By Robert L. Bass, OD, FAAO
SYNOPSIS
Product promotions in your optical allow you to compete in the marketplace while emphasizing the value of your goods and services.
ACTION POINTS
USE PROMOS AS COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE. Promos allows you to better compete with corporate optometry and online retailers.
PUBLICIZE PROMOS. Use in-office signage, social media, e-blasts and yourself in the exam room with patients.
TRACK PROMOTION RESULTS. Crunch the numbers to ensure your promotion is spurring sales rather than costing your practice money.
When we prescribe all the eyewear we think is necessary to meet a patient’s needs, we often are battling their budget. Patients frequently know they don’t want to spend more than a set amount. Effective product promotions, such as second-pair sales, give your patients a way to purchase the products you have prescribed and allow them to leave the office satisfied. Hereis how my practice uses promotions to drive patient satisfaction and revenues.
The flyer Dr. Bass’s practice,Optometric Associates, PC, in Manassas, Va., used to advertise a second-pair sale in May.
Promos = In-Office Advertising
Independent optometry is continually challenged by radio, TV, print and internet advertising of optical goods. Some offer fast service, some cheap prices and some BOGO, buy one get one, but all of it is advertising to get people to buy products by trying to differentiate one business from the next.
When a patient is my office, I have a real opportunity for them to buy products, and for me to show them the value of the products we sell. A promotion, discount or “sale” helps patients feel they are getting a better “bang for their buck.” And they might as well buy here, while they are here, than drive across town for an advertised price.
Spur Second-Pair Sales and Patient Retention
All patients of all ages deserve value, and it is our job to explain the value they receive in our offices, but because most offices do not do this, those practices that market price or special “deals,” have a competitive advantage.
Offering 50 percent off on second pairs is what I call a no-brainer. Our lab gives us a 50 percent discount on optical lenses if ordered at the same time as the original Rx; patients love it and it keeps them from going elsewhere to buy a “second cheap pair” as a back up to their “good glasses” they purchased from me.
In addition, we offer seasonal promotions for back-to-school, sunwear, sportswear and designer frames. These promotions, unlike the permanent second-pair discount, usually run for a month each. We explain to patients that they can use our promotion or their vision benefit, but not both, as third-party contracts stipulate that discounts on products cannot be used with insurance benefits.
Track Promo Results
We track the 50 percent off promotion in our practice management system, and the results are impressive. Before instituting the discount, just 7 percent of patients opted for a second pair. After offering the discount, 29 percent purchased a second pair of glasses.
Publicize Promos
We use signage in the office, our Facebook page and e-blasts of our newsletter to let patients know about our promotions. In addition, I talk about our promos myself in the exam room after giving my eyewear and contact lens prescription to the patient. When I recommend that the patient needs more than one Rx for glasses, I ask: “Do you know, we always offer a 50 percent discount on second or more glasses when ordered with the first ones?”
It is important that as the doctor prescribing the eyewear, you are able and willing to discuss the promotions that help the patient purchase what you have prescribed. Get past the attitude that you are the doctor and need to separate yourself from the materials sold in your office, and feel good you are giving your patients a “quality deal” with a promotion.
Related ROB Articles
Build Second-Pair Eyewear Sales
Key to Second-Pair Sales: Start the Conversation Early and Provide Discounts
Total Staff Buy-In: Involve Entire Staff to Reach Practice Sales Goals
Robert L. Bass, OD, FAAO, is the owner of Optometric Associates, PC, in Manassas, Va. To contact: idr.bass@verizon.net
