Professionalism: Your Best Marketing Tool
Welcome to our continuing series of Credit Educations Courses for Opticians.
This course has been approved for one hour of credit by the American Board of Opticianry. No fee is required for ABO credit. Learning Outcomes:
This course was created to help ECPs learn about the benefits of freeform technology in lenses and is presented at an intermediate level. At the conclusion of this article, the participant should be able to:
1. Know the three crucial points of a patient's interaction with their office.
2. Understand the importance of proper attire, and know general guidelines for proper dress at their workplace.
3. Know why it is important to pay attention to the practice's physical appearance inside and out.
4. Be aware of and sensitive to changing demographics in a practice's location, and know how to transform their practice in response to the new demographics.
5. Know how to run or be a participant in a successful staff meeting.
Test procedures: Read the article and then click on the "Take The Test" button at the bottom of the page. This will open a new window with a test consisting of 15 questions. To receive ABO continuing education credit, respondents must correctly answer 12 of 15 test questions. Simply click on the best answer for each question and click the submit button at the end of the test. Your test answers will be automatically sent to Seiko Optical and we will send your CEC or notify you of test failure within 7 to 10 business days.
Note: Some states do not accept home study courses for continuing education credit. Check with the licensing board in your state to see if this course qualifies.
Professionalism - Your Best marketing Tool
Introduction
It has often been said, "You only have one chance to make a good first impression." How true that is, particularly in business.
What do your patients think about you as they enter your store or practice? This continuing education focuses on helping you to make a good first impression each and every time.
It is important to also take a look at your business' image as it relates to marketing and products. You should keep up with the latest technologies and styles, as well as make sure you are reaching the right audience. Paying attention to these details will help you to continue to prosper.
Here is a checklist of things to think about when considering your professional image:
Good attitude, cleanliness, be personable, be understanding, be confident, be competent and be courteous.
Remember that we are in the Eye (I) Care Business (pun intended). Always go out of your way to do something extra for your patients, even the "difficult" ones. It will do you and your business a world of good!
Brochures, hand-outs, lifestyle questionnaires, news-paper ads, and practice websites are some proven ways to help patients make informed eyecare and eyewear decisions and draw traffic into your practice. But these methods are ineffective without efficient and enthusiastic personnel. Your practice's failure or success rests on the ability of you and your staff to be consummate professionals, imparting knowledge in a friendly, convenient way to your patients consistently and constantly.
True professionalism starts with communication skills, not only verbal messages, but non-verbal messages such as body language and wardrobe. Practice appearance is also important to complete the image story. Often with little tweaks here and there, a practice can improve its impression and gain long-term patients and solid profitability.
This can be done at three crucial points during the patient's visit: First impression, Carry-Through, and Finale.
First Impression
According to Tony Alessandra, Ph.D., a business and communications expert, there are three channels of communication:
1. Verbal--what words are spoken
2. Vocal--the way the words are spoken
3. Visual--body language and expressions
If any of these three is out of sync, or worse, poorly executed, it will be virtually impossible to build a trusting relationship with your patients and you will lose them in the long (or short) run.
Phone Etiquette
Every time the phone is answered represents a chance to win a new patient, maintain a current patient, and garner referrals. The first 30 seconds of a phone conversation will decide whether someone is going to do business with you or someone else.
Always answer the phone with a smile. While the caller can't see your smile, they can hear it. If you're having a tough day when the phone rings, take a deep breath, let it out, focus on something (even if it's the wall clock telling you that the day is more than half over), then smile and pick up the phone. If you smile prior to answering the phone enough, it will become automatic.
Speak clearly. Don't be in a rush, which garbles the message. Don't answer when chewing anything (lunch, snack, gum). Don't mumble; and answer with confidence.
Keep the initial greeting simple. "This is XYZ Optical, Susan speaking," or "This is Doctor Smith's office, Susan speaking." Some practices have dropped the "How may I help you?" question altogether, preferring to keep the greeting short in this day of time-pinched consumerism.
Take efficient notes, including double-checking the caller's phone number and spelling of their last name. This will save you and the patient time later on returning their call, calling to confirm an appointment, and locating their records. Make sure you have a notepad and pencil by the phone at all times.
Reaffirm and repeat your message. "Your appointment is month, day, time. We'll look forward to seeing you then." Or "I'll make sure staff person's name returns your call as soon as possible."
Say things like you mean them. Better yet, mean them. If you say "as soon as possible" to someone, say it in a non-rushed tone of voice and sound sincere, not syrupy.
Attire
The right clothing can impart instant power. Look professional, not sloppy, bywearing comfortable clothes that are crisp, clean, and well-pressed. Some practices prefer street clothing over uniforms. Sometimes street clothing can carry a practice theme, such as all staff wearing some version of black-and-white attire. Other practices allow their staffs to choose their daily street wear. Some guidelines for street wear are:
1. Don't be too casual. For example: Men wearing chinos or khaki pants should tend toward dress-chino rather than casual-chino fabric, with few pockets instead of many. Crisp appearance rather than wrinkled is key to maintaining the professional look.
2. Don't be too formal. For example: Women should steer away from shiny fabrics and "too dressy" dresses, and keep makeup daytime conservative, not nighttime fancy.
3. Accessorize for individuality. Wear an accessory that tells your personal success story. For men, this could be a distinctive tie, belt, cufflinks, or wristwatch. For women, this could be a non-distracting scarf, hairclip, or signature jewelry piece.
4. Eyewear is your most important accessory. Always wear eyewear that is coordinated with an outfit. For men, wear different eyewear styles for a business casual ensemble than a business suit. For women, wear different colors and styles to coordinate with clothing colors and designs. Also wear different lens styles with premium options such as photo-chromic and anti-reflective lenses, and have Rx sunwear on-hand as well. In addition to looking sharp, your recommendations to patients carry far more weight when you are backing up your words by wearing the product and speaking from personal experience about it.
If your practice requires a uniform, be sure that it is appropriate to the business theme, not outdated by being too cute or stark. Keep uniforms clean and wrinkle-free, and keep shoes in good repair and well-polished. The longer the lab coat, the larger the perception of authority, so select finger-tip length or longer. Logo shirts worn with slacks or skirts are a current take on practice uniforms.
Practice Appearance
Image is mainly about the details. Today's consumer wants convenience. A clean, uncluttered practice imparts that image. Keeping non-essential items picked up and put away in between patients and at the end of each day is crucial, and so is keeping displays and merchandise clean and in an appealing arrangement.
Indoor signage should be simply worded and clean, such as black on a white background. Outdoor signage should also be clean and bold, with store hours clearly visible. Windows should be clean and clear of obstacles, and window displays should be changed often. Seasonal or holiday displays allow for easy-reason changes, but also consider your own "trend tips" displays featuring the latest eyewear in an innovative way.
Displays and point-of-purchase tools and materials should be ultra-current...no bent, faded, dated images or verbiage allowed! Lighting should be soft, and used to highlight master display areas. Merchandise should be grouped according to lifestyle, not price. Seasonal window and dispensary displays should be sharp and snappy, not sappy (enough of the stuffed Easter bunnies, already!).
Try simple and inexpensive tricks to jazz up displays, such as colored tissue paper or cross-merchandising, like displaying Cover Girl cosmetics with Cover Girl contact lenses. And be sure to leave plenty of space between displays and stock to allow easy maneuverability between rows.
Carry-Through
Get into the mind of your patient by utilizing LISTENING SKILLS. Make your patient's concerns your concerns by truly listening to what they have to say.
Listening. This forms the basis for interactive communications. What the patient needs is what you sell, but the customer's personal style is how to sell. You can learn their style by listening. Also ask focused questions; questions provoke the brain and stimulate answers.
Don't formulate a reply while they are talking. While there may be standard practices for certain situations, each person is an individual. They do things for their reasons, not yours. Tony Alessandra, Ph.D., advises: The Golden Rule...may be "Treat someone the way you would want to be treated yourself," but the Platinum Rule is Treat someone the way they would want to be treated.
Warning signs. Crucial conversations are those that can escalate into a misunderstanding and ultimately a dissatisfied patient. It's easy to miss or misinterpret the early warning signs of a problem, so it's ultra-important to look for these signs of patient unrest: Stiff posture, harder/harsher voice, drawing away or stepping backwards, crossing arms, a hard face, tight lips, fidgeting, suddenly becoming extra quiet or talking rapidly, a deep breath/holding breath.
Remember that you and the patient are there for a mutual purpose: To solve their vision care needs. With that in mind, you can brainstorm alternatives to reach your mutual goal and offer the best visual solutions and answers to their problems possible.
Flexibility goes a long way; be open-minded. It is also beneficial for staff to be empowered to handle and act on any situation the way they best see fit, balancing both the practice's long-term goals and satisfying the patient's needs.
Demographics. Optical practices should review their demographics every two years or at least every five years in order to update their image, marketing, and products. Often within a short period of time, the area within a five-mile radius of a practice can evolve from one thing to something very different.
For example, a retirement community can turn over into a family community, meaning that the over-65-year-old patient base is now mostly young families with children. Therefore, the practice now requires an entirely different image and marketing focus to be successful.
Or a mostly residential area can change over to a light-industry manufacturing sector, opening up the opportunity to present a safety eyewear program to local businesses' employees.
Changing demographics may require changing product mix, including frames, lenses, contact lenses, and accessories. This outside demographic evolution may also require some staff shifts, to make sure that training and education as well as age demographics within the practice are well-suited to the practice's clientele.
Doctor recommendations. Doctors should make product recommendations from the chair. Sale is a four letter word, that's why it's a recommendation, not a sale. You are helping your patients make key visual decisions that are right for their individual needs. You can tell your patients what to buy. How will they know what's right for them unless you tell them?
A doctor's recommendation opens the door for you to discuss things like multiple pair sales and the importance of sunwear. Patients need to know the difference between a $10 reader and a $100 reader, for example. A solid recommendation gives patient's confidence in their purchase and in the practice.
Front desk personnel, pre-test personnel, technicians, opticians, and doctors should all be able to talk about most aspects of the products offered with patients. Training and education on new products should become part of a practice's monthly office meeting to ensure that everyone is up-to-date and on the same page knowledge-wise and therefore message-wise.
The Finale
Successful results are reached when there is credibility, "relationshipping," and understanding between you and your patients. "People do business with people they like," according to Brian Hume of Martec International, a retail and communications expert. "You can own a customer for life with exemplary customer service."
Differentiation. Hume adds: "Differentiation based on service is the hardest thing for competitors to replicate. There is still a significant segment of the population that values service over price."
Something extra. It's in the little things. Look your patients in the eye when speaking. Pay close attention to them. Listen twice as much as you talk. Give patients a little extra--a cleaning kit, a coupon for a free eyewear cleaning and tune-up, a designer case for their contact lenses or eyewear. Present products in a colorful bag rather than a job tray; walk around the dispensing table to hand bag directly to them as opposed to from behind the desk. Send thank you notes--not e-mails; handwritten notes on note cards--to your best customers.
Problem solving.Take action to solve problems quickly and efficiently. This skill is perhaps the most effective sales skill of all. Start from the heart, make it safe for your patient to talk to you and do business with you, and organize systems to give the most efficient service.
Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is not only the key to effective relationships with your patients and improved sales, but it is also the key to better relationships with your colleagues, a prime path to professional promotion, and a healthier lifestyle. Project the best professional image by being professional in relating to patients. Keep up your personal and practice appearances to reflect the times. Solve your patients' problems well and seamlessly. Constantly hone your product knowledge and dialogue. And always remember that happy professionals equal happy patients.
This concludes the article. Click the button below to take the test.