Lab Geeks and Sales Freaks

By Tim Slapnicher, ABOC

There is a big division in our industry. Opticians either love the technical side of the profession (Lab Geek) or they love the fashion part (Sales Freak). Many opticians become experts in one of those areas, but not both. Be an expert across the board to strengthen your career in this profession. Let's investigate our two optical experts.

THE LAB GEEK

You know who the lab geek is at your office. As you read this, they are probably in their “lab cave” checking in jobs. Or if you are reading this by your lensometer, chances are good that you are indeed the office Lab Geek. This is ok. You are in a safe place. We are all friends. Let's introduce you to the rest of the team.

This technical expert is the go-to person for all things nerdy in your optical. They carry around a PD ruler like it's a pocket protector. They usually have a marking pen in their pocket… just in case. They enjoy looking at their poster of the ANSI Standards hanging above their frame warmer. They know how to use a Lens Clock. They get super excited to work on a difficult adjustment. They “get” prism. They love reading the just-arrived glasses in the lensometer. Chances are they are probably wearing comfortable shoes and have their trusted coffee mug right by the sand warmer. And did I say, they love their “lab cave?” That is their safe place.

The Lab Geek keeps the optical running. I often refer to these Geeks as the MacGyvers of the optical world. You give them some string, fire, toenail clippers and an optical tool set, and they could save the world. They love their neatly organized drawers of screws and nosepads. They wouldn't panic if the new high-tech measuring device malfunctioned… who needs that anyway? Yes, the Lab Geek may be a bit on the nerdy side, but they are a necessity in your office.

THE SALES FREAK

The Sales Freak has just walked onto the optical floor, and everyone knows it… they made sure of it. Holding a cup of fancy “Insert-Your-Favorite-Local-Coffee-Shop” hot coffee with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle on top, they dive into an exciting story of the cool new restaurant they went to with their friends last night. They look amazing. Their stylish new hairstyle is perfectly in place. This goes well with their fashionable outfit and stunning shoes. They plop down a few fashion and gossip magazines at their desk, and they are ready to roll.

This bubbly optician loves working on the floor. They get pumped seeing a patient trying on many frames but know how to get them to just the right one in a short span of time. After all, they have about 20 different frames or so themselves to go with their daily outfits, so why shouldn't the patient receive the same joy? They remember everyone's name and story. In fact, they are BFFs with their patient within five minutes of meeting them. They are so awesome with sales that they could sell a Minnesotan a snow cone in the middle of January.

How else can they be described? Frame reps love them. This is portrayed by a big “where-have-you-been-I've-missed-you-so-much-oh-those-glasses-are-so-cute-on-you-have-you-lost-weight” hug when they arrive. They get super giddy looking at all those new frames and can't wait to arrange the new POP in the optical gallery. The wheels are turning. They love people, fashion and you swear they have a trunk filled with Red Bull with the energy they bring every day. The Sales Freak may be over-the-top sometimes, but they are also a necessity in your optical.

UH-OH…

Everything works, as it should. The Lab Geek handles all of the adjustments, repairs and checks quality control to make sure all glasses are meeting the appropriate standards. The Sales Freak is out there doing what they do best. They are enthusiastically engaging patients, selling multiple pairs and making it a home away from home for the variety of patients in the office every day. This optical is running like a well-oiled machine as they meet with reps and flip the hottest new frame styles.

That is, until your Lab Geek decides to take a week off for vacation. The Sales Freak freaks out. They come to work that week a bit deflated. They don't want to sit back in the lab to check in jobs or spend 30 minutes on a frame repair. They want to sell. Their adjustments are “iffy,” and things in the lab pause a bit until the Lab Geek comes back to see a ton of lab trays stacked up by the lensometer.

This happens to be vacation season, so the Sales Freak heads out of town the next week to regroup after a traumatic week in the lab. The Lab Geek comes to work already way behind and discovers that a frame rep is scheduled to come in this morning. They are forced onto the floor and don't want to give eye contact to anyone. During any chance of downtime, they sprint back to their “cave” to find comfort in the lensometer. The following week, things slowly get back to normal until the next PTO day.

WHAT'S THE POINT?

Opticians need to be confident and comfortable with all aspects and duties of this profession. They need to be great with the technical and the sales side of the business.

Of course, we all have different strengths and personalities. Some people love being around other people, and that spirit shouldn't be squashed by forcing them into a lab for the rest of eternity. Also, if someone takes pride in their lab work and doesn't want to be selling frames, why force them onto the floor where they don't shine? Why ruin a good thing? Because I want you to dominate. Stretch yourself and do it all. Let's look at what happens when the Lab Geek and Sales Freak merge into one magical optician.

LAB GEEK

• Great with lensometry
• Skilled at adjusting
• Gets prism

SALES FREAK

• Awesome in sales
• Giddy when new frames arrive
• Celebrates the patient

Looking beyond my obvious stereotypes, if you had a team of four opticians and each one of them was proficient in all aspects of the lab (great adjustments, confident with the lensometer and lens clock, go-to person for difficult repairs, etc.) as well as awesome on the floor (fashionable, enthusiastic with frames and patients, and fantastic with sales), how great would that be? You would have a top-notch optical. Why settle? Become a more complete optical team across the board.

When I first started managing our optical, I noticed that we had team members that were incredible in the lab. We also had amazing sales associates. I really felt good about the skills of our team. However, we ran into the problem that many opticals often face: What happens when someone is sick or on vacation? Things in our optical would get put on hold in the lab or patients were not treated with the red-carpet enthusiastic treatment that they should when other team members were absent. I decided that we needed to be more consistent across the board. If we had a family of four come into our optical and each one of them worked with a different optician, would they get a similar experience? I would hope that each family member would get the same enthusiastic smile, help with picking out the perfect frame and sunglass, answers to their specific and complicated lens questions, and received a great custom-fit adjustment. I wasn't confident this was happening. That is when we started a new system to ensure a consistent experience for all our patients working with any one of our opticians.

ROTATE!

We have implemented a system that freshens up all necessary optical skills on a daily basis while helping our opticians avoid burnout by doing something dif ferent every day. We identified four main stations in our optical that our opticians rotate to.

THE OPTICAL LAB

This is where we do the real optical stuff: lensometry, checking the status of jobs, calling patients for dispensing, perform difficult and time-consuming adjustments. Like flying a plane, we have a checklist in our lab so our opticians have consistency with all of our systems and procedures. They will check in jobs, do Rx checks for the doctors, contact labs and patients, and work on difficult repairs.

THE DOCTOR DESKS

Our doctor has one optician assigned to them for the day. This optician is on the lookout for the doctor, and the doctor never has to search the optical gallery wondering who will help them out when bringing a patient to optical. We have worked very hard on perfecting our hand-off. By rotating, we make sure all doctors are giving a consistent message to the patient, and our opticians are very similar in their delivery. No matter who our patients have for an optician, it should be a very similar experience.

ADJUSTMENT/DISPENSING

This optician is in charge of looking for patients who are coming in to get a quick tune-up with their glasses or who are coming in to pick up their new glasses. They are super smiley and fantastic with customer service. We want someone who picks up their glasses on Monday to have the same experience as someone coming in on Thursday for the same reason.

OVERFLOW

This optician is the quarterback for the day. They have to have great awareness of the entire optical floor. Did we have a rush of walk-ins that need dispensing or an adjustment? Is the doctor's optician tied up and the doctor needs help? This person needs to be prepared for the unexpected. This is the most difficult station. This optician is all over the place. They are checking in with the other opticians and with the doctors and manager. They all have to be aware of the flow of the optical throughout the day.

WE ROTATE EVERY DAY

This system keeps our team fresh with all optical skills needed. They soon all become experts in sales AND in the lab. They all develop a great rapport with the doctors, and they avoid optical burnout by doing something a little different each day.

Since implementing this, I have noticed better collaboration within our team. There is more positive communication, and they are much more aware of what everyone else is doing. They can't really zone out and do their own thing. I have also noticed much more confidence with their attitudes with things they used to avoid… mostly with the lab and difficult adjustments.

This took over a year to really get this down, but I now feel very confident with all of the opticians in all stations. They absolutely love this system. There is a great variety for them in they feel they are more complete as opticians.

WHY THIS IS NECESSARY

Be solid across the board. More than ever, opticians need to be able to understand and communicate the “geeky” part of our industry. Understand enough to explain and troubleshoot digital and free-form lenses. Explain different lens and frame materials to your patients. Talk about the stories of your frame vendors and the fashion designers behind them. You are the expert. Our profession needs you. Know how to fix those difficult repairs and become amazing on the lensometer. These skills will promote trust with your patients. Know your stuff.

WHILE WE'RE BEING FRANK

Look and smell good. When I'm buying clothes, I'm looking to work with an associate who looks hip and trendy. You are selling fashionable eye-wear—look the part. Get into those fashion and gossip magazines to stay on top of the latest look. Invite your frame rep in to do a brand training event with your team. Know at least one to two easy fashion facts of each line you carry.

Buy a book on sales. Learn how to speak to customers. Understand consumer buying habits. Look for phrases to engage a patient (versus “Hi, can I help you?”). Find ways to pump yourself up and give every patient an amazing experience.

Be a fantastic teammate! If you're a manager, bring in coffee for your team, ask them about their personal lives and help them with their work when they are overloaded. Be the team member you want them to be. Laugh. Work hard. Kick butt. You are a Lab Geek AND a Sales Freak. Make it difficult to know which category you fit into because you are solid across the board. You are an amazing professional optician… roar!