Practitioners estimate that 61% of their patients purchase contact lenses from their practice, 23% buy them online, and the remainder purchase lenses from other retail settings, according to an article in Contact Lens Spectrum, a sister publication of Optometric Management.¹ Do you see this in your practice? What’s more, how many of your contact lens sales come from annual supply purchases — something particularly beneficial for both patients and the practice? Reminders:

In the case of patients, purchasing an annual supply of contact lenses is often accompanied by manufacturer rebates that provide welcomed savings or in-office discounts on the contact lens supplies themselves or other products the practice offers. Another advantage to the patient is that an annual supply encourages improved wearing habits, as having lenses set out for the year promotes patient compliance with contact lens replacement schedules. After all, we know all too well, as should our contact lens-wearing patients, that contact lens overwear can lead to ocular pain, photophobia, ocular infection, corneal ulcers, and even vision loss.

When addressing it from the perspective of the practice, cash flow and revenue might be top of mind to the owner OD when it comes to annual supply purchases, but there is so much more. As examples, consider the number of staff hours that could be reduced by decreasing, or even removing, the need to order smaller supplies throughout the year, and then following-up with patients on items, such as prescription-confirmation requests.

Given the benefits of complete annual supply sales to both patients and practices, this article will provide three action steps, along with effective patient scripts, that my practice has used to boost such sales successfully.

1 SET THE STAGE

The majority of the optometrist’s discussions with patients revolve around providing specific prescriptions and recommendations in the exam room. We freely suggest products, such as glasses and lid hygiene for the patient’s refractive needs and ocular health, as examples. The annual supply of contact lenses is also a worthwhile recommendation, as illustrated above. Additionally, this conversation can happen without the optometrist ever discussing price, which I realize, in speaking with colleagues, is something that often prevents it from occurring while the patient is in the exam chair.

Here’s the patient script I use to set the stage and, therefore, plant the seed in the patient’s mind for the annual supply purchase:

Letting the patient know you are “approving” their annual supply and mentioning the staff’s role in the process tells the patient a staff member will handle the cost discussion.

2 PREPARE STAFF

As a staff member will be providing the patient education on the recommended annual contact lens supply purchase, I have found that preparing them to provide information on the purchase benefits to patients is imperative to boosting such sales. To do so, I suggest personally educating staff on the following, be it during staff meetings, or other time set aside to role play:

• Elevator pitches. I recommend giving staff small elevator pitches to use with patients that link the features of the prescribed lens to the value of the annual supply purchase:

• Safety. I suggest discussing with staff the importance of patients following replacement schedules, as discussed above. We find that bringing these issues up at the time of purchase justifies the annual contact lens supply sale to patients, as patients want to sustain their ocular health and vision. Here’s what my staff say:

• Savings. I recommend explaining to staff the rebates and in-office discounts patients who buy an annual supply will receive, as patients appreciate such perks and, thus, will be more likely to buy. Regarding the former, I suggest staff be trained to define rebates, in case a patient asks. Here’s what my staff says:

Additionally, I recommend staff be encouraged to discuss the price only after factoring in the rebate price adjustment, as doing so puts the forthcoming savings front and center for the patient. Here’s what my staff says:

Regarding in-office discounts applied at the point of purchase to immediately reduce the buying price, I suggest staff be made aware of the specific discounts in place, so they can discuss them with patients and answer any patient questions. As a brief, yet related, aside, when determining said discounts, I think it’s important to mention that optometrists do have to be careful with arbitrarily slashing prices to appease a would-be-buyer. After all, the price set for products and services affects the OD’s volume of sales, profit margins, and even the way the public perceives the practice’s brand. Thus, if further discounting the contact lens product(s) doesn’t make financial sense, I recommend considering providing a discount on other in-office products or services. One common use of this method is to provide a percentage off of frames or sunglasses with an annual contact lens supply purchase. Here’s what my staff says:

This discount makes the annual supply more appealing to the patient, while also exposing them to other products offered in the practice: a win for patients and the practice.

• Financing. Access to financing options available at the point of sale “dramatically increases the likelihood that a consumer will make a retail purchase,” according to research from Citizens Bank. Specifically, 76% of U.S. consumers say they are more likely to make a retail purchase if a payment plan supported by an easy point-of-sale experience is offered. I suggest having staff ready to talk about this option, as one large, upfront payment may not be feasible for every patient. Many companies can work with practices to offer patients the opportunity to break off the payments over time. A caveat: These contracts should be carefully reviewed, as the optometrist needs to understand who is taking on the burden of the financing charges. It could be the practice, the patient, or sometimes both. Here’s what my staff says:

3 UTILIZE THE MANUFACTURERS

In addition to rebates, the contact lens manufacturers can boost a practice’s annual contact lens sales by providing starter kits, offering free, direct shipping (be sure staff mention this with their annual supply pitch), and by providing diagnostic lenses.

Maintaining a good supply of diagnostic lenses can serve as a bonus when promoting an annual supply purchase: Specifically, when prescribing monthly lenses, providing an additional month with the purchase of an annual supply can be very appealing to a patient. Diagnostic lenses also have a way of reducing the risk the patients may feel with an annual purchase of lenses. I suggest having staff remind patients that if there is a change in prescription, torn or defective lenses, the practice can easily replace their lenses with lenses already in the practice. Here’s what my staff says:

EVERYONE BENEFITS

Because the purchase of an annual supply of contact lenses benefits both patients and the practice offering them, it makes sense to devise a plan to boost such sales. By implementing the action steps outlined above, my practice has been successful in this endeavor. Why not get started today? OM

More on Annual Supplies

 

How to “Sell” an Annual Supply of Contact Lenses:bit.ly/OM1301CLannualsuppply

 

 

Capturing Sales of Annual CL Supplies:bit.ly/OM1301CapturingCLs

 

 

Deliver a Best-In Class Contact Lens Experience:bit.ly/OM1801BestinClassCL

 

REFERENCE

1. Nichols, Jason. CONTACT LENSES 2021 - The global contact lens market continues to remain resilient as the industry adjusts to life with the COVID-19 pandemic. Contact Lens Spectrum, Volume: 37, Issue: January 2022, page(s): 22-24, 26, 28, 29.

DR. COMPTON owns three private practices, Compton Eye Associates in the New York City area. He is the president/founder of TheRightContact.com , a contact lens resource used by eye care professionals. He reports no financial disclosures.