CLINICAL

  CONTACT LENSES

HOW TO MEET CRITICAL NEEDS

ALIGN YOUR BUSINESS STRATEGIES WITH CONSUMER DESIRE

JASON R. MILLER, O.D., M.B.A., F.A.A.O.

SELLING ANY goods or services comes down to marketing research, or the process that identifies, anticipates and satisfies your consumer’s requirements.

In last month’s column, I discussed where and how to buy your contact lenses. Here, I explain the consumer requirements for purchasing contact lenses from private-practice optometrists.

WHY PATIENTS BUY FROM O.D.S

Most consumers decide to get their contact lens service and buy from a particular office for a combination of three reasons:

1. Service or customer intimacy. Practices that provide high service, built around “customer intimacy,” thrive. “Customer intimacy” can be defined as continuously tailoring products and services to your individual patients. This creates patient value. One way to accomplish this responsiveness is through a strong doctor-patient relationship, in which the O.D. is consistently asking for feedback. A great example of this is Starbucks. It is continuously changing its menu to meet the needs of its customers.

2. Price for operational excellence. Providing products and services in an efficient and convenient manner is a way of building “operational excellence.” Make it easy for our patients to do business with our offices. One way could be developing an online store. Amazon is an example of a company that offers high operational excellence.

3. Products or performance superiority. Combatting the view of contact lenses as a commodity boils down to developing a business with “performance superiority.” This starts with offering optimized products that meet patients’ specific needs. Let them know why you are fitting a specific contact lens. For example, “This contact lens offers exceptional optics and comfort for my patients who are spending long hours on the computer every day.”

Being an innovator usually comes with higher prices, but consumers realize the products are worth that added expense when the personal benefits are explained. For example, a new presbyopic patient does not want to stop wearing contact lenses, and you are able to deliver a high-performing product that meets his or her demanding visual life. Apple is a great example of a business built on the principle of offering innovative products that consumers value.

DO YOU OFFER THE THREE?

Now, ask yourself whether your practice offers any of the three reasons mentioned above. If you are unsure, look for ways to leverage your strengths, and differentiate your practice.

PROVIDING LIFETIME VALUE

Developing a strategy of offering high-performing products and services will differentiate your practice from the competition. Make sure your strategies are consistent with your office brand. Focus on the lifetime value of a patient vs. the value of each transaction. Our patients have ever-changing needs, and being able to deliver contact lens services and products to meet those needs is critical to the success of a practice. OM

DR. MILLER is a partner at Eyecare Professionals of Powell, in Powell, Ohio, on the board of the Ohio Optometric Association and is an adjunct faculty member for The Ohio State University College of Optometry. To comment on this article, visit tinyurl.com/OMcomment.