Recommend, and the Selling Part is Done for You (Increasing your second ...

Going from Good to Great

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Recommend, and the Selling Part is Done for You (Increasing your second pair and average dollar sales)

"Do you want ..." is a phrase used by novice salespeople. There is no expertise or knowledge of the patient reflected in such a statement.

"I recommend, based on what you've been telling me, that we go with ... " shows expertise, professionalism, and a true knowledge of the patient's wants and needs. It is not based on preconceived notions of a person's ability to pay, but rather respects the patients enough to recommend the best solutions to their problems.

The only way you can get to the point of making recommendations is to ask open-ended questions to get to know the patient's wants and needs. The difference between an open-ended question and a closed-ended question is the amount of information gleaned from the answer. For example, a common closedended question for a novice optician to start a conversation is, "Are you looking for a pair of glasses similar to what you have now?" Aside from the fact that the whole reason the patient came in to see us is that they have an unmet need, an even bigger issue is, what are you going to do with the answer? What if the patient says no? You haven't gotten any information about what it is they want to change about their glasses. What if the patient says yes? You may then assume that they are talking about the shape, when in fact they are talking about the weight!

A better question would be an open-ended one that allows the patient to elaborate on the topic. In this case, the question may be worded, "What about your glasses do you like?" or, "What about your current glasses don't you like?" This will enable you to gather much more useful information that you can then package as a recommendation.

Examples of opened-ended questions:

1. What do you like about your current glasses? 2. What don't you like about your current glasses? 3. Where do you find your vision most troublesome? (to glean interest in

add-ons) 4. What do you do for a living? (to glean interest in second pairs, add-ons) 5. How may I help you? (After telling the patient your name!) 6. What do you currently use for sunglasses? (increase second pairs) 7. What kind of leisure activities are you involved in? (increase second pairs)

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8. Are you looking for any particular type of frame? 9. What do you want your frames to say about you? (increase second pairs) 10. What type of activities are you involved in outside work? (increase second

pairs)

When making your recommendations, make sure to reference what the patient has told you when you arrive at your recommendations, and be sure to start with the phrase "Based upon what you have told me, I would recommend ...." The patient is there to get your expert opinion, so give it!

There is another benefit of this recommend-based philosophy to patient interaction; it improves your average dollar sale without you having to feel like a pushy salesperson, and the patient feels better served. This is because you are starting with a top-down approach, as opposed to a bottom-up approach, at creating a pair of glasses. For example, let's say a patient walks up to you with a prescription for his new glasses. Instead of getting to know the patient through open-ended questions, you simply say, "Do you want a titanium frame to make them lighter weight?" Your next question is, "Do you want a high index lens?" followed by "Do you want an aspheric lens?" and "Do you want an AR coat to help with the glare?" This is a bottom-up approach. You are starting with nothing, and bit by bit piecing together a pair of glasses for your patient. This is excruciatingly painful for the patient, as he sees the bill getting higher and higher, and painful for you as well as you wait for his answers. When you are done, the patient is looking a huge bill and not understanding how it all happened.

By contrast, let us say that through your open-ended questions that you find the patient's chief goal for getting new glasses is to make the -5.00 prescription more comfortable to wear and look cosmetically better. You then say, "Based upon what you have been telling me, I recommend we go with a titanium frame matched with a high-index aspheric lens. This will provide you with the ultimate in a thin and lightweight pair of glasses. Additionally, I recommend we put an antireflective treatment on the lenses, since this coating will not only provide additional visual comfort by allowing greater light transmission through your higher prescription and reducing glare, but will also make your lenses seem invisible to anyone looking at you, which you said was important to you as well."

This is an example of a top-down approach. You are presenting the patient with a package that meets his needs. No more and no less. The patient also understands why you are making the recommendations, since they are completely based on

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