ECP Solution Center
Being The Best With NO-GLARE
At Sonoma Eyeworks in Santa Rosa, Calif., a big part of their success in selling fashion eyewear is consistently offering No-Glare lenses. All three ODs—J. Michael Harmon, Janette Hildebrand, and Jeffrey Ricks—recommend the lenses, and the entire staff wears them. And so do 85 to 90 percent of patients who purchase eyewear from them.
MIX IT UP
The practice's six opticians are all American Board of Opticianry (ABO) certified. “All of our opticians are cross-trained, meaning they can do visual field testing for the doctors if they're not busy,” office manager Cynthia Harmon says. “Then the patient is transferred to them for eyewear selection. It's very powerful to the patient when the doctor interacts with them for most of the exam.”
KEEP IT SIMPLE
When it comes to No-Glare lenses, the practice's message is simple, direct, and starts with a question. “We ask the patient if they would like the best vision possible with their new glasses,” Harmon explains. “We let them know how advancements from the computer industry have helped the optical business. We tell them that thin film coatings are used on computer chips, in microscopes, and digital cameras, and that now these advancements are used on optical lenses.”
If a patient has had a past issue with coatings, a cell phone analogy is utilized. “Just think of cell phones five years ago: They were as big as a brick and just as heavy!” Harmon points out. “Technology evolves, and No-Glare technology today is no comparison to past coating technologies.”
DEMOS AND DETAILS
“It's easy to take a frame with a demo lens out of a showcase, put it on, and say, and ‘See how this lens is reflective? Now check out my glasses, see how they're not reflective?'” Harmon tells patients. “Reflections take away from your acuity, especially when driving at night.'”
This simplicity is a powerful No-Glare lens purchase driver. Harmon notes that a lens sale without No-Glare technology is rare.
| REACHING OUT |
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| SOME KEY SONOMA EYEWORKS PRACTICE FACTS AND TAKE-AWAYS: ■ AWARDS. The practice recently won the “Best Optical Shop in Sonoma County” for the 11th straight year. TAKE-AWAY: Take advantage of local media opportunities to promote your practice and the No-Glare message. ■ WALK-INS. Forty percent of the business is walk-in. TAKE-AWAY: Position your practice like the big optical retailers without competing on price by instilling consumer confidence, like promoting quality No-Glare products. ■ TAGLINE. Their website (sonomaeyeworks.com) tagline is, “Now you don't have to go to San Francisco for the best selection in fashion eyewear.” TAKE AWAY: A catchy tagline is golden, and an up-to-the-minute website is essential; hire a web designer. Now. ■ IN-OFFICE LAB: Currently, 69 percent of No-Glare sales are generated from the in-house lab, while the remaining No-Glare jobs (primarily high-index) are sent to an outside lab. TAKE-AWAY: No-Glare lenses are available not only from wholesale labs, but also as stock lenses. ■ EVENTS. The practice sponsors and participates in community events most months of the year. TAKE-AWAY: Showing your support to the community in different ways keeps your practice visible and well regarded. |
| Top: Drs. Harmon and Hilderand. Bottom: The Sonoma Eyeworks staff |
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