BUSINESS WITH VISION

Honest Patient Recommendations

3 ways to increase lens sales + wearer satisfaction

Some people learn about vision products and treatments through social media or by talking to friends, and may approach their providers with questions. The vast majority of your patients, however, will leave it to you to make recommendations on what will work best for their needs.

Eyecare providers need to be ready, ask questions, and make suggestions. Knowing how products will improve the lives of your patients—and having an open dialogue with them regarding your recommendations—will increase patient satisfaction and have a positive impact on your practice. Here are some tips on how to get conversations started and inform patients about the options available to them.

ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS. People love to talk about their occupation and hobbies. Get the conversation started as soon as you walk into the exam room. As you listen, think about ways that eyewear can help them. Make sure to think about things like outdoor hobbies, sports, and activities that may pose a risk of eye injury, as well as everyday conveniences.

ASK ABOUT THEIR LEVEL OF SATISFACTION WITH THEIR CURRENT EYEWEAR. Sometimes people don’t realize that they aren’t happy with what they have until someone asks them how they like it. Very few patients, especially older patients who don’t want to complain or those who don’t realize how advanced eyewear can be, will approach you and ask what might help them see more clearly. If you ask how they like their eyewear and they say, “Fine,” mention some specifics, like if they notice any swim or sway in their progressive lenses, or if their eyes are tired after working all day behind a computer.

DEMONSTRATE THE DIFFERENCE. Visual aids can be a huge help for patients to understand what they’re missing. There are great illustrations for things like how polarization works, the difference made with non-glare lenses at night, and the damage that can be done to the eyes from devices emitting high-energy blue light.

—Samantha Toth

Raised in an optical family, Samantha Toth is the president of Innereactive Media, a marketing firm specializing in the optical market. Innereactive offers a digital marketing solution in its unique Innexus platform.

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