CLINICAL

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Creating Value in the Optical

Show patients that all products are not created equal

DAVE ZIEGLER, O.D.

The biggest challenge in private practice is establishing value when prescribing premium products. When presenting $500 digital AR-coated progressive lenses to patients, you better have a good features/benefits script. Otherwise, you will lose the patient to places where he or she can buy what the patient perceives to be the same thing for a third of the price.

It rests on you, the doctor, and staff to educate the patient that all products are not created equal. Many practices struggle with this, and some feel pressure to offer patients cheaper lenses, older designs or closeout frames, even when the patient may well have chosen a new premium product.

Here are some ways to create value in your office, so patients are more likely to purchase premium eyewear from you.

Doctor recommendations

Patients choose you and your office because they trust you to solve their vision problems. When you ask patients questions about how they use their vision both at work and when at home, you can make personalized recommendations that will positively impact their quality of life. Some doctors see this as selling. I see it as our responsibility to let patients know what the best options are to solve their vision problems.

Set the scene

By upgrading the appearance of your office, especially the optical area, you set patients’ expectations for a top-notch experience. For example, at Nordstrom, the merchandising is more attractive, the salespeople more polished and knowledgeable than a discount store, such as Walmart, so you are more likely to spend more for an item carried at both stores.

Upgrade your displays by adding interesting props, displaying fewer frame styles with a greater selection of colors and bringing in new lines of frames.

Use the latest technology

It’s hard to convince patients that you use the latest technology when you measure their lenses with a 25 year-old pupillometer or, worse yet, a PD stick. There are various imaging devices able to make far more accurate fitting measurements, including position of wear, vertex distance, frame wrap and much more. These items set your office apart and promote the use of premium products.

Educate the patient

Unless you explain the differences between a premium and a basic product, patients won’t purchase the best products for their vision. Use educational brochures that describe the features of the frames you recommend and the lenses you prescribe.

In our office, we use cloud-based technology to create personalized brochures that specifically describe the patient’s purchase. It also becomes an excellent tool to teach optical staff about lens and frame features, which makes them better at their job.

Establishing value

Establishing value helps reassure patients that your office is the place to keep returning to. If you follow these tips, you will find yourself providing better products to your patients and see greater profit margins. OM

DR. ZIEGLER IS A SENIOR PARTNER IN A GROUP PRIVATE PRACTICE IN MILWAUKEE, WISC., AND A FELLOW OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPTOMETRY. E-MAIL HIM AT DAVEAZIEGLER@GMAIL.COM, OR SEND COMMENTS TO OPTOMETRICMANAGEMENT@GMAIL.COM.