While you want to improve your eye care practice marketing, no patient wants to feel like your practice is out for his/her money by pushing multiple pair sales. At the same time, there are real reasons a patient may want multiple pairs of eyeglasses. Your job is to present the information so that patients make this connection for themselves – leading to satisfied needs for your patients and increased revenue for your practice. Here are some sample conversations opticians and dispensers can have to help patients understand the benefits of multiple pairs.
1. Optician in the exam room.
[Optician]: So, Sam, what do you do for work?
Sam: I’m an accountant.
O: I see. About how many hours a day would you say you’re looking at a computer screen?
Sam: I’d say about seven hours.
O: That can be very hard on your eyes. Do you have glasses with a protective coating for screens?
Sam: You know, I’ve heard of those, but I thought I may wait until my prescription changes.
O: Ok, well, I highly recommend that when you pick out new frames today, you order some with that coating to protect your eyes at work.
The dispenser can then follow up on the optician’s recommendation, framing it as a physician’s prescription for the patient’s health.
2. Optician or dispenser finding out about patient’s hobbies in order to make recommendations that will serve the patient’s needs.
O [optician or dispenser]: What about outside of work, what are your hobbies?
Sam: Work and watching the kids’ soccer games takes up most my time, but when I vacation, I love to ski in winter and kayak in the summer. I’ve got a vacation coming up, actually, and we’re going to teach the kids to kayak on a lake my family always goes to.
O: That sounds fun! Since you spend time outside on your vacations and weekend soccer games, do you have a good pair of prescription sunglasses?
Sam: Yes, I do. I wear them all the time.
O: Do you have them with you? Mind if I take a look?
[Looks at sunglasses] Ok, let’s see if your prescription changes significantly. If so, you’ll actually do damage to your eyes and get a headache from using an outdated prescription. I’d also highly recommend the improved UV coating on the newer frames for better eye protection.
Sam: Ok, I’ll think about that. With my vacation coming up, I need to watch my spending. I’m not sure I should go for that just now.
O: That’s understandable. Speaking of your vacation, if you’re worried about your glasses falling off while skiing or kayaking, there are sports performance glasses that will help with distance vision and give a more secure fit. You can look at some here, and we’ve got youth sizes as well. Our discount on multiple pairs from now until the end of the month will be cheaper than replacing lost pairs.
Worried about patient objections and ignoring your recommendations? Practice Builders is here to help through our Case Acceptance Program. Learn more here: