Habits of an Influential Optometrist

Human Resources

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What influential people say almost always holds weight and all of their opinions are valued by the people around them.

But guess what? You too can expand your circle of influence if you make some important changes in the way you view the world and yourself.

1. Think for Yourself

It’s not a good sign if you’re easily swayed by public opinion or the latest trends. Believing everything you hear and forming opinions based on other people’s judgments will get you nowhere.

You need to start thinking for yourself. Do your research and study facts before coming to a conclusion. Be willing to change your mind if there’s evidence supporting it. Start tuning out what other people think and only gain influence from what you know.

2. Disruptive the Norm

So many problems result from our lack of empathy and unwillingness to change our ways. You need to be curious about the world and long-running traditions. You shouldn’t be afraid to question the status quo and challenge conventional ways of thinking.

Becoming graciously disruptive means you’re doing it for the right reasons.

3. Innovate

Explore new ideas and try to think outside the box whenever you can. Spark conversations about causes that deserve more attention. When you truly care about the world, this should come naturally to you.

Inspire people around you to think differently and be more open-minded.

4. Network

Make connections everywhere you go. Don’t hesitate to learn about other people’s background and culture. Look out for people in your social circle and add value to their lives. Be forthcoming with advice where necessary to make lasting connections.

5. Welcome Disagreement

When people disagree with your ideas, you need to humble yourself and really listen to what they’re saying. You shouldn’t respond defensively because you don’t know everything and you could’ve easily missed something. It should be more important for you to challenge your own ideas than to always be right.

The other person may have a point and if they do, you should be more than willing to change your opinion.

6. Think outside the box

Deliberately seek newer ideas and technologies instead of waiting for them to come to you. Stay updated with the latest innovations and become an early adopter. Spread the word about what’s coming in the future and always stay in the know.

7. Respond

When someone in your team or circle of influence makes a mistake, you need to take a step back and assess the situation instead of reacting immediately. Value your relationships and respond appropriately to any mishap. The last thing you want to do is cause a scene. If you overreact, people will start keeping their distance from you and trusting you less.

Learning how to be a person of influence may take a while, but with small steps every day, you can change the world and earn a place in everyone’s hearts.

MARIA SAMPALIS

is the founder of Corporate Optometry, a peer-to-peer web resource for ODs interested to learn more about opportunities in corporate optometry. Canadian ODs and optometry students can visit www.corporateoptometry.com to learn more.

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Insight with Glen Chiasson

Insights

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Dr. Glen Chiasson is a 1995 graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Optometry. He owns and manages two practices in Toronto.

In 2009, he co-hosted a podcast produced for colleagues in eye care, the “International Optometry Podcast”. He is a moderator of the Canadian Optometry Group, an email forum for Canadian optometrists. He is the host of “Eyes Wide Open”, a new podcast aimed at presenting new technologies and services for optometrists.

Dr. Chiasson enjoys tennis, hockey, and reading. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.

 

Glen Chiasson

 

Why did you choose your field?

I needed glasses when I was in grade school and I thought my optometrist was a pretty cool guy with a pretty fun job. After 20+ years, helping people see and feel better still feels good.

Where do you see your practice / eye care in ten years?

  • More medical optometry with more and more of the ‘routine eye care’ (aka ‘vision tests’ / refractions) being done online, on your smartphone, etc.

What changes to eye care do you see coming down the pipe?

  • I think we will see a lot more artificial intelligence in medicine, with both good and bad outcomes. I think there will also be more personalized medicine (individualized medications based on your genetics, 3D-printed frames customized to your face and head, etc)

What is currently the most exciting thing in your field to help patients?

  • I continue to be fascinated and impressed with all the instruments we can use to see inside a patient’s eye. I imagine they will only continue to get better and better.

What is something you plan on implementing in your practice this year?

  • More aggressive screening for, and managing, dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction.

What is something you have done in your practice to set you apart?

  • As a practitioner, you need to be yourself. We like to have a fun, relaxed atmosphere in the office and I think patients like this too.

What metrics do you track in order to gauge your success?

  • Monthly gross, monthly net, and production per doctor day at work. Family time and “time to just relax and do nothing” at home.

What business books would you recommend other ECPs read?

  • The E-Myth Optometrist (part of the E-myth series). Anything by Jeffrey Gitomer for sales insight.

What advice would you give a new grad today?

  • If you can, develop a specialty. Especially in a big city, you need to stand out from the crowd.

How do you hire new staff? What is the process and who does the hiring in your office?

  • We post ‘want ads’ in the usual places or we get referrals from current staff. My office manager does most of the screening process. The staff typically have more interaction among themselves than with me so I want the current team to feel comfortable with the new hire.

 

General Interest / Personal Questions

If you could take one album, one book, and one luxury item to a desert island, what would they be?

  • REM, “Life’s Rich Pageant”, “1984” by George Orwell, and a genie to provide unlimited wishes.

What is your favorite TV show / Netflix series?

  • Currently, I am waiting for the next season of “Peaky Blinders” and “Ozark” on Netflix.
  • All time TV Show = the first 10 seasons of “The Simpsons”.

What’s your Favorite food?

  • Hard to beat a steak dinner.

Favorite past-time/hobby?

  • Cooking. I find it very relaxing, and then there’s food at the end!

What’s your favorite 80’s jam? (or decade you graduated high school in)

  • In high school, I was into bands like REM and The Smiths, which aren’t really known for their “jams”. That being said, and assuming “jam” refers to something danceable, I remember “Let Your Backbone Slide” by Maestro Fresh Wes being really popular when I started university. “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer was also a big hit around then too.

What would you do if you won 10 million dollars? What would you do with your practice?

  • I would book a trip around the world. I would likely still practice part-time but I would hire a manager to deal with all the day-to-day management.

Describe your perfect day.

  • Make a coffee and drink it in the backyard. Make a big breakfast for my family. Play some tennis. Come home and jump in the pool to cool off and then chill out poolside. Quick nap in a hammock in the mid-afternoon then some more swimming. BBQ dinner with some wine. Read for a bit or watch a little TV then off to bed.
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Location, Location, Location

Buying-Selling A Practice, Finance|Wealth, Office Design & Renovation, Practice, Real Estate, Resources

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We are often approached by ODs who are looking for help to open a new practice. One of the first questions asked – either by the client or by us! – is where? When you are investing a quarter of a million dollars, and often more in construction, it is crucial to get this right. The right location can be the difference between making a profit in the first year or not until the third year, or even later.

Our first recommendation is to think outside the box. While it may be tempting to gravitate to the larger cities because of the denser population, remember that these areas are also the most competitive. They have lots of choice and can choose an experience or service provider that caters best to their particular needs. Strong differentiation in terms of both product offerings and service becomes key for success. Conversely, a smaller, more remote location will allow a more general practice strategy. However, in today’s digital world, it is still critical to create an experience that patients will want to support whether you are in an urban or rural setting.

After determining what will set your new clinic apart, and whether you are going to set up in a larger or smaller community, the next step is to find the physical location that will support your strategy. Commissioning a Geo-marketing Report is the best way to accomplish this. They are produced by non-stakeholders. This tool will compile and analyse the best available data for a given geographical area of interest. Some data taken into account includes competitor information and population demographics for that area, such as age, income level, ethnicity and education level. This data is then matched with your clinic strategy. Ultimately, this will provide you with a consensus report that can pinpoint the ideal location for your new business.

Lastly, your business strategy will also dictate what part of a building you should set up your business in. If you are setting up a primary care practice that will be dependent on optical sales for 50-60% of your revenue, it is imperative that you have street access, visibility and plenty of parking.

Remember to think like a consumer as you make these decisions. The days are gone where patients want to buy glasses from a small selection from an office buried at the back of a medical building. Consumers are gravitating to a different experience, as evidenced by the wildly popular new optical stores popping up all over Canada. A new business owner must rise to the challenge and spend time finding the ideal location for their new practice.

 

CHRISTINA FERRARI

is the co-founder and managing partner of Simple Innovative Management Ideas (SIMI) Inc. and expert Practice Management contributor for Optik magazine. She can be reached at info@simiinc.com

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December Retail Opportunities

Advertising & Promotion, Marketing, Merchandising, Resources

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Following on the heels of a busy Black Friday shopping season, December is also a busy retail month. As an independent optometric office, there are a number of ways to meet the needs of the consumers during this season of giving.

Many offices offer a BOGO on lenses for patients throughout the year. What about offering a Buy One Gift One for the month of December? This could be particularly effective for sunglasses. Keep the rules fairly simple. For this promotion, the office can allow a customer to purchase one pair for themselves and one for another person.

The goal with any BOGO is two-fold; you want to move as much inventory as you can as this allows you to get better discounts from your suppliers. You also want happy customers! If consumers are able to get all their needs met at your location, there will be no need to shop elsewhere.

Keep in mind too that many people simply haven’t thought of buying something from their optometrist as a gift for someone else before. There are lots of possibilities! Gift certificates are the most versatile. Recipients can use it for anything from contact lenses to new glasses.  Make one up and display it at check out so that patients know that this is a possibility. Also consider offering the gift certificates at a discount. Everyone loves it when their gift giving money can be stretched a little further! And you are guaranteed a sale in the new year.

Think about the check out at any retail location you visit this month and consider implementing some of their ideas. For instance, most offices carry drops, vitamins, contact lens solution, cleaning clothes and cleaning spray. These all make great stocking stuffers or Secret Santa gifts! Put a few together in a clear gift bag with a pretty Christmas bow on a counter. Patients will thank you for the ideas!

In fact, it is also a great time of year to thank patients for their loyalty and business. Consider offering a small gift with purchase throughout this month. For example, our orthodontist gives away $5.00 Indigo gift cards at every visit.

Of course, December marks the end of their benefits period for many consumers. It is helpful to remind patients to use their benefits before they reset in January. If you have a large television in your office, this is the perfect place to inform patients of all your December promotions, including a Use it or Lose it reminder.

This is a month when many people are looking for ideas for gift giving. Help your patients by displaying some ideas and take the opportunity to give back as well.

KELLY HRYCUSKO

is the co-founder and managing partner of Simple Innovative Management Ideas (SIMI) Inc. and expert Practice Management contributor for Optik magazine. She can be reached at info@simiinc.com.

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Finding the Right Fit in Corporate Optometry

Career Options, NextGenOD

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Loving your job can make your professional life a whole lot easier. As aspiring optometrists, this should be at the top of your list of priorities.

It may be impossible to secure a job with the perfect paycheck, flexible timings and a work/life balance, but with some research and a can-do attitude, you too can find a job you love.

When you decided to look for a corporate optometry job, you must have realized that there were too many options out there and no way to know which suits you better. The internet can make you more confused with the influx of information on job openings and everyone telling you what to do and what not to do.

The answer lies with you. Be honest about what you need and what you can compromise on. Following are some tips and tricks that can help you land your dream job.

Know Yourself

You may think you want to work at some corporation, but your experience as an employee there could be the opposite. The grass is not always greener on the other side. Taking inspiration from other people’s lives and what works for them will only hold you back.

Self-awareness will take you a long way because knowing your strengths and weaknesses will allow you to make the right decision. If your workplace falls in line with your values, then you may end up having a great time there.

If you’re someone who loves going on vacations, then you should keep an eye out for places that offer great vacation plans. Some corporate opticals offer 4 weeks vacation at sign up.

Learn About the Organization

Before deciding on a place, make sure you know a little bit about the work culture and benefits they offer. Get in touch with alumni who are employed there and get a conversation going.

You can always ask to set up informational interviews to gauge more of an idea about what you’re getting yourself into. Ask on the Facebook group Corporate Optometry.

Stay Open-Minded but Don’t Settle

Keeping your options limited will only lead to misery. Finding a job is not easy. You need to set realistic expectations and take every rejection as a way to learn and improve.

Feeling like a failure after doing badly in one interview will not serve you well. Sometimes what you think you want isn’t necessarily what will make you happy.

Saying yes to the first job you’re offered is not going to help you either, unless it is all that you want. You may be settling for a lot less than you deserve. Depending on the province and the need for ODs many corporate opticals will pay above average salary and sign on bonuses.

Now that you know the basics, you can go looking for jobs that are fulfilling for you. Remember that haven’t failed until you stop trying.

Finding your dream job can take months, even years, but you need to realize that sometimes it takes a bad experience to help you find what you are looking for.

MARIA SAMPALIS

is the founder of Corporate Optometry, a peer-to-peer web resource for ODs interested to learn more about opportunities in corporate optometry. Canadian ODs and optometry students can visit www.corporateoptometry.com to learn more.

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Episode 4: Myopia Management and the MiSight Soft Contact Lens

Eyes Wide Open, Podcasts

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Host Dr. Glen Chiasson speaks with Dr. Fiona Soong, Optometrist at Eyes on Sheppard Optometric Clinic in Toronto and consulting principal scientist in ocular research at Cliantha Research about myopia management and the CooperVision MiSight lens.

 

About the Guest

Dr. Fiona Soong is an Optometrist at the Eyes on Sheppard Clinic in Toronto. She is also a consulting principal scientist of ocular research at Cliantha Research and the lead and co-author of numerous scientific papers. Dr. Soong has served on the board of the Ontario Association of Optometrists and in 1997 received the Canadian Association of Optometrists Award of Merit.

Dr. Soong is certified to fit orthokeratology, and multifocal/bifocal lenses as a means to reduce the progression of myopia (nearsightedness) and prescribe atropine treatments. She is experienced in fitting soft contact lenses for specialty conditions including myopia control, high astigmatism and keratoconus.

 

Episode Notes

It is known that rapid progression of myopia in children is associated with higher risk of adult ocular complications including myopic macular degeneration, myopic retinopathy including retinal detachment, and glaucoma risk. Countries with higher incidence of severe myopia are reporting a high number of new cases of adult blindness.

According to Dr. Soong, Optometrists “need to adopt early intervention strategies in a multi-platform way,” including orthokeratology, atropine therapy and multifocal contacts. ODs should advocate on the child’s behalf to prescribe the strategy best for them and educate parents so they can make informed decisions about their child’s health.

Introduced in 2018, the MiSight One-Day Lens is the only soft contact lens approved by Health Canada for myopia management. The lens, which CooperVision claims is as easy to fit as a standard soft contact lens, uses Active Control Technology with two treatment and two correction zones.

A six-year, four-country study showed children fitted with MiSight dailies had 59% slower myopia progression compared to the control group fitted with single vision lenses, with a 52% correlated reduction in axial length growth.

Resources

 

Dr. Glen Chiasson

Dr. Glen Chiasson

Dr. Glen Chiasson is a 1995 graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Optometry. He owns and manages two practices in Toronto. In 2009, he co-hosted a podcast produced for colleagues in eye care, the “International Optometry Podcast”. He is a moderator of the Canadian Optometry Group, an email forum for Canadian optometrists. As  a host of  “Eyes Wide Open”, Glenn  looks forward to exploring new new technologies and services for eye care professionals.

Dr. Chiasson enjoys tennis, hockey, and reading. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.

Dr. Chiasson splits EWO podcast hosting duties with Roxanne Arnal.

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Evaluating Perceptual-Cognitive Training Tools

Practice, Resources, Specialty Practice

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“I couldn’t beat people with my strength; I don’t have a hard shot; I’m not the quickest skater in the league. My eyes and my mind have to do the most work.”

— Wayne Gretzky

I’ve been immersed in the world of sport technology for the past couple of weeks and have had some really interesting conversations about how technology can help (or in some cases hinder) sport performance. One aspect that I’m always drawn to is the potential benefits of using technology to improve an athletes perceptual and cognitive skills.

While most training programs tend to focus on an athlete’s physical characteristics, there has always been at least a passing interest in the “mental” skills that underpin performance. I use quotations because I’m not talking about psychological skills like imagery, goal setting, etc. but referring to the skills that help athletes see the right information and make good decisions. For an example of what can happen when these skills go wrong, have a look at the video below!

In this week’s article, I’ll take a look at how perceptual and cognitive (PC) skills can influence performance and questions that coaches and teams should consider before adopting any type of training tool.

What are PC skills and why do we want to train them?

As I mention above, perceptual and cognitive skills can be thought of as mental skills. Except rather than training psychological skills they focus on how athletes perceive and use sensory information from the competition environment to support their performance. PC skills range from skills that are almost purely perceptual, such as basic visual skills or how athletes control their eyes while performing, to more complex perceptual-cognitive skills like anticipation and decision-making. Now, if we want to get really granular, we could argue that things like visual skills training aren’t perceptual-cognitive skills because they lack the cognitive component but in this article I’m going to refer to everything as PC skills to keep things simple!

Why are we interested in PC skills? You can probably think of any sport and name a player who isn’t the most physically gifted but has excelled because they possess the ability ‘see’ the game better than anyone else – guys like Wayne Gretzky and Lionel Messi come to mind. PC skills are the unseen skills that allow these players to dominate the game. Think about it, at the highest levels of sport, physical skills tend to be less of a limitation for athletes so we need to look at other areas to explain the incredible advantage some athletes have. And before anyone freaks out and says “well physical skills are important too”, absolutely. It’s the combination of a wide range of capabilities that contribute to expertise but, I’d argue, that aspects like PC skills are what sets the best of the best apart.

Key questions to ask yourself

The  Modified Perceptual Training Framework (MPTF) is a scientific approach to evaluating PC training tools and is designed to be fairly easy to use but, if that’s not your cup of tea, there are pretty straightforward questions you can ask yourself when considering adopting a training tool.

Does it look like the game? Remember concepts like specificity and representative learning design suggest that better transfer occurs when the information presented and actions required are closer to game-like. Is it targeting skills that are important for your sport? Again, think sport-specific here.

Is the tool training skills that would actually be used in competition. Beware of tools that target really generic skills – you’re more likely to be disappointed by the results.

Has the developer got any support to show that it works? Don’t take their word for it, look for anecdotes, case studies, or better yet experimental evidence. They’re trying to make money at the end of day and the best way to sell a product is to show that it works. It’s in both of your interests

DEREK PANCHUK

Derek Panchuk is the founder of Chiron Performance and a Skill Acquisition Specialist with over 15 years experience working with elite athletes. Derek completed his postgraduate studies with Prof Joan Vickers at the University of Calgary where he studied gaze behaviour and Quiet Eye of elite hockey goalies. From 2014-2018 he was the National Lead in Skill Acquisition at the Australian Institute of Sport.

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Traps to Avoid When Selling Your Practice

Buying-Selling A Practice, Practice, Resources

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Recently I have met with a number of vendors who tried selling their clinics privately. These were not good experiences for a multitude of reasons. The number one reason people do this is to not only save commission but more importantly to try and keep the sale quiet. There is a definite fear that going to the market will mean EVERYONE will discover that your practice is for sale.

Ultimately, owners want to sell to the right buyer, a person who will treat their staff and patients well. In general, most buyers also want a smooth transition. After all, they have purchased your practice and want to ensure it succeeds.

However, when you open your practice to one or a selected group of potential buyers, there are risks associated. Some potential buyers can be quite crafty particularly when they start poking around your office. Most will often conduct the first bit of research before you even know he/she is interested in buying your practice. He/she may pose as a new patient calling for an appointment, visit your website or even come into your office to get a feel for things. This may cause staff to wonder if the clinic is for sale.

Without an experienced broker, you expose yourself and your practice to various pitfalls of a private buyer.

  • Due diligence is a stressful time – to put it crudely, it is “the owner’s proctology exam”. Unfortunately, if you manage this process yourself, you will quickly find out what it feels like when a stranger pokes, prods, and looks inside every inch of your practice. You are asked to produce many documents and then, you need to answer questions as to your reasons for doing business the way you do.
  • Using an advisor who is not familiar with the industry can also negatively impact your sale and stigmatize your practice. There are many times where our appraisal is used in a private sale. Buyers then call us to clarify certain points because the person representing the owner is not providing correct answers. I am definitely not insinuating that the individual is intentionally misleading but the reality is if you do not know the market by default, you will lose a potentially good purchaser.
  • It is never good to have one person representing both the vendor and the buyer. Relationships are extremely important. However, when the party who is introducing you to the buyer will continue to have a relationship with that buyer post sale, it is natural that the advisor may push a little harder for the buyer’sinterests. This is exactly why we choose to represent vendors only. We believe you need someone in your corner fighting for you.

Selling a practice is not as straight forward as owners think. With the guidance of an experienced business broker, you will be challenged to take nothing for granted and look at the value of your clinic from a variety of angles, some of which may not be top of mind for you. To ensure you receive the best possible outcome, you must ensure that when you sell, the practice is positioned in the best possible light and that the terms, which are important to you, are negotiated properly. I always tell owners not to let what may be the biggest transaction of your life turn into something you think will be “obvious” to a new owner based on a quiet and private sale. You deserve to maximize your sale, exit ownership with dignity and to have no regrets.

Jackie Joachim, COO ROI Corp

JACKIE JOACHIM

Jackie has 30 years of experience in the industry as a former banker and now the Chief Operating Officer of ROI Corporation. Please contact her at Jackie.joachim@roicorp.com or 1-844-764-2020.

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Insight with Dr. Gerry Day

Insights

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What do you get when you combine an Engineer and an Optometrist?

Keep reading to find out how Dr. Gerry Day manages to combine his

education as an engineer and his passion for eye care.

Gerry Day owns three practices in the Sarnia – Lambton region of south western Ontario.

Dr. Gerry Day

Optometrist, Professional Engineer

Doctor of Optometry, University of Waterloo, 1996

Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 1991

 

How did you get into the eye care business?

I actually started my career as an engineer working for the oil company, Suncor. I had the good fortune to have several different positions that gave me a great business background for later operating my optometry practice. First, I worked in the oil refinery dealing with complexities of day to day operation of making gasoline and other petroleum products. Next, I spent time in time in Industrial Marketing. That gave me a background in product market strategies and competitive pricing. After that I was moved to manager of company operations, where I got experience overseeing and developing my reporting managers and their many gas station employees. My final role at Suncor, was as a business analyst which gave me experience in competitive analysis, budgeting and strategic planning. It looked like my career was set, tackle an MBA and pursue more senior management positions on the horizon. That’s when I decided to take a step back and to reflect on my career and what I wanted to achieve when it was all done. Did I want to pursue the corporate ladder or did I want to pursue my lingering interest in optometry that had started way back in high school. Should I go back to school, open my own practice and spend my career helping people see better? I decided to write the optometry admissions test, did well enough to apply and the rest is history.

What have you done to set our practice apart?

The single biggest thing we have achieved to differentiate the way we practice is Super Techs. Several years ago, we assessed the patient journey through our practice and found there was many inefficiencies and too many hand offs between staff, doctors and patient. A typical visit included Checkin at reception then to pretest, on to optical tech and scribe, then to optician and then finally to check out. Too many missed communications over billing, eyewear needs, future appointments were occurring. So we implemented our super technician program. In our system, a patient checks in and then is greeted by a super tech. The super tech performs testing, scribing, education and dispensing, staying with the same patient for their whole journey through the office until their final stop with admin at check out. Super techs were trained and tested in pretesting, pre-examination, scribing for doctor, patient education and lifestyle dispensing skills. It was challenging work but my staff rose to the occasion and now find it very rewarding. Our patients now have a much more efficient and connected eyecare journey, staff are empowered in eye care delivery and my time with patient is much more efficient and it allows for better quality doctor patient interaction.

 

What is your definition of success?

I see the definition of Success being different for each individual optometrist. Success for an optometrist is achieving the perfect mix of Clinical Optometry, Business Management and Lifestyle, that provides good income and time to enjoy quality of life. My current mix is three days of patient care, two days of administration, including work for Eye Recommend board of director’s and time off for family and personal pursuits. I currently take 6-7 weeks of vacation to follow aspirations of travel and outdoor recreation. That’s success for me. Another interesting combination I recently heard was of an optometrist who was a scuba instructor in Belize. He arranged his optometry practice to enable him to take several months away from his practice each year to be a dive instructor…perfect balance for him.

What is your favorite past time or hobby?

Mountain biking has been my favorite past time for 20 years. I love being out in the woods and exploring the trails. We travel each year to different mountain biking destinations across Canada and the United States. My other passions are family boating and travel. Our next journey is Greece in 2018 and hopefully Australia/ New Zealand in 2020.

Perfect Day?

My perfect work day is enjoying the growth and development of my staff. I love to see their passion for eyecare, super rewarding. There are many perfect leisure days to be had. The world if a fascinating place, anywhere from your back deck to travel destinations. The end to my perfect day is sitting on the beach with my family and our dog. Talking, skipping stones and enjoying the sunset.

What is the best possible future invention?

Anything that would enable better eye care for those who don’t have access to care, especially 3rd world countries. For example, an easy to use hand help laser for performing peripheral iridotomies. Many of the world’s people are hyperopic and that brings with it, narrow angles. While on a mission in Zanzibar, I saw an 18 yr old patient that was blind due to angle closure glaucoma. That was sad to see and never forgotten. Preventable blindness, no care available on the whole island. A portable laser would enable field teams to assess, treat and prevent blindness.
Outside of eye care, a cure for cancer.

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Looking at Value Packages from the Patient’s Perspective

Marketing, Resources

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As we all know, the optical landscape continues to become more and more competitive. Consumers have more options and are able to shop more transparently, creating a price pressure on glasses that is real.

So if you know your patients are shopping, how do you respond? The answer lies in thinking about it from the patient’s perspective. When they are shopping, what are they looking for?  Some are looking for the best price, some for the best value. Some just like to know all of their options so they can make the best-informed decision!

Once you have identified all the reasons a patient shops around, you can start to strategize ways to address their needs.

For the patients who are looking for a great price, having a Value Package section in the gallery can be appealing. For these packages, you will want to source good quality frames (that won’t give you a lot of headaches with returns and warranties) at a good price. For the lenses, the package should include scratch coated lenses in a traditional design.  It is possible to have add on options for anti-reflection coating and photochromic properties. The price should be bundled to include both frame and lens costs.

For patients who are looking for the best value, we recommend having clearly laid out choices for them. Show them that they can choose from more price effective products that may not have the same features and benefits as the higher priced options.

We also like to look to other retail examples for some great ideas. Have you been to the movies lately? They have some great ways of bundling products. Popcorn, drink and a bag of candy – for one or two people!  Could you optical do the same? Do you have a BOGO deal that extends to another family member? There is a makeup store that is adding value but sending samples home with each purchase. Not only does this encourage additional future sales, but it also leaves the customer feeling like they got some extra value. What about sending home a sample of an eyelid wipe? It is such a great connect for patients – learning what the best product is to remove make up with from their eye doctor.

Another way to add value is to provide more convenience. Many locations are now offering shipping directly to their patient’s homes – everything from drops to contacts to glasses. The reality is, most patients are happy to try their glasses at home and if they need an adjustment, they will make time to pop by your practice. In the meantime, having their new spec delivered directly to them adds a much-desired layer of convenience onto their shopping experience!

At your next staff meeting, take an opportunity to brainstorm all the ways that your clinic can bring value to the patient’s shopping experience – and then package those ideas up! Your patients will love that you have options that have anticipated their every need.

KELLY HRYCUSKO

is the co-founder and managing partner of Simple Innovative Management Ideas (SIMI) Inc. and expert Practice Management contributor for Optik magazine. She can be reached at info@simiinc.com.

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