THE EMPHASIS THAT some ECPs are placing on particular words is limiting their success. Some words can be modified to better the experience of your patients, while some words can limit the reach of your optical. In the realm of sales, the words chosen when speaking to a patient have extraordinary significance. Are your words placing unnecessary limitations on your sales?
After reading INVISION’s October Editor’s Note about using different terms to specify the consumer and opticals, I began to reflect upon the hundreds of offices I work with and the different terms that are used. Rather than discussing what is right or wrong, I would like to encourage you to ponder the patient journey within your office. Most commonly the term “patient” is used, but there are many other terms that are also used like: client, customer, or guest. The optical world is unique from other medical fields because it often necessitates the patient purchase a product in order to fulfill the Rx given by the doctor. This ultimately makes the patient a customer once they transition out of the exam room and into the optical. Offices that understand this and recognize the importance of capitalizing on the sales component early on have much greater success than those that stay in the patient-only mindset.
How often do you use the word “patient” while creating marketing material for your office? You’d be surprised by how many people in your community believe they must be your patient in order to purchase glasses or contacts from your optical. This misunderstanding comes from ECPs over-usage of the word “patient” and hinders opticals’ ability to increase eyewear sales in their community. Consider adapting your verbiage to make it known that your optical is open to everyone who wants to come in and shop.
Some get huffy when referring to the optical as a store or shop. At the risk of having some heads explode…many of the most successful offices refer to their optical retail area as the optical store, shop, showroom and even gallery. For decades ECPs have referred to frames as art for your face, so why not display these little pieces of artwork in a gallery?
Many ECPs tend to get stuck in a rut regurgitating the same verbiage for years. A small adaptation in words used can make dramatic improvements in your ability to keep patients purchasing from your optical. The first thing is to properly empower every team member to use proper verbiage to reinforce the necessity of eyewear in providing the clearest vision to the patient. Scan the QR code above to learn more about the ideal verbiage for each team member. Another powerful modification is to use the word “prescribe” instead of “recommend.” This has proven to be very effective when speaking to patients while creating their treatment plan to give them the clearest vision for every task during their day.
What phrases are you using daily that can be improved? Are you fixating on unnecessary verbiage that is limiting your communication? Can you refine how you speak about the frames or lenses you offer? Rather than stating benefits, how can you use your words to generate a feeling or need?