The OpticianWorks.com Approach To Sales & Practice Management
Here are the opening paragraphs from my lesson on, Sales & Practice Management at www.OpticianWorks.com
Always remember – your primary function as an ECP is to bring money in to the practice.
In virtually every aspect of life, each one of us is a salesperson. In the business world you will find that only honesty, great product knowledge, confidence and practice will make you a better salesperson and a key part of any sales team.
Businesses are like people. Each business has a unique personality of its own depending on the people that work there. The individual business personality will dictate how that business will operate and how sales will be approached. Bear in mind that as you start out in this field you may be an excellent match for a particular store, or you may not. The more networking you are able to do with opticians, ODPs, frame and lens representatives and peers prior to taking a job the easier it will be to find the best fit.
I do not like using the word “sales” much, and would prefer to use ”salesmanship” but for the sake of clarity I will use “sales”. The word “sales” carries many levels of negative connotation. You will have better results if you think about recommending products and services, not selling them. I would like you to work on saying, “I recommend” or, even better, “We recommend.” Unless you are a one-person practice, your sales will never increase or change if you are not working together as a practice or “team.”
“People buy trust long before they buy products…”
You role is complementary to the “healthcare” role filled by the optometrist or ophthalmologist in your office. As I have stated before, your primary role in a practice is to bring in income. The health of the patients that enter your practice or store is in the hands of the doctor. The doctor holds the highest level of trust in the eyes of the patient. To build trust for the dispensary it is your job to provide service for the products you sell, care for the patient’s eyewear needs, and to provide good and accurate information about the products you sell.
You must provide something to the practice that makes people want to come in. That may be your personality, your optical expertise, your sales ability, your lab skills or your ability to adjust their eyewear to perfection. Ideally, it will be a mix of all those things. Regardless of which of these areas may be your strength, you need to demonstrate that strength as a sales tool. Your excellent lab skills may not be considered part of one – to – one or face – to –face sales, however your excellent lab work is one of the reasons that people return to the store to buy more glasses. Your co-workers should recognize each others strengths and weaknesses and work together to provide every patient with the best care while bringing in the most profit.
The lesson goes on to cover sales, visual aids, handling multiple customers, handling sales representatives, returns, business ownership, store maintenance and much more!
OpticianWorks.com is a complete online training program that is based on opticianry or non-licensed dispensing professionals being business people not healthcare people.
OpticianWorks.com covers: lensmeter, Rx interpretation, frames, adjustments, taking measurements, placing orders, lenses, prism, verification, insurance, contact lenses, low vision aids and much more.
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Originally Posted by Johns
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