Ideas for generating new patients and an open house?

**diggindirt72** · 01-04-2011, 08:45 PM

I have worked for three ODs in my 15 years of experience but they all had existing patient bases and were well known in their communities. I just hired on with an OD who started a solo practice two years ago. There are some things I would have suggested he do differently, such as location, that cant be undone now. Any ideas on how to get new patients into our office? General advertising hasnt worked, I am new to this city, they arent a boutique, we take most of the same vision insurance as everyone else etc. I mean our phone rarely rings! There doesnt seem to be anything that sets us apart from all the existing ODs.

Also, they are going to host an open house next month and are looking for new ideas. Last year they had food, bouncey house for kids, typical give aways. I would appreciate ideas that have worked to bring new people into contact with our office and make them want to stay! I think he is a good OD but how do we get people to try us?

**conantoptics** · 01-04-2011, 10:04 PM

Hi, I get an idea: 5 free testing everyday; and post this on local newspaper.
will this work?

**Audiyoda** · 01-04-2011, 10:18 PM

Open House = Trunk Show. If you can get two vendors with differing product lines do it. Offer everyone that makes a purchase a chance to pull something from a hat. They can win various discounts, a cleaning kit...sky's the limit - but everyone should win. And make sure the open house has a theme - makes a difference.

**conantoptics** · 01-04-2011, 10:54 PM

Originally Posted by Audiyoda

Open House = Trunk Show. If you can get two vendors with differing product lines do it. Offer everyone that makes a purchase a chance to pull something from a hat. They can win various discounts, a cleaning kit...sky's the limit - but everyone should win. And make sure the open house has a theme - makes a difference.

Good idea. I like OPEN HOUSE too, just imagining that i can get discounts and other present is interesting and attractive.

Now the question is: How to get people to your OPEN HOUSE?

**diggindirt72** · 01-04-2011, 11:11 PM

We are going to have an office meeting to discuss ideas. I will bring this up. I am not sure what type of advertisement they are planning but I am 'assuming' at this point that they will use the local paper. Thanks for your ideas!

**diggindirt72** · 01-04-2011, 11:14 PM

It sounds like they have one vendor lined up. I like the idea of a theme for the open house. Any ideas what the theme should be?

**optilady1** · 01-05-2011, 05:56 AM

Here are some ideas:

Contact local schools and give them business cards to send home with kids after they've done eye tests.
Are you close to any Golf courses? Marina's? Put up fliers with info on your exciting polarized sporting glasses.
Send local boutiques invitations for their clients about your trunk show/ open house with the names of the trendy frames and sunglasses you carry.

**PAkev** · 01-05-2011, 10:27 AM

I'm usually not a pessimist but from my experience, open houses only have proved to be a magnet for folks looking for free coffee, cookies, and anything else your willing to hand out. This also requires the additional expense of advertising, employee overtime, etc. Yes, there may be some business developed from it but not necessarily what could come out of other more effective alternatives. Years ago the philosophy of "Build it and they will come" usually prevailed but anymore there are many creative marketing alternatives to hook consumers. Some successfully capture new patients but many result in indifferent consumer relationships. Starting any new business is tough. Marketing (open house, trunk show, advertising, etc.) will indeed put you on the map but it does not always prove your business ethic and what you can do for customers.

Marketing your business away from the office through community involvement like Lions Club, Rotary, Scouts, Church and other social mediums develops quality relationships with patients that often last.

Might want to have your doc or even another staff member take a day out of the office to offer in-service education at a local nursing home (they're required to have the CE training) to educate the staff on eycare. Another is a local manufacturing business with a safety eyewear presentation. They also are required to have documented safety meetings and are often willing to have someone offer an education presentation. I guarantee, this will afford a much better opportunity to position your business in the spotlight of a greater audience for potentially better results.

**HarryChiling** · 01-05-2011, 11:25 AM

www.groupon.com - You offer a phenominal deal and set a bar for the number of new patients you would expect to run that particular deal. They do the rest, only guarenteed ROI, but you have to be in a major metropolitan area to take advantage.

Local college radio station, contacts and sunglasses is the name of the game here, very cheap and effective but again you have to be geographically located to take advantage.

www.yelp.com - reputation sites are the rage, many offices I visit are seeing customers because they got great reviews on yelp and other review sites. Set up a workstation and give an incentive to patients to post positive reviews.

**Ginster** · 01-05-2011, 12:25 PM

For the patients you do have, send them home with a voucher saying $100.00 off a full pair of glasses, this could be used for them or a friend if they know more people needing glasses give them more coupons. also you can drop them off at local businesses. put a 1 month experationd day on it. this owrks for us at slow times of the year. Godd Luck.

**diggindirt72** · 01-05-2011, 04:48 PM

PAkev,
I agree with you - why give away what you should be selling. Have to do something to get people into this new part of town tho.

Really liked your suggestions about nursing homes and manufacturing industries. I have a plan to call trucking companies around town and the safety meeting idea would be a good "in" with them! Thanks for your input!

**Rockstargazer** · 01-17-2011, 02:49 PM

I work for an MD/OD practice in the SF Bay Area. Currently we have a program in place that focuses on VSP patients: Real simple we ask the patient to "spread the word" amongst their co-workers about our office and services, by tactfully enlisting their help we are tapping into what is, for us, several fairly large VSP employer groups. Their thank-you is having their name entered into a quarterly drawing- Dinner for 2 at one of our very nice dining establishments in the area. ($100 value) We have had positive results thus far but still early into the program. We have metrics in place to determine ROI which I think is important, in this business climate!! Good luck

**diggindirt72** · 01-17-2011, 09:14 PM

Thanks for your suggestion! We had been talking about something like that. We currently offer a $20 credit on their account towards their next visit with each patient they refer. Good luck to you too!

**opticalcathy** · 01-18-2011, 03:00 PM

Groupon, FourSquare, Facebook Twitter, Contests and Events and Word of Mouth- Love Trunk Shows, bring a Friend programs, collabs with other doctors,...
http://theopticalvisionsite.com/cate...g-advertising/
http://theopticalvisionsite.com/cate...keting-events/
http://theopticalvisionsite.com/cate...-social-media/

**AustinEyewear** · 01-18-2011, 04:02 PM

make sure you have a good website - people look at them as a differentiator. Open houses and trunk shows take years to develop - you can't have just one and expect it to be a success - we spend a lot of money advertising them and we hope to break even when we have one, its the residual that counts. If you have good walk-by traffic, it may be worth doing, otherwise, wait until you have a decent patient base to call would be my recommendation.

**GOS_Queen** · 01-18-2011, 05:33 PM

network with local salons - when they are "into" their hair and nails looking nice ... let's hope they want reasonably fashionable glasses ...?

**AustinEyewear** · 01-18-2011, 05:39 PM

Originally Posted by GOS_Queen

network with local salons - when they are "into" their hair and nails looking nice ... let's hope they want reasonably fashionable glasses ...?

Ha ha! That is something my wife and I joke about all the time - they'll spend freely on above, and cheap out on what they shouldn't...... we think we may be in the wrong business!

**Laurie** · 01-18-2011, 06:40 PM

So for your theme...

FASHION! Geek Chic! People find a way to pay for a fashion item, especially if they feel fabulous in their eyewear.

You may even ask your friends to participate as 'walking models', showing off the latest fashion eyewear trends, working the crowd, so to speak. And, during the trunk-show, offer an individualized 'cool tone/warm tone' and facial analysis (PM me if you need a source for 'color-draping scarves' and custom facial analysis charts). I used to manage an optical boutique in Boston, Lugene Opticians, and we did trunk shows all the time. Picking two vendors with different types of lines, customized fashion consulting, and of course, wine, cheese and crackers!

: )

Laurie

**Laurie** · 01-18-2011, 06:42 PM

Oh,

and...

place a Red Carpet outside your door, and have your models outside, with a photographer (does not have to be a professional one), taking pics of them as they enter, exit, and re-enter your store. Pump up the music outside to add excitement and draw attention to the passerbys.

: )

**AustinEyewear** · 01-18-2011, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by Laurie

Oh,

and...

place a Red Carpet outside your door, and have your models outside, with a photographer (does not have to be a professional one), taking pics of them as they enter, exit, and re-enter your store. Pump up the music outside to add excitement and draw attention to the passerbys.

: )

Great ideas Laurie! Keep 'em comin

**Laurie** · 01-20-2011, 10:27 AM

another idea:

purchase a nice flat-screen TV (doesn't have to be a crazy expensive one)... play a loop of a fashion show, (the fashion channels usually have them running)... Keep the TV in the front of the dispensary, so potential clients will see the fashion show running when they walk in.

Then, raffle the TV off, put the names of the clients who purchase eywear from you that day in a hat, one of the lucky ones wins the TV. If someone is on the fence of actually purchasing, this might intice them, and their odds of winning are pretty good.

: )

**Lachrymator** · 01-20-2011, 10:25 PM

These are some great ideas. A couple others you can try are going to large corporations and try to attend any health fairs they may have, maybe corporations that you know use VSP or whichever plans you'd like to see. Also, if the practice is two years old, stay on top of those recalls. It can take three years for a business to break even, and once you get into the third years and so on, the patients who don't come annually will start coming on their every other year schedules. Since you are on these insurance plans, try to recruit patients' family members, typically they are dependents on the plan. You can also go to construction type companies and offer safety eye wear and offer discount services to their staff.