FILE Optical Marketing - When opticians demonstrate their inventiveness (part 2)
Continuation of our dossier on great ideas in optical marketing . To inspire you, but also to find out what optical marketing is practiced in other brands and in other countries … In this second part, we look at other ways to boost customer service, but also the solidarity of the teams.
Optical Marketing: values and network, an association that works!
What better way to establish its notoriety than to carry humanist, social, environmental values ? Several studies have shown that customers are more attached to businesses that carry messages that matter.
At Falls City Eye Care in Louisville, USA, owner Michael Martorana and his wife Theresa have given a lot of thought to how to educate their customers about waste management and recycling issues.
Learning that the foil packets of contact lenses are so small that they often get thrown out of the process at recycling plants and end up in landfills, they staple a note to every lens order stating that patients who keep their foil packages and return them to Falls City Eye Care will receive a $ 20 rebate on their next contact lens purchase.
They then send the aluminum packaging to TerraCycle , a company that ensures that plastics typically screened in a traditional recycling center are, in fact, recycled.
Dr Martorana is also a volunteer with I Care International , donating his time and travel expenses to help people in need get eye exams in developing countries. Here too, he involves his patients, since those who donate their old frames benefit from a 5% discount on a new pair of sunglasses.
Thinking about the community
The optician Optical Connection near Los Angeles participates in events in more than half a dozen schools in the neighborhood where it is located and has made donations to them. “It gives us the opportunity to get to know the community . Sell gift items on behalf of Tails of Joy , an animal rescue charity. All profits go to the organization.
An Iowa City store, Discerning Eye , has decided to donate some of the sales for December, its biggest month of the year, to the Johnson County crisis center. This center provides support to people experiencing financial, emotional or food difficulties. To date, the donations made amount to nearly $ 50,000!
Involving your patients in these matters also strengthens the community. One of the most consistent messages from eye care business owners is that B2B networking almost always translates into better service for customers.
So, some immediately saw the benefits of having a 'chief networker'. Holly Andersen, co-owner of Uptown Eyes in Fayetteville , Arizona, has promoted her receptionist to the rank of public relations coordinator. Twice a month, this staff member creates gift baskets and visits local businesses to share the store's mission.
A great way to strengthen community ties is to share with customers the benefits of the network of local merchants. An optical store has chosen to join forces with several companies in the same catchment area and pass them on to customers. With, for example, advantages when members of the same family come. Reduced cost for examinations and reductions throughout the year on glasses and lenses but also at local fruit and vegetable producers, or at a nearby hairdresser! High quality optical marketing!
The staff: not to be overlooked!
The employees of an optical store are the permanent links between the customers and the employer. It is therefore out of the question to neglect its staff. Zoom in on some interesting ideas that make teamwork, optical marketing and customer service more effective.
Highlighting staff reviews is a great way to show them how important they are. This is why Dr Courtney Rhodes established a study on what makes good service. Since 2009, she has analyzed each employee's way of working and their own technique to find ways to improve the eye care experience of her clients.
Customers can learn about employee favorite frame designs , but also their non-working practices and how these “staff choices” benefit their everyday lives. This not only makes it possible to detach the person in front of the status of 'salesman' but also to more easily arouse the conversation between the optician and the patient . The results were not long in coming, and opinions are unanimous: patients feel pampered and highlight the product knowledge of opticians.
Motivating your troops without charging them via sales and turnover is possible. Thus, new types of challenges are emerging. For example, at the Bakersfield Eye Care Optometric Center in California, the teams decide to set up and organize these challenges. Whether or not this is related to optics is not a problem. On the contrary, they can compete in various and varied fields: fitness, cooking, music … The winners are rewarded with dinners, massages, training … A good way to keep everyone concerned !
Communicate and pamper
Lack of communication within a team can be a real nightmare for an employer, and EyeStyles Optical and Boutique executive Nikki Griffin has understood this. She leads a study group for employees and future opticians during off-peak hours. 'Our small group is designed to improve understanding, discuss challenging and challenging prescriptions, learn dispensing tips and sales techniques.' The teams see that they are supported and helped. But also that it can have a say and be an integral part of the decisions of the store.
Employee well-being is a real boost for teams. So, Dallas optician Gary Black decided to donate $ 150 per quarter for any activity that contributes to an employee's healthy lifestyle, whether it's a gym membership, massages or registration for a sports competition. As a bonus, it rewards loyalty since after seven years of seniority, each staff member benefits from a paid sabbatical leave of 30 days!
Gary Black also promotes continuing education within his company. It provides its teams with a library of books on leadership, management, marketing and anything that can help improve the theoretical skills of its employees.
