INSTEAD, COMMUNICATE THE VALUE OF THE EYEWEAR YOUR OPTICAL OFFERS

“MY PATIENTS are leaving without getting their prescriptions filled because they say my frames are too expensive. I think I need to either lower my prices or take in some budget frames.”

Patients do leave their prescribing doctor all the time to find eyewear elsewhere, but they are not leaving because of price!

NOTHING IS TOO EXPENSIVE

No one has ever decided against buying something because it was too expensive.

For example, I’d venture to say that most of us would like, and few of us do, to drive a Lamborghini Aventador. The car’s $400K price tag might appear to be a deterrent, but in a ridiculously extreme example, if you really wanted the car, and I mean really wanted it, you could:

1. Sell your current car
2. Sell your house
3. Default on your student loans
4. Sell your practice

With all the above items liquidated, you’d probably be able to pay for the car. But, you won’t do those things. Why? Because, the car isn’t worth selling your house or your practice. Stated differently, “isn’t worth” means the value isn’t high enough to drive you to such extreme measures.

TRANSLATING THE COST EXCUSE

So, coming back to earth, when patients say, “Your glasses are too expensive,” what they’re really saying is, “They aren’t worth what you’re charging!”

Here’s the thing: That statement doesn’t necessarily mean you’re charging too much, it means you haven’t communicated the value!

This isn’t simply retail linguistics, but a very important point of difference. For, if you have yet to put inordinate amounts of time and energy into communicating that value, then lowering your prices or offering less expensive frames is the exact wrong thing to do! It might seem like an easier thing to do, but it should not be where you start. Instead, challenge your staff to answer these questions and be able to communicate the responses to patients before they even ask, so value can be effectively communicated:

1. Why does frame (or lens) X cost $100 more than frame (or lens) Y?
2. Why should patients pay $0.01 more to get their glasses from us than any place else on earth? Why should they pay $50 more? $100?
3. Staff, how many of you have bought anything online in the last month? Why? Why then should patients buy glasses from us instead of the Internet, have to wait a week to get them and have to come back to pick them up and pay more for them?
4. Why would patients pay more than their insurance contributes toward a pair of glasses? Would you?

GO TO THE SOURCE

Frame and lens reps can be great resources to help you answer these and other questions. Please go through this exercise before taking the easy way out and simply lowering prices, potentially tarnishing and diminishing your own brand and ultimately, not giving your patients exemplary service and products. OM

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