May I ask how many of you make commission on sales? I am seeing it offered in many of the job bank positions .Certified? Non certified? Does it make a difference?
May I ask how many of you make commission on sales? I am seeing it offered in many of the job bank positions .Certified? Non certified? Does it make a difference?
Since there is so much discussion on OptiBoard concerning whether opticianry is a "profession" or a retail sales job I have to ask if it is "professional" to work on a commission basis? If so, should a licensed optician receive a higher commission than a non licensed optician. Should opticians in States that have licensing laws in place receive a higher commission than those in non licensed States.
Can anyone cite any other health care profession that renumerates it's employees on a commission basis?
Hey, just asking!
I pay commission to my license, my docs, eyewear consultants, lab and front desk. It's great. It eliminates the non producers from the people you want and need to make a successful company. It's real simple. The only people scared of performance based pay are usually your non motivated average type people. Performance paid positions generally always pay more. I believe in rewarding performance! Results that can be measured should always be rewarded. It's a win win situation. However, if you are not motivated or just average and want to collect a check type. It will not work for you. I wouldn't have it any other way!
I'm with this thought also, it creates optical wh##$s, not professionals.Originally Posted by rbaker
non professional................................
In Europe some opticians pay a bonus at the business year end which is calculated according to efforts put in, but not a commission, which is non professional.
In some companies it's all about retail and there are very few actual opticians working there. Commission is a way to motivate the unmotivated to sell what you want them to sell which is not always what the patient/customer wants or needs. Should a licensed optician receive a higher commission than a non-licensed sales person? That would be great but usually in a business run such as this your ABO isn't valued. If you can produce the required numbers it really doesn't matter if you can't even explain what it is you are selling.
Hi witty optician. Good to hear from you. I am straight salary. IMHO Comission is okay ONLY IF it is an addition to an already livable salary. That way opticians can remain TRUSTED allied health care providers. Lets keep the patients just that, patients, and not obstacles to earning a decent living.
Last edited by tx11; 01-22-2013 at 10:13 AM.
They call it a bonus where I work, and you only get it if you sell certain percentages of high profit add-ons like A/R, poly, warranties, etc. They also pay a very decent hourly wage, so I couldn't care less about it.
I am hourly based but we get a Bonus at the end of the month if we beat the year previous sales quota. Im not a huge fan of commision in this type of setting for the sole fact that you are dealing with patients not customers. I get wht your saying about it shows you who is working and who isn't but so does printing and logging reports of your sales. By making the job commision your soley reason for running up to that person and selling glasses is to make a paycheck. By making it straight pay i dont care or feel obligated to push this and push that i decide what is best for the patient and i let them know that and what their options are. Commision is great for banks and car sales but not health care.
just my 2cents
The problem with commission is that it doesn't show the total picture. Maybe the people who aren't making the same quota are dispensing all the time, or working more in the lab. Or trouble shooting with all the patients who were 'up-sold' on all kinds of stuff that they don't even know they just bought. I'll never forget when I was dispensing at the LC, and one of my very best friends who is an excellent 'sales' person but not an optician, sold this guy some memory metal frames that got her a $5 spiff for each pair. These things didn't fit this poor guys head. The temples were something ridiculous like 160mm and he was an average sized guy. There was no way I could bend the temple to fit his ear, and even if I trimmed, they still wouldn't bend. What good did that commission do? It didn't help the patient, and it was ultimately taken away because the take away commision if something you sell is returned, which I had to do.
But, I do think that a little reward for having very little breakage in the lab, or no optical remakes is reasonable. It encourages employees to slow down, think about what they are doing, but is in no way related to how much they sell. They also did a spiff if you caught a mistake before it became a remake.
Just my two cents!
The ECP practice owners (OD, Optician, MD) all get paid a commission/spiff/bonus/profit at the end of the day when they have paid all their bills. Can they be trusted as professionals? I am sure a great number can and maybe some shouldn't. That said, why shouldn't the non-owner ECP be expected to professional also when they receive a commission/spiff/bonus for their performance?
I don't see any issue with a commision providing its not your entire paycheck. Your base salary should be based on license , non license and experience. As far as commision, what are people confused about. Commisions are based on upgrades. Who does not need ar ,lighter lenses, better quality progressives, better frames. Companys are offering extra pay as incentives to simply do your job. Anybody can sell a pair of glasses. Selling a pair of glasses to somebody who thinks they can do a basic cheap pair for $99 with no upgrades is a salesperson. A professional will explain patients needs. Patients won't get out of the store for $99 but you are filling your professional requirements by giving the patient the best vision he or she can have. If you do it right you will earn your comission for simply doing your job right. The comission is because licensed and unlicensed people become complacent and simply just dont sell what they should be selling. Maybe the problem is terminology. ar, poly, high Index, thivex, progressives, multiple pairs should be requirments not upgrades. If you get comission, ENJOY IT. Take that to the bank
This + 1,000,000.
"Strictly speaking, there are no enlightened beings; only enlightened activity." -Shunryu Suzuki
That would be me, the trouble shooter, last resort adjuster, irate customer diffuser and the only lensometer reader in the office. But of course those things don't show up on the spreadsheet.
Some of the dental practices I work with offer a 'SPIF', so there are medical/retail professions other than optical who use SPIF programs. For the optical practices I work with, I strongly encourage a profit sharing type bonus over a manufacturer/vendor driven SPIF. When properly administered, it has the ability to tie every position and function in to the overall health of the practice. And I would say that cocoisland58's skills _definitely_ show up on a spreadsheet. Given those talents, I have no doubt your practice has an enviably low percentage of remakes/returns/warranty jobs!
That bit above made me physically ill. Seriously. Who the hell allows anyone to fit a pair of glasses without basic lensometry skills?!?!?!?!? Coco, I don't know how you keep it together- I would have a meltdown if anyone in my office didn't know lensometry. How abosolutely terrifying, no wonder online opticals are so successful!
"Strictly speaking, there are no enlightened beings; only enlightened activity." -Shunryu Suzuki
We have a bonus set up for each office, which amounts to the month's wages + 10% if the office meets a very attainable goal each month. Everyone in the entire office gets it, and it's really helped build moral, give the employees a sense of ownership, and added some friendly competition between the offices.
(Not to mention a boost to the bottom line, which helps to guarantee everyone's job)
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
Of course I am on the wholesale end of things. We do have a profit sharing system set up. I get the idea of "team work." Heck, I have a meme on the wall that highlights we all either fail or succeed together. However, I am really... (and just imagine me saying really about a thousand times more) sick of work 80 plus hour work weeks to get things done.. and others who are in the same level of management working less than 40. It seems a bit raw to have 1 or 2 people doing 70% of the work, and having everyone be equally rewarded..
"Some believe in destiny, and some believe in fate. But I believe that happiness is something we create."-Something More by Sugarland
Im in the same boat just about there are a total of 5 opticians in my office location me included and my manager they have my manager so wrapped up with insurances and frame board management I am left Soley to Check lab work for 3 locations, Check in, Block, Edge, and inspect all of the lab work, Do frame returns, troubleshoot, check ledgers for Optician submission errors. I almost never have floor time. They tried that whole commission competition thing once and i shot it down. Then they tried to bring up at my review that my Sales were down and i printed them out a list of everything i do in a day and month compared to everyone else. I let them know that if they like i will leave and they can hire 3 people to replace me if thats what they want........they never brought it up every again lol.
Our whole office gets a sales bonus yes. That i dont mind its a nice kind of WEEEE thing, but straight commission would be unfair to the lab people **cough** me
We pay a bonus and a commission shared by all employees. We do not push certain lenses, frames, etc. Opticians educate the patients, and the patients ultimately choose what is best for them. This way, the troubleshooter, receptionist, and lab tech are all on the same team as the optician placing the orders. Everybody realizes that we only increase commissions and bonuses as patients return next year, and bring friends (thus, encouraging professionalism and excellent patient service). Bonuses and commissions are on top of a reasonable hourly paycheck.
Profit motive is completely compatible with professionalism.
I have offered to teach but no takers. As for the meltdown, I keep it at bay with a nice glass of wine every night
I have offered to teach but no takers. As for the meltdown, I keep it at bay with a nice glass of wine every night
I salute you for taking it on. I do not suffer fools gladly (to a fault, unfortunately)so I think I would have a hard time not going all Gordon Ramsay on my coworkers.
"Strictly speaking, there are no enlightened beings; only enlightened activity." -Shunryu Suzuki
I've been in similar situations, where I was expected to do both retail and lab AND have the same retail sales goals as the frame stylists who were also working 8 hour shifts. It went like this: get busy and sell a couple thousand, go in the lab and make all the glasses, final inspect them and then go out and dispense a good majority and then start the process over again. When I aproached my direct supervisor (who's brilliant idea this was) he made the idiotic comment that other opticians who also work in the lab are able to keep their goals up, so why can't you? To which I replied, "yeah, but they don't do both in the same day!!!" No dice, he said suck it up. What a maroon.
We should be happy when offered a commission as long as your entire salary isnt based on it. Commissions in our businness are usually based on what we call upgrades. Lighter lenses, Ar coats, better progressives, Better quality frames are not upgrades. They are options which all benefit the patient. If we as professionals do our job, we should all be getting healthy commissions. Corp. offer it because eyecare pro's dont always explain it properly. Any salesman can sell a basic pair of $69 glasses. A true professional will turn that sale into a product that will give the patient a better quality product to see and feel better in. The end result is the company is happy, you make your commission(so your happy) and most important the patient should be happy for obvious reasons. We all win simply for doing what we were trained to do. Licensed or unlicensed
We should all applaud commissions. Usually it is based on upgrades. In our businness, whats an upgrade? Who doesnt benefit from lighter weight lenses? Who doesn't benefit from better quality progressives, AR, Better frames, sunglasses, reading glasses, computor lenses? The list is endless. Unfortunately these necessitys are offered as upgrades because they are not always offered. Any salesperson can sell A $69 pair of basic glasses. A true pro will turn that into some of the items I listed above. This suits their needs and everyone will reap the benefits of us just doing our job. We are all in this to provide a service and make money. Patients dont know what they need. Unfortunatly the chains have produced a two for one or $69 mentality. We all know that this just gets them into our store. Is that right? That's another discussion. But as professionals we know what we need to do. Licensed or unlicensed. Go out and earn your money! If you are fortunate enough to be offered extra pay for doing your job, JUST ENJOY.
Stan
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