I love the phrase “They broke the mold when they made you.” It can be meant in many ways, but every time I hear this phrase I choose to think about what a compliment it can be.
Especially when it comes to our profession. I think that “breaking the mold” is something we should all strive to do everyday.
Different is Good
Why should you want to be different? There are so many reasons but basically if we were all the same, how boring that would be? Or if we were truly all the same in a business sense then it would be up to your patient to choose where to go and usually that leaves the patient choosing by price alone. I often find that businesses aren’t taking the time to define what it is that makes them different, and certainly they’re not taking the time to tell their patients why they would benefit from what your business brings to the table.
In my optical boutique when we speak with first time patients we always lead with the phrase “well, we do things a little differently here.” And then we move into why and how we are different. I find this helps to put the patient at ease about what they’re going to experience as well as subconsciously telling them to pay attention to all of the things we do differently. Why do we take this step and why should you? Because being different is a great thing. Your patients can get exactly what they expect anywhere else, but they didn’t go anywhere else, they came to you and that means they get to experience the things only you can provide them with. Why? Because you’re you and you broke the mold.
I think at a young age we’re told to assimilate, we’re taught to fit in and to be “normal” and I often think that is a disservice to children. Now is the time to really evaluate yourself and decide what it is about you that breaks the mold, and how can you tell your patients about it?
How To Break The Mold in Business
In a business sense, it is great to break the mold by exceeding your patient’s expectations. But the only way to do that is to understand what your patient is accustomed to experiencing in their eye care. It is possible they feel like a number, it is possible they feel rushed to choose their frames; it is possible they feel that they’re being shuffled from one room to another. The best way to get a sense of your patient’s current expectations is to ask your patient what their experience was like at their last eye exam. Based on this information you will have a good idea of what you can do to break the mold for your patients.
Take the time to think about what your patient has experienced and craft a plan to make sure that their experience with you is entirely different. From the check in process to the patient lounge and the handoff from doctor to optician; what can you do to set yourself apart? Welcoming the patient with a warm smile, offering them a beverage in the patient lounge and sending a handwritten thank you note after their visit are all ideas that would set your office apart from the rest. You could up the ante and offer only exclusive frames that are only sold to one patient and never repeated, you could call your patients two weeks after dispense of their eyewear to follow up with them and see if you can help them further, the ideas are endless. If you take the time to be different and you’re able to tell the patient about how your business broke the mold, they will notice and will help spread the word about how unique the experience is in your office and that will be the reason they seek you out, not that you’re the cheapest, but that you took the time to truly break the mold.
Johnna Dukes, ABOC is currently the owner and operator of an optical boutique, with experience in both the private practice sector as well as the retail chain setting. She has a wide range of experience varying from optical support staff to dispensary management to practice ownership. She lives in Okoboji, Iowa.
