During her lecture, “No Thanks. I’ve Got my Prescription,” Kayla Ashlee, ABOC, NCLE, discussed how non-verbal cues can impact optical sales. Ms. Ashlee is the owner of Spexy, an online training resource on influential communication for eye doctors and their teams. The presentation occurred Feb. 28, from 5 PM to 6 PM, at the Georgia World Congress Center, 404.
“The optometrist and their staff can be saying all the right things during the patient’s journey to the optical, but if those things don’t match with their body language, patients are less likely to hear the benefits of the eyewear being prescribed,” explains Kayla of her lecture.
A Lost Connection
Kayla surmised that smart phones have eliminated the connections required for customer service and, therefore, optical sales. Specifically, because people are so used to looking at their phones when speaking to others, she says, they’re not connecting human-to-human.
Cues at Work
As part of her presentation, Kayla provided examples of influential communication using non-verbal cues. One of those examples is palm flashing, an action coined by Vanessa Van Edwards, author of the book Cues: Master the Secret Language of Charismatic Communication. Specifically, palm flashing is a small, friendly wave that makes people feel welcome and, therefore, puts them at ease.
Kayla used this example: “A first-time patient doesn’t know whether they’re in the right spot or whether they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing,” she pointed out. “A front desk staff member can alleviate this awkwardness by palm flashing. What this is doing is establishing a human connection, which facilitates conversations and patient buy-in about the services that can benefit them.”
For the Skeptics
A patient isn’t necessarily going to walk with their eyewear prescription because a front desk staff member didn’t wave at them, Kayla acknowledged, but the alternative is also true if one uses influential communication. This is because it establishes that human connection shown to lead to optical sales. OM
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