Lens menu

[Eyedentity3]

The doctor here has requested that we make a menu of lens options available that can be posted, say up on a wall. This sounds very fast food retail to me, but doctor gets what doctor wants. Apparently, she saw this at a colleagues office and she liked the idea. I am personally from an opinion that we tell a patient their best option and explain in detail why that $900 lens is the best option for them and go from there. Has anyone tried posting a menu like this in their office? If so, how do you like it, what do you think of it? Also, mind posting a shot of what it looks like. I think it may be problematic for us as we have a huge tool box of lenses.

[mervinek]

I LOVE it! I do it in my office, but don't post it. That would be a little fast foodish. We print one out and highlight things for patients. It's quite helpful for when you work with someone and throw out a lot of information. It makes it easier for them to understand polycarbonate, AR, digital etc. Also, sometimes you might spend a lot of time with someone educating them and then they want to come back in with spouse. They almost always bring the highlighted menu in with them and you know what a co-worker already went over and don't have to start from scratch. I find it VERY helpful. But please...print as needed and DO NOT POST ON WALL!

[optical24/7]

Will you also have a PITA charge listed?

[Paul Smith LDO]

How about a compromise, if Doc wants a lens menu then have it in a nice padded book. I agree, putting a lens menu on a wall is not how I would want to use precious display space. If she has any questions have her go thru a large chain super market. You want to see maximization of space, they are the masters. The fast food menu is just that; heresthemenupickoutwhatyouwantandgo. Not exactly conducive to the optical dispensary model.

[mervinek]

Will you also have a PITA charge listed?

We don't have any prices on it. If someone wants a price we write it down for them...so sure! Inflate price as necessary!

[cturtle77]

I put together something like this for my old office. I made one trifold book for lens materials, one for ARs, one for sun options, and one for basic lens type distinctions, etc. I did a good better best model so it wasn't like a menu really. I had a sheet which highlighted the benefits of each and then had illustrated examples (some commercial) to help people that are more visual. I didn't do it to make a price menu, I really did it to help patients see easily and quickly the best options if they weren't happy with the pricing of what we consdider our best lens to be. And not everything was included. For instance, lens materials included poly, trivex, and hi index. The KISS method. So it was pretty without coming off as a "menu.'

[erichwmack]

I would advise against this. For one practice that I worked at I set up the "menu" and barcoding etc...I amde a large three rign binder withh all the lenses, options, etc... and then also under each item had the VSP sig/choice prices. The idea was to quickly find the lens package items, know the $, and then scan each one (each item had a barcode next to it which imported right to the POS). It was nifty and very thorough. We then created a line-item package for the customer to see. In concept it was to give transparency to the patient and see the value of all the features going into the lens. It worked ok, or so I thought.

Fast forward 3 years and a new practice which I just rebuilt for a doc, ground up. After analyzing year end and putting together this years goals. I realized we were deficient in some areas by industry standards and our demographic. I was still using the three ring binder/menu method. I tried something new. We are discussing lens needs before looking at frames. Taking mental notes and determine which lenses and how many pairs the customer needs. Then pick out the frames. Then we put together a bottom line $. Frame and Lenses. We show them the total and write down or verbally go over the features (not the actual names, ie: not poly but thin light and shatter resistant. not AR but high acuity and better night vision. get the idea here?) Since introducing this we have doubled our $/day! It was amazing. Now the patient can't pick out items to eliminate from the package. There are no line items/menu items. They get our vision solution we crafted for them and they appreciate it. The customers mentality is we are the experts. It is very easy to look at an item and say "well I don't really need that (just based on price)"

It is also very beneficial to keep your menu to very selective to maximize lab rewards and offer the best products for your demographic, NOT all the products for your demographic. It just makes more sense, keeps things easier, makes more $.

Hopefully that makes sense. PM if you want to see my old binder menu and now what we use as the "menu" (we keep the "menu" behind the scenes and never show the patient.)

[standarduck]

We have a menu system, which separates lens types and options (coatings, index, photochromic etc.)

It's worked very well for us. Style it to prioritise the item you'd like to sell (give more space to the better lenses, obvious stuff). We've had probably a £60 increase in average dispense since we implemented it. Not much perhaps, but that's a big jump for us.

[Craig]

We have a few choices: clear, tint or no tint, transitions- 2 flavors-, brown or grey polarized. Only option is mirror coating on sunglasses.

We include ar on all and our base lens is digital trivex. They can have sv, bifocal or a progressive for everyday and/or a computer pair.

Those are all the choices and the prices are very simple as well. We do 96% trivex and 4% 1.67 or higher with 99+% on ar. We also do 35% mirror coatings on our sunglasses.

We have a printed price list at all desks so it is handy if a client wants to see it.

These folks all pay cash as we do not accept insurance for exams or any items we offer.

Too many choices confuse people and they do nothing; tell them what they need to solve their issues and you do not need anything but yourself and some confidence.

[Fezz]

Too many choices confuse people and they do nothing; tell them what they need to solve their issues and you do not need anything but yourself and some confidence.

AWESOME ADVICE!

I do the same.

[Craig]

One of my long time employees went to work at local OD insurance office; sales are up way over $100,000 in optical because of her style.
This is the power of confidence! She and her kids only wear glasses from us but she does all that can be done in an insurance office while being professional and having happy clients.
We refer insurance folks to them and a new guy opening up down the street. We are not competitors but can compete in different areas, but selling is still selling in any atmosphere.

I just bought a new car and wrote to the GM how professional he was to deal with; that does not happen with car buying in my experience.

[standarduck]

some confidence.

Agree! If you DO use a menu or pricelist, make sure you know the prices as well. There's nothing worse than being sold a product by somebody who hasn't even taken the time to learn the prices of what they're selling...

[erichwmack]

I totally agree with knowing your products. To be the best at offering products and making it profitable you must know your products inside and out. Not only knowing the products but having a great grasp of the concepts of each technology, how to apply them to different situations, and of course the retail and wholesale $. If you have that no one will doubt your expertise. They will buy the vision solution you offer them.

Also, on the menu topic. If you are going to make a menu definitely include poly/trivex, and a warranted AR in the price of each "base" lens. It will make you more $, make you customers happy with good aesthetics and vision, as well as cover any remake costs. Its good medicine and good business. This is what the rest of the world does and why the US is ~30% AR sales where Europe and Asia are ~90%+.