4th July, 2008
How Not to Run Your Optical Practice
I drove an hour yesterday to have my eyes examined by an OMD for whom I have good deal of respect. The OMD has a well-decorated office with beautiful stone work, a 250 gallon tropical fish tank, an extremely courteous and knowledgeable staff, and a nice little dispensary that carries ProDesign and EyeDC among others; everything you might think necessary to deliver a “wow” experience.
In fact, I was delivered a “wow” experience. I was impressed with the technicians’ friendliness, knowledge, and professionalism. The fancy new autorefractor resulted in the quickest and probably most effective refraction I’d ever received. And of course, I always love a cool fish tank. Sadly, however, I walked out the office two hours later feeling disrespected. Before my appointment had ended it became clear my time and consequently, my value to the practice meant very little.
It began as soon as I walked in the door. I received no “hello”, no smile, not even a glance. I had been through the drill before, so I walked up and searched the counter for what appeared to be a sign-in sheet. I dutifully filled in my name and check-in time then sat down and began to wait. After awhile, I was called to fill out the requisite forms then directed to sit back down and wait some more. Typical.
Twenty minutes had passed before I began to think (as I often do in doctor’s office waiting rooms), “What is the point of having an appointment, if I am not going to be seen reasonably close to my appointment time?” Of course the answer is: the doctor’s time is more important than my own; the doctor is a “Doctor” and I am merely a patient not a customer. Customers aren’t made to wait, if they are, they usually just get up and leave.
So, an hour passed before I was finally called in for a refraction, perhaps the first I’d ever actually enjoyed. The tech had some fun with my son, who was amazed by this machine with its flashing lights, resembling something from his new favorite movie, Wall*E. Soon, however we were directed back to the waiting room to wait… again.
Fifteen minutes later I was called in to have my pressures checked and pupils dilated (never much fun), after which, of course, I knew I would have to wait… again.
Twenty minutes later, I was called in to see the Doc – a cordial and pleasant experience. Predictably, after the exam, I had to wait another 10 minutes for the privilege of paying the bill! Incredibly, in the two hours I spent in the office, I was never asked to look at frames.
Waiting in doctors’ offices is such common place it is usually expected as part of the routine. Fortunately, lowered expectations make it easier for willing practices to exceed expectations. Unfortunately, all the effort this practice staff and management had put into exceeding expectations only served to highlight the oversight. If only I had half the wait or had someone acknowledge my time, perhaps even <gasp>
Popularity: 3% [?]
Posted at 3:07 pm | Comment (0)
26th May, 2008
The Magnifying Glass Goes Digital
A recent article in the New York Times reports advances in consumer electronics technology are now being used in products that improve the lives of people with macular degeneration, diabetes, and other low vision problems. A new class of handheld digital magnifier, equipped with high resolution cameras, LCD displays, and weighing less than 9 ounces offers several advantages over traditional optical magnifiers. The new digital magnifiers have the ability to improve contrast, switch black on white text to white on black, and store images for later viewing with pan and zoom features.
The devices typically cost between $700 and $1300 and are not covered by Medicare and most private insurance plans.
Distributors:
Popularity: 12% [?]
Posted at 11:46 am | Comment (0)
21st May, 2008
50 Things You Must Know about Your Customers
…Yourself, and People in General
Sonia Simone is an expert in improving customer relations through effective communication. She writes a blog called Remarkable Communication. Recently, she posted 50 Things Your Customers Wish You Knew. These 50 things capture the essence of human nature and describe our most basic motivations (not easily admitted by most). Not only are they a must-read for you and your customer facing staff, I recommend you post them somewhere, so they can be re-read on a regular basis. They are likely to make you rethink virtualy every customer interaction you have.
Here are Sonia’s 50 things:
1. I don’t need you to be perfect, but I do need to know I can rely on you.
2. Telling me what you don’t know makes me trust you.
3. It means a lot when you take the time to thank me for my business or a referral.
4. You don’t need to do all that much to be a superhero. Just do exactly what you say you will do.
5. A friendly voice on the other side of the phone means more than you can imagine.
6. Your employees treat me about as well as you treat them.
7. I don’t mind spending the money, as long as I feel I’m getting real value.
8. My life is really stressful. If you can reduce that stress, you become immensely valuable to me.
9. I want to tell you what would make this relationship better for me. Why don’t you ever ask me?
10. I don’t understand a lot of the messages you send me. Can you make them clearer?
11. My life is very complicated. If you make it easy for me to just buy a simple all-in-one package that I can use without learning anything, I’ll take it and be grateful. (I’ll even pay a premium for it.)
12. I want to trust you, but it’s hard for me to trust anyone.
13. Once you’ve won my trust and loyalty, the truth is you can screw up once in awhile and I will forgive you. If I don’t think you’re taking me for granted, that is.
14. When I refer my friends and you give them exceptional service, that makes me look and feel smart. I love that.
15. I spend an awful lot of time being scared to death.
16. The wealthier I get, the more I like free stuff.
17. A lot of the time, I secretly feel like a lost little kid. I don’t admit it, but I want to be taken care of.
18. I’m lousy at admitting I was wrong, but I respect you when you do it.
19. I like to get little goodies no one else is getting.
20. I don’t understand how to use your Web site, but I can’t admit that because it would make me feel dumb.
21. There’s no worse feeling than feeling like I was suckered into trusting you. If I’m screaming at you or one of your employees, that feeling is probably behind it somewhere.
22. Our relationship isn’t equal and it never will be.
23. I get crazy jealous if I think you love another customer more than you love me.
24. I don’t have any interest in your excuses. In fact, I usually don’t notice them at all, and if I do, they annoy me.
25. I find myself endlessly fascinating.
26. I hate salespeople, but I really like to buy things.
27. I only like to communicate over the phone/Web/mail and I hate when you try to make me communicate with you over the mail/phone/Web.
28. I want to buy your product, but I need you to help me justify it to myself.
29. There’s something in my life I’m afraid of losing. If you can make me feel like you’ve protected it for me, my gratitude will be intense and eternal.
30. I’ll give you anything you ask if you can help me not feel silly.
31. I want you to do the hard work for me. Even better if I can get all the credit.
32. I’d rather do it the convoluted hard way than learn something new.
33. I’d love to know something about your product that I could use to brag at a dinner party.
34. I have the attention span of a goldfish. Go too long without contacting me and I’ll simply forget you exist.
35. Money is no object when it comes to my obsessions.
36. What you think you’re good at is not what you’re good at. Ask me, and I’ll tell you what you do better than anyone else.
37. I like it when I feel like you’re talking just to me.
38. It infuriates me when you answer the phone while I’m talking with you face-to-face.
39. Embarrassment scares me more than death.
40. I’m lazier than I would ever admit.
41. I’m more selfish than I would ever admit.
42. I’m more vain than I would ever admit.
43. I’m more insecure than I would ever admit.
44. Despite all that, I secretly think I’m a better person than most people. Help me believe that and we’ll be fast friends.
45. I believe I deserve much more than I’m getting.
46. I want to tell you everything you need to know in order to sell to me, but I’m lazy. Make it easy enough and I will. (Especially if you flatter me a little.)
47. I don’t know what I want most of the time. You need to figure it out for me.
48. I mostly daydream about making life better for myself, but I’ll take action to keep from losing what’s mine.
49. I believe that most of what’s wrong in my life is someone else’s fault. Let me keep that cozy illusion and I’ll believe anything you say.
50. It really is all about me.
Popularity: 15% [?]
Posted at 10:48 am | Comment (0)
20th May, 2008
Are You Too Nice to Your Customers?
Recently on optiboard, a poster suggested her optical was treating customers too nicely, postulating that by being nice (or overly so), her customers would come to expect being treated kindly, take advantage of such treatment, and show no appreciation.
As a retail/service business, particularly an optical, looking to grow and thrive in increasingly difficult times, not only should you be trying to meet customers’ expectations, but you also should be looking to exceed them in unexpected ways. This is one of the few ways left to differentiate yourself in a crowded marketplace where more choices and better prices are available to the consumer than ever before.
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal reports even the notoriously frosty storefronts of Rodeo Drive are undergoing attitude adjustments to meet changing social and economic conditions. With genuine smiles, coloring books for the kids, and espresso bars for adults, many stores are changing their image to appear more welcoming.
I must confess that Coach reached my emotional brain as my rational brain grappled for control. Within minutes, a saleswoman named Lucienne had me in a pair of $485 high-heeled Maxene boots. When I didn’t buy the boots, Lucienne deftly placed her card in my hand. Mr. Hill explained what had happened: “She actually smiled at you the whole time. At the other stores, they smiled once because they knew they had to.”
Update: I just came across this account of an encounter with a company that obviously believes it is possible to be too nice to its customers and goes to great lengths to ensure it is not.
Popularity: 18% [?]
Posted at 9:58 am | Comment (0)
9th May, 2008
Should You Brand Your Optical?
When most people think of branding, they think of corporate logos and high dollar ad campaigns designed to do little other than sear images into your brain, in the hopes of influencing future purchase decisions; a practice largely impractical (and frankly ineffective) for cash and time-starved small businesses.
The truth is, branding is about much more than glossy images and doesn’t have to cost all that much. Non-descript logos and meaningless slogans strewn across all forms of media are usually products of large ad budgets and limited creativity. Real branding, the kind people identify with, describes the intellectual and emotional responses people associate with your business. Whether you know it or not, your business has a brand. Each customer touch point (signage, business cards, greetings, store environment, etc.) forms impressions and associations, and ultimately shapes your brand.
Why should you care about your brand?
Your brand is important for two reasons. First, your brand defines the type of customers you attract and second, your brand helps shape the conversations your customers have about your business and the word-of-mouth you receive.
How do you brand your small business?
Before you can shape your brand, you must determine what your brand should be. This can be more difficult than it sounds. You need to know who you are and what you believe in. You need to know your ideal customer and what he values. You need to know your skills and passions. You need to know whether you are about passion or pop. And you need to know what sets you apart from everyone else. At the intersection of all these, you will find your brand.
Once you have defined your brand, refine it, clarify it, focus it, simplify it, and make sure it resonates with your customers. Then, be your brand in everything you do. Avoid spending money on branding for branding’s sake, however make sure you express it through your logos, business cards, décor, customer interactions, websites, etc. Your brand is your identity. Make all your business decisions with your brand in mind. Be consistent. Stay in tune with your customers - their perception of your brand may be different from yours and may change over time. This can be either good or bad, but it is important to know which.
Popularity: 19% [?]
Posted at 10:40 am | Comment (0)
24th April, 2008
Drivewear Testimonials
Drivewear has a cool new testimonials page with a super-slick interface and some great stories from fishermen, truckers, golfers, dog sledders, and more.
Popularity: 23% [?]
Posted at 8:51 pm | Comment (0)
21st April, 2008
New Product Round-Up
A flurry of new lens products have come available in the last month. Here are a few that may be of interest:
X-Cel Optical now offers Trivex product under the brand name Aris. Aris is available in Freedom ID progressive, FSV, SFSV, D-28, and 7×28, in clear, Transitions, NXT sunwear, and NXT photochromics. See the X-Cel website for complete availability.
Drivewear from Younger Optics is now available and in-stock, in SV polycarbonate. While I’m quite sure of the significance, you can watch the “trailer” here.- Zeiss GT2 is available in plastic polarized gray.
- Also of note: Laramy-K Optical can now order FT-35 and 7×28 in 1.6.
Popularity: 22% [?]
Posted at 9:24 pm | Comment (0)
15th April, 2008
The Value of Free
What happens when you offer something real for free?
People ignore it, even scoff at it.
That is, until they understand its value.
Then you may end up with a kind of loyalty money can’t buy.
And of course, the more you give, the more you get.
Popularity: 25% [?]
Posted at 10:03 pm | Comment (1)
4th April, 2008
Essilor Assimilates 3 More
Essilor of America, a subsidiary of Essilor International, has strengthened its prescription laboratory network in the United States with the acquisition of a majority stake in Empire Optical of California, Inc., located in North Hollywood. A distributor of Varilux(R) lenses, the company has 168 employees and US$23 million in full-year revenue. Empire has major potential for developing Essilor lenses and enables the Group to increase its market share in the nation’s most populous state.
Essilor of America has also acquired a majority stake in two prescription laboratories: Advance Optical Sales Co., Inc. in Rochester, New York, with revenue of US$6.1 million, and Future Optics Inc. in Jackson, Tennessee, with revenue of US$3.3 million.
Popularity: 31% [?]
Posted at 4:06 pm | Comments (4)
19th March, 2008
Always Something
For some reason, I hadn’t been receiving notifications of your comments. Consequently, some comments didn’t actually get posted until now. This somehow seems vaguely familiar.
Chalk it up as another reason for the recent server move.
My apologies, Cindy and Mike.
Great googly moogly indeed!
Popularity: 27% [?]
Posted at 10:02 pm | Comment (0)
17th March, 2008
If All Your Friends Jumped Off A Bridge
I watched a fascinating program over the weekend on the Discovery Channel about the power of the brain in extreme situations. One of the topics covered was harnessing the power of dreams. It seems when we dream, the brain’s logic center is turned off, keeping us from thinking about what cannot be done and instead allowing the free combination of ideas; thinking out of the box as it were. This is why so many great ideas and breakthroughs occur while we sleep, particularly for those who have learned to harness this abilty.
While the idea of tapping hidden brain power during sleep is intriguing, it underscores just how shackled our minds are every day by the restrictions we place upon it; knowing what “cannot” be done or perhaps even more stifling, considering what everyone else does.
Then I came across this post by Seth Godin, which I think has more to do with bridges than resumes.
So, what is thinking like everyone else keeping you from accomplishing?
Popularity: 30% [?]
Posted at 10:01 am | Comment (0)
16th March, 2008
Speed is Good
We moved the blog and the optical lab site to a new server overnight. You may notice some random odd characters on the main site, an unfortunate side effect of the move, until we find them all and get them corrected. But, I think you will find both sites significantly peppier. We were running a little tight on memory and beginning to experience some problems as a result. So far, I am VERY happy with the move. The fancy new server will also give us the ability to roll out the new lens availability application (within the next month) and handle the added demand it will certainly bring.
Meanwhile, I am still working on infrastructure for OpenOptix before starting a participation campaign next week. So, you may want to stake your claim on openoptix.org, before the crowds arrive.
Popularity: 27% [?]
Posted at 12:40 am | Comment (0)
4th March, 2008
Who's the Slacker Now?
…that would be me, of course. I know I have been remiss in my bloggerly duties as of late and posts have been sparse. I do hope you’ll forgive me, given the projects that have been occupying much of my time; most notably, the OpenOptix initiative and the still unnamed, but long-awaited replacement of our famous interactive Progressive Lens Chart.
If you’ve not read about it, the first project for the OpenOptix initiative is the Open ABO Study Guide; a community driven opticianry program which upon completion will be compiled into an e-book and distributed freely. In looking for a tool to facilitate collaboration on the project, I decided to use a wiki, more specifically the Wikipedia engine, which now resides at http://www.openoptix.org/wiki.
The OpenOptix wiki at this point has very little content to speak of and is in desperate need of some community lovin’. The beautiful thing about a wiki though, is that has potential to be used for so much more than the ABO Study Guide. Given enough community participation, it can become the optical encyclopedia and an invaluable resource to the industry. With that goal in mind, I will continue to add to it (when I can) until I feel all the basics are in place, at which point I will actively solicit participation and contributions. In the mean time, all the working pieces are there so, feel free to check it out, play around, experiment (don’t worry you won’t break it) and add any optical-related content that interests you.
Your feedback on any of these projects is always welcome, so don’t hesitate to comment or contact me.
Popularity: 33% [?]
Posted at 1:34 am | Comments (2)
26th February, 2008
How Will the Recession Affect Your Business?
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
If looked at in the proper light, a recession can be a great opportunity for small business. Just as a down turn in the market is a signal to savvy investors to buy and look for bargains, a recession can be a perfect opportunity for you to invest in your business.
You may look around and find yourself selling less, notice competitors and industry partners having difficulties, and see an increase in corporate acquisitions (bargain hunters). However, know that your competition is getting smaller; leaving you with a chance to solidify your customer base and come out of the recession stronger than you entered it. Grab the market share your former competitors left behind and your remaining competitors are sitting on their hands waiting to return along with the good times.
While your revenues may be falling, you are likely experiencing a windfall in the most precious commodity: time. So, use it to your advantage. Invest in yourself and in your business. Streamline and document processes. Train your staff. Better your skills. Become the ultimate go to business for your niche. Improve your marketing materials. Look into cheap and free ways to promote your business using internet technologies. Take the time to learn more about and focus on your customers.
That which does not kill me, makes me stronger – Friedrich Nietzche
Popularity: 32% [?]
Posted at 11:44 am | Comment (0)
9th February, 2008
Finding the "Why" in Your Business
Simon Sinek is a consultant whose goal is to inspire businesses to great things by helping them discover why they do what they do. He says that all businesses know what they do, but few actually know why they do it. Businesses that only know what they do are only able to focus on the what. The unfortunate thing is that, no matter what kind of business you are in, chances are there is someone else out there that does it for the same price, has the same quality, and offers comparable service. Therefore, people do not choose you because of your what, they can only choose you because of your why.
I came across this fascinating interview with Simon. I highly recommend you take some time to watch it.
One of my favorite lines from the interview is, “Success [in your business] doesn’t happen when you find the things that are wrong and try to fix them. Success happens when you find the things that are right and amplify them.”
Popularity: 38% [?]
Posted at 1:41 pm | Comment (0)
5th February, 2008
Younger Optics Releases Image Wrap
Younger Optics announced today the release of the Image progressive in a decentered design specifically for wrap frames. The Image Wrap is available in polycarbonate NuPolar Gray.
“Standard progressive designs often do not offer enough lens material for wrap sunframes. As every laboratory technician knows, when the lens doesn’t “cut out,” it becomes a real headache for the laboratory and the doctor, as they must decide whether to change the frame or progressive lens style. Either way, it spells trouble that can result in lost business and a lot of aggravation for everyone… no one likes having to go back to the patient and tell them that they can’t have what they want. Younger now offers a better solution.”
-David Rips, President and CEO of Younger Optics
Image Wrap Features:
- Available in +8 BC for “Wrap Frames”
- Decentered 7mm to allow for maximum cut-out opportunity
- An effective blank size of 83mm
- No secondary calculations necessary for use
- The ability to match premium Image® NuPolar® Poly technology with today’s premium sunglass frames
- No need to compromise technology and performance on Rx sunglasses due to cut-out issues
- With one of the widest distance zones in the industry, the IMAGE progressive design is ideal for sunwear
Popularity: 44% [?]
Posted at 8:14 pm | Comment (0)
1st February, 2008
Transitions VI Now Available
Transitions VI is now available and in stock at Laramy-K Optical for all product with the exeption of the Natural, Adaptor, and Accolade in plastic and polycarbonate. No release date yet for these lenses. See what’s new and different about Transitions VI here.
Popularity: 46% [?]
Posted at 8:53 pm | Comments (2)
30th January, 2008
MS Small Business Summit 2008
Microsoft hosts an online small business summit each year that has gotten rave reviews in the past. The summit consists of four days of live broadcasts from sought-after speakers on topics important to small business owners. Registration is free and allows you to download sessions even if you are unable to attend the live event from March 24-27. This year’s summit covers topics in sales and marketing, productivity, financial management, and small business startups.
Microsoft Small Business Summit 2008
Popularity: 44% [?]
Posted at 10:13 am | Comment (0)
29th January, 2008
Get The Respect You Deserve
Ad campaign from Oogmerk Opticians of Belgium via AdHunt
Popularity: 42% [?]
Posted at 12:55 am | Comment (0)
27th January, 2008
Sales and Marketing are not the Enemies!
Too many optical professionals hold sales and marketing in contempt, partly because so many sales and marketing professionals employ questionable tactics and engage in deceit. But, for some reason, many believe the acts of selling and marketing are beneath them and that their occupations are somehow nobler without them.
I say B.S!
Sales and marketing are not solely the domains lower life forms. Selling is about getting the right products and services in the hands of the people that want and need them. Marketing is about telling people who you are and why they should come to you for their needs.
Great marketers and great sales people have a passion for what they do and truly care about their customers. They do not stoop to questionable practices to be successful or effective. Their success comes from providing value, building relationships, and establishing trust.
Instead of looking down upon sales and marketing, embrace them, become better at them. As a result, you will build more relationships, help more people, and experience more success in your business and your life.
Popularity: 39% [?]
Posted at 6:57 pm | Comment (0)
