TSO Network Update - October 2017

October 2017 l 9 Part 2 for a High Performance Capture Rate Last month I spoke about the boys of summer and how baseball is a business of measuring through key statistics. Well, now we are entering the final stretch of play-offs and only those who have the high performance numbers are still playing America’s pastime. The practice of optometry also has key statistics to measure our strength, and one of these is an office capture, or buy rate. This is the percentage of people who receive an exam that purchase prescription eye wear. In part two of owning a high performance capture rate I will explain the one key factor that makes the difference between success and mediocrity when it comes to your capture rate. Experts in achievement tell us it is what we do daily that determines success or failure. It is not grand gestures or gimmicks that produce high capture rates but basic activities done with excellence over and over again that will result in 90%+ capture rates. The most important basic activity is the discussion the doctor has with the patient in the exam room. This discussion makes the difference between someone purchasing eye wear or not. There are three things to understanding why this basic activity is so critical in your capture or buy rate. Patient’s trust their doctor - The most important element of this discussion is trust. Patients trust the doctor until the doctor gives the patient reason NOT to trust them. Trust is built through faith on the part of the patient; a belief that is created through specific actions. It starts with their initial impression of you, how you present yourself, what you are wearing (I recommend a long white lab coat over professional business wear) and your personal grooming. Also, the confidence with which the you communicate builds trust. Are you convicted in your recommendations? The thoroughness of the explanation of reasons the prescription is good for patient creates trust. Make the complex simple through examples. The warmth and caring expression of the doctor creates trust. Be intentional about identifying what creates trust and build these elements into your exam presentation. If people trust the doctor, they will take the action recommended by the doctor. The doctor must connect with the patient - This starts with the doctor sincerely listening to the patient. Often the doctor is so used to going through the motions they miss the opportunity to really connect with their patients. Their communication lacks passion and enthusiasm. Remember, while you go through the exam several times a day, many times a week and hundreds of times a month, each patient goes through the exam once every 12 to 18 months. Slow down and make the patient feel like their exam is the most important exam you will do all year. Your ability to explain how what your are prescribing will benefit them in the terms they used to express their need for correction determines whether or not you have connected with the patient. People fill prescriptions - Think about the last time a physician wrote a medication prescription for you. You most likely went straight from the doctor’s office to the pharmacy and filled your prescription. This is because that’s what we do, we fill prescriptions. It’s no different when you prescribe eye wear for a patient. You explain the importance of the prescription, how filling the prescription will improve their quality of life and, just like prescribing an antibiotic, how filling this prescription will solve their problem. It has a lot to do with the posture the you use when prescribing their eye wear. Remember, it is not what you do, but what you do daily to build trust and connect with your patients that will make the difference in your capture rate. Patients will reward you with filling their prescriptions in your optical, return visits and referrals of their friends. This column by John D. Marvin is published with permission from INVISION magazine.