New This Week
“Scoreboarding: A Simple, Low-Cost Way to Drive Optical Sales”
Jay Binkowitz, president of GPN, and Evan Kestenbaum, chief information officer of GPN, recommend “scoreboarding” as a simple and low-cost way to motivate staff to a higher optical sales. Tracking is key to sales performance, and prominently displaying benchmarks in your staff area spurs healthy competition within your staff. Spotlight the high sale for the week or the high multiple-pair sales for the week–and reward those who set new sales highs. >>READ MORE>>
Marketing
What Do Patients Think of You? A Net Promoter Score Will Tell You
By Michael Slusky, OD
How satisfied are patients with your practice? Conduct a simple test that produces a net promoter score. Then use the results as a guide to improve your services. The goal is to create “promoters” for your practice, satisfied patients who will recommend your practice to friends and colleagues.
Doctor-Patient Relations
Children Patients: Engage the Child in the Exam and Build a Family Practice
Digital Solutions
Get Found! Simple Steps to Put Your Practice at the Top of the Search Listings
By Nancy Rausman
Google your own practice. If you don’t come up near the top of the listings, you have a problem–but a couple of simple steps can fix that.
Included here:
Simple SEO Steps–that you can do yourself
Advanced SEO Steps–where hiring an expert makes sense
>>READ MORE>>
ADVERTORIAL
Contact Lens Dryness: Patients Aren’t the Only Ones Who Are Suffering. How the Unspoken Issue is Affecting Patients–and Your Practice
More than 50 percent of current contact lens wearers report experiencing feelings of 
dryness, even though they may not tell their optometrists about it. So, how can optometrists get patients to recognize and discuss contact lens dryness? And, how will that impact their practice?
If patients say their lenses are “fine,” chances are they’re not fully satisfied with their lenses–or their optometrists. Optometrists who can turn that “fine” into “great” become the heroes–setting themselves apart from the rest of their peers. >>READ MORE>>
ROB Fast Fact
How Many Patients Are Asked About Their State of Vision?
Independent optometrists appear to be ahead of the game when it comes to asking patients about their current vision problems or status. Some 86 percent of all patients were asked about their current vision problems or status at their last visit, according to Jobson Optical Research’s 2012 Adult Consumer Eye Experience report. That figure rises to 90.4 percent of patients who visited an independent optometric practice—but falls to just 81.9 percent of patients who visited an optical chain.
In Brief
Transitions Optical to be Acquired by Essilor International
PPG Industries and Essilor International announced July 29, 2013, that the companies have reached an agreement for Essilor to acquire PPG Industries’ 51 percent stake in Transitions Optical. Essilor has held a 49 percent share of Transitions Optical since the joint venture company’s formation. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2014, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals. In the interim, Transitions Optical will continue to be a separately managed and operated company. Supply of Transitions lenses to our customers will not be affected by this announcement, and Transitions lenses will continue to be available through other lens manufacturers.
>>READ MORE>>
“Think About Your Eyes” Ad Campaign Hits the Airwaves
Think About Your Eyes the consumer awareness campaign from The Vision Council, is running two flights of television ads to raise public awareness on the need for better vision health and to motivate consumers to have eye exams. Both ads target a national audience aged 18-48 and women, in particular, since younger moms tend to be the gatekeepers for health care decisions, The Vision Council says.
>>READ MORE>>
Challenge ? Solution
Practice Challenge…
How Can I Help My Optical Staff Sell?
Mark Hinton, of eYeFaciltiate, specializes in training dispensary staff to effectively meet patient needs—and “Power Up” dispensary sales in the process. The following are four video tutorials to view with your staff to achieve a total customer focus. With each video, you can download Staff Meeting Notes and Discussion Points.
…Practice Solution
Recent Articles of Note
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By Kim Castleberry, OD, and Lorie Lippiatt, OD
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In-House Lens Fabrication: Compete Successfully with Large Optical Retailers
By Gordon G. Wong, OD -
Be Positive, and Always Thank Your Patient
An Optometric Minute video with Eric M. White, OD -
Capture Rate Booster: Train Staff to Fill Patient Prescriptions
By Stuart J. Thomas, OD, and Ellen Byrum-Goad, LDO
