I’ve been hearing a lot of questions from my peers recently about how to address online eyewear purchasing questions with their patients. I fully understand that having a conversation with patients about online purchasing is a delicate topic. I’ve had it with my own patients, more than once, and with varying levels of success. But as I learned how to have this conversation, I noticed the thing that resonated with my patients is a little ditty that first came from the movie “Ghostbusters.” I’ve found that the simple words “who you gonna call” hold more weight than you know.
When entering into this conversation, the patient usually has questions about price. I get it. When they are constantly bombarded with advertising stating that conventional opticals’ prices are “way too high” and that “smart” consumers are paying less, it naturally makes them question whether they are paying too much for what you offer. It creates less trust and more skepticism of our field. So, unfortunately, you are at a disadvantage at the beginning of this conversation because the patient already doubts what you have to say.How you respond to the question is very important. If you respond that these are lies and that the products everyone else is offering are garbage, I suspect you will lose that patient anyway. But what you can offer them has less to do with price and more to do with experience. I usually start by stating that online purchasing is a bit distressing to me, personally, because they operate on the premise that what I do has no value. Their existence alone tells the consumer that they don’t need an optician to make sure the frames fit properly, are measured correctly, and will perform as expected. However, as the patient is there in front of me, it is the best opportunity to tell them all of the things I can and will be here to do for them. This, coincidentally, is something the internet cannot offer and cannot deliver, even if promised.
I believe that people still need other people, and better than that, patients like the peace of mind that I will be there for them if something goes wrong with their glasses. In my experience, providing the answer to “Who you gonna call?” is priceless! So, who you gonna call? Me! You’re going to call me and I’m going to be here to help you. I’m going to be here to adjust your glasses when life happens. I’m going to be here when you have questions about your changing vision, and I’m still going to be here to ensure the products I provide for you are made correctly and will do what you and I have determined they need to do for you. So, give it a try, the Ghostbusting approach to questions about online purchasing might just do the trick for you too!
