, I couldn’t help but note some similarities between the steps the event planners take to make it a success and the steps optometrists take to move multifocal contact lenses.

Here, I share these steps.

You, too, can rope presbyopes.

1 “Talk low, talk slow, and don’t say too much”

At Cheyenne Frontier Days, the announcers at the various activities follow this John Wayne quote because doing so provides clear information to and attracts the patron, which translates to sales.

Practitioners who use this same tactic move a lot of multifocal contact lenses for the same reason: They provide clarity and focus on the benefits of the lens to the patient. It’s easy to get overly excited about the science behind the latest and greatest contact lenses and ramble on about them, but patients care more about “how” the lenses will provide comfort and enhanced vision.

2 Focus on your regulars

Cheyenne Frontier Days has been an annual tradition for close to 120 years because it has targeted a specific audience and has continued to deliver what this audience expects (a rodeo, trick riding, a parade, etc.), creating loyalty and trust. This earned loyalty and trust has enabled the event’s organizers to sell new services, such as tickets to its Country Music Festival, along with Cheyenne Frontier Days’ traditional services.

Optometrists who move a lot of multifocal contact lenses focus on their regular patients rather than going after new patients with advertising, among other exorbitant routes, because they know that their loyal patients will be amenable to new products and services.

3 Make it an interactive experience

In addition to spectating events, such as the rodeo, Cheyenne Frontier Days also offers interactive activities, including a carnival, to keep its audience coming back. Similarly, optometrists who allow their presbyopic patients to try multifocal contact lenses are more likely to sell them because patients appreciate the opportunity to experience products vs. just receiving education about them.

In my practice, for example, I invite my presbyopic patients to wear a trial pair of multifocal contact lenses while browsing for frames.

4 Promote past success

Another way the organizers of Cheyenne Frontier Days ensure their audience returns, while also attracting new patrons, is by advertising the event’s past success. For example, their website, www.cfdrodeo.com, reveals footage of attendees having a blast watching the rodeo, dancing in the “Buckin’ A Saloon” and attending the Carnival Midway, among other activities.

By providing a brochure to your non-contact lens-wearing presbyopic patients that includes the success stories of current multifocal contact lens wearers, your sales of these lenses will increase.

A caveat: Before providing such a brochure, ensure the patient has reasonable expectations regarding multifocal lens wear. In my experience, if a patient has an issue with multifocal lens wear, it’s typically vision related. For this reason, it is crucial to educate patients about this, while also working with them to determine their visual needs at the outset. Doing so can eliminate frustration in the long run and allow the patient to get an idea of what realistic tweaks may be needed in the future and, even more importantly, what things are working great.

The bottom line is that it is always best to under promise and over deliver. There’s nothing better than having one patient tell another how great you were at meeting his or her visual needs in a new and exciting way. This has an even greater impact if other practitioners told this patient that contact lens wear was not an option.

5 Be the best

Cheyenne Frontier Days is the only event of its kind in Wyoming. Similarly, if your practice offers the best contact lens program, you won’t have any competition. Specifically, consider providing free lenses to patients who lose or tear their lenses within a certain time frame, a 100% money-back policy regarding fitting fees and a year’s worth of free solutions to those who purchase a year supply of multifocal contact lenses. Your prices don’t have to be the same as your competition, but if you are higher, your level of service and the value behind what you offer must be far superior.

Roundup

All optometrists are capable of fitting multifocal contact lenses — and regularly do within their practices. However, capture rates can be low when it comes to actually selling the lenses to patients. To move multifocal contact lenses in your practice, follow the aforementioned tips. You may not fit the same number of people who attend the Cheyenne Frontier Days event — 200,000 — but you will increase the amount of wearers, enhancing their quality of life and your practice’s bottom line. OM

Dr. Lahiff is partner at the Cheyenne Vision Clinic, an associate professor at the Illinois College of Optometry and Western University and clinical instructor at the University of Wyoming family practice residency in Cheyenne. E-mail optometricmanagement@gmail.com.