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ONE NEEDS THE OTHER

AMAZING CUSTOMER SERVICE AND UPSELLING ARE REQUIRED TO COMPETE

GARY GERBER, O.D.

INDEPENDENT OPTOMETRISTS have been told for years, “the only way to compete against large national chains and big box retailers is to offer exceptional customer service.”

However, this is only true when two critical factors exist. First, patients must actually care about the difference in service enough for it to influence where they seek care. Second, it assumes the oft stated, “the bar is pretty low in the service area of corporate retailers, so while you can’t compete on price, you can win on service,” is indeed true.

ILLOGICAL THINKING

I find it exceptionally myopic and foolhardy to believe that companies large enough to manage thousands of locations and millions of dollars of inventory don’t understand the importance of providing a stellar customer experience.

In fact, at least one 2013 study revealed that upselling and cross selling happened with significantly greater frequency in corporate retail locations (not necessarily optical) vs. small local ones (see http://bit.ly/1REOp4M).

Doesn’t this study actually prove that big guys don’t focus on service because they’re better sellers? What does “upselling” have to do with providing a great customer service experience? Everything.

UPSELLING’S IMPORTANCE

How likely would patients be to respond to clinically appropriate recommendations about a second pair of computer-specific glasses if your service was terrible? Not likely at all. The simple reality is, if you want to grow your practice’s bottom line, you have to grow your practice’s bottom line! That means that “upselling” (defined here as discussing, educating and providing additional clinically appropriate and fashion-requested products and services to patients) is essential to your practice’s fiscal health. And while providing a great customer service experience is important, that alone won’t increase sales if you and your staff don’t sell.

The main point here is that you won’t hit your practice’s maximum revenue potential by putting an inordinate amount of emphasis on one (customer service) aspect vs. the other (selling and upselling).

A LESSON FROM ELTON

Many independent O.D.s find “selling” so distasteful, that they shut down when exposed to anything related to “sales training.” Rip off the Band-Aid, call it what it is, and keep your patients well-being and desires at your core. If patients will benefit from one single pair of glasses, would they benefit from a thousand? Sound crazy? Not to Elton John. Ah, “but there’s only one rocket man, Gary, so that’s a terrible analogy.” Yes, there is only one Elton John, and while his glasses budget is larger than your patients’, his motivations are similar — he wants to look cool and have multiple pairs for fashion.

Why does the mere consideration of the second pair land so many O.D. psyches in the same realm as the oft ill-compared “used car salesman?”

If you’d gush at the chance to have Elton as a patient, I submit you already have a practice full of micro-Eltons, who would welcome being upsold and readily accept your recommendations but only when presented properly, and professionally in a caring, patient/customer-centric environment. It ain’t rocket science. Just ask the rocket man. OM

DR. GERBER is the president of the Power Practice, a company specializing in making optometrists more profitable. Learn more at- powerpractice.com, or call Dr. Gerber at (888) 356-4447.