Welcome to question of the day #326

Welcome to question of the day #326

I own my own community eye care practice. Patients often tell me that my glasses are too expensive and that they will buy their new glasses from an online supplier. What can I do to stop losing this business?

In my experience about two out of 10 of the patients I see tell me that my glasses are more expensive than similar ones they can purchase online and that they are planning to buy their next pair from an online supplier.

This is a problem as a large slice of the practice income comes from the sale of frames and lenses. Ideally, I would like all my patients to purchase their frames from me.

So I was happy to come across this infographic recently. This version was produced by Optical and EyeQ Graphics and it visually educates patients on the true cost of eyewear.

Even with little design experience, you can create a compelling infographic or image to share with your patients on the cost and benefits of buying frames from your practice. I’m working on one in my local currency and with everyday items popular with my patients such as takeaway coffee, fast food, TV streaming subscriptions, and mobile phone subscriptions.

I plan to have a large version in the practice window and smaller versions on each of the dispensing tables in my practice.

By comparing the monthly cost of a typical pair of glasses compared to the monthly cost of other ‘necessities’ patients can see that quality eyewear breaks down to a reasonable monthly cost.

I will use this comparison to help me secure the purchase of frames and lenses from all my patients.