One of the most interesting takeaways from EB’s recent 2019 reader research was that 51% of eyecare professionals said the area of their business that needs the most attention right now is—cue drumroll—Staff Training. This number was even higher than those that said the same about the areas of managed care, social media, and practice management at their business.

And, so, we continue our quest this month to help you with this fundamental need. But, this year’s BIG Staff Training Guide is different.

The focus: the somewhat taboo topic of selling in the optical.

Starting on page 54, our BIG Staff Training Guide—The Soft Sell—unpacks exactly how (+ why) to school your staff in the art of sales. Because, in today’s wildly competitive optical world, empowering your staff with a bit of sales expertise can bolster your business and your bottom line.

And, as my friend Justin Jones tells us in the highlighted quote here on this page, “sales is a noble profession because we’re all trying to help people.”

To learn more, dig into our BIG Staff Training Guide feature for excellent ECP-served insights and strategies for training your staff to sell through solutions and interactions (vs. transactions). “What we sell is optical solutions,” says Gwen Gnadt, O.D., FAAO, an optometrist with Eye Vision Associates in Nesconset, NY.

Also in this issue, check out our gorgeous roundup of sweet-meets-street women’s eyewear style in our Pretty, In Sync fashion feature on page 44.

Of course, there is MUCH more. From EB’s Staff Training column on page 32 on education strategies that resonate with women to Bridgitte Shen Lee, O.D.’s information-packed Ocular Aesthetics column on page 34 plus pro optician Sheena Taff’s Sunny Outlook feature on page 60, which dispels three common photochromics dispensing misconceptions + serves up four photochromic-perfect patient profiles.

We hope you enjoy the issue!

Erinn Morgan,
Editor-in-Chief + Editorial Director