BUSINESS

  MERCHANDISING

THE BEST STRATEGY IS. . .

THERE IS NO ONE MERCHANDISING GEM, BUT THESE TWO CAN GET YOU STARTED

GINA M. WESLEY, O.D., M.S., F.A.A.O.

I’M OFTEN asked what my most successful merchandising strategies have been, and as much as I’d like to offer one key gem, there are really a variety of tactics and approaches that have proven most efficacious. Many strategies have been ineffective, as well; but, as I point out to my staff, if we aren’t failing, we aren’t trying to grow and change. What worked five years ago may not work today, but let me share with you my two most successful contact lens merchandising methods.

1 THE TRYOUT

My first example was inspired by the contact lens research I do in my office. Now, I know that not everyone does research, but what I realized can be applied anywhere. Patients are simply made to feel special when in a contact lens study. They get paid, they generally get contact lenses and products, and, oftentimes, they are the first ones trying a new product or comparing lenses head-to-head. I thought, “Why not do this in my practice setting with non-study patients as well?”

ACTION STEP: When a new lens hits the market, invite your patients to try it. Or, maybe you want them to try a new modality. Perhaps you make an evening of it, but honestly, it works just as well to have them stop by during the day. You can make your own guidelines, but my patients have to have had a recent exam and fitting (within the year) to be eligible. If it has been longer, this is a great opportunity to get them scheduled for the exam and fit with the new lens at that time.

I will often have my NCLE-trained staff member do the fitting, so as to not take away from my scheduled patients. I’ve mostly done this with daily disposables, so it’s easy to give patients five days’ worth of lenses to wear to see how they compare with their current brand. We follow up via email, text or phone to see whether they want to switch.

At my office, we have a contact lens guarantee, which allows patients to switch brands mid-year if unhappy or if their prescriptions change. We work with our distributor to get an even exchange of product. If the new lens is more expensive, the patient pays the difference. This tactic has been a great way to compete with online-purchasing, give the patient peace of mind and justify our higher fitting fees.

2 THE SPECIAL OFFER

The second example is the monthly fitting special. Possibly, you have a slow month every year and want to boost patient services. Or, you want to make your busy time the most effective and capitalize on patients when they are in the office.

ACTION STEP: Reduce your normal fitting fees for one month for new wearers only. Don’t give the service away, but make it attractive for patients who have “maybe” been thinking about wearing contact lenses. I found this worked very well for my office when it was growing, but I still had room in my schedule. Consider doing this for a week only, or two weeks if that fits better.

THE TRYOUT

There’s no magic formula, but these two methods, which may be different than what you usually try, might get you started. OM

DR. WESLEY practices at Complete Eye Care of Medina, a Vision Source practice, which she opened in 2008. She was honored as Minnesota’s Optometrist of the Year in 2011. Email drwesley@cecofmedina.com, or visit tinyurl.com/OMcomment to comment on this article.