How do I get my patients to try new products?

The contact lens field is one of rapid innovation as can be seen by the large increase in the type of lenses now available on the market. This can provide a great opportunity to grow your business by offering our patients the latest innovations and technology, and move customers out of older technologies that may not be giving them all they need.

But how do you get seemingly happy patients to upgrade to a better product?

We usually assume our contact lens patients are happy and are not having problems unless they specifically mention an issue to us. However in many cases patients assume that their problem is normal and is simply a limitation of contact lenses in general. On closer questioning it can often be found that there is something that they would like to be better about their contact lenses which can of course affect their wearing comfort, wearing time and lifestyle. Consumer research has shown that 39% of current contact lens wearers are only wearing the lenses for 8 hours a day or less and only just over half wear their lenses everyday¹. Given the visual and lifestyle benefits offered by contact lenses many of these may well be happier if they could wear their lenses more regularly and for longer periods.

Patients will be much happier if they can take their lenses out when they want to, not when their eyes start to feel tired or the number of hours of wear advised by their optician has passed. Indeed in the past many contact lens wearers have stopped using lenses as they did not meet the needs of their lifestyle. With today’s innovative materials there is no need for lack of oxygen or dryness to be a reason to remove lenses early, if the best lens available is offered to them.

Practice benefits

Studies have shown that contact lens wearers are more loyal than other patients and will spend up to 3 times more in the practice than a glasses only wearer².
By constantly upgrading patients to innovative and comfortable products you can help protect and grow your contact lens wearer business. Only about 7% of people wear contact lenses compared to almost 70% for glasses. On top of this around 4% of people have worn contact lenses in the past but no longer do, so people dropping out of contact lens wear has a huge impact on the size of your contact lens business. If this extra 4% could be kept in contact lenses the benefit to your business would be huge. The number one reason people drop out of wearing contact lenses is due to discomfort. Again, they may not mention this to you but often will just stop wearing their lenses. By offering current wearers to try the newest and best lenses you have on offer you can help reduce this drop out and potential lost business.

Another great reason to upgrade patients is that it generally means increased revenue for the practice per patient. Increasing revenue per patient is a good way to improve your practice profitability, and is much easier and more effective than trying to gain new patients.

Happier patients will also be more likely to tell their friends and family how great the contact lenses they got from you are, so should end up bring new wearers to the practice anyway. By offering new and innovative products that better meet customer needs you will also retain and attract loyal and high value patients who may be interested in other premium products you stock e.g. premium frames or sunglasses.

Finally some food for thought – if you don’t offer to upgrade a customer to newer products and they then hear about them elsewhere (from friends or even competitor advertising), you are likely to lose that patient for ever. They may think you aren’t up with the times or fitting the latest technology in eyecare.

How to upgrade

Upgrading patients to newer and better products is not difficult or time consuming if the right approach is taken. A fundamental thing is to never make assumptions about patients, especially that they won’t want or won’t be able to afford the best product available to meet their needs. In fact it is better to work on the principle of an assumptive sale. This means you assume the patient is interested and proceed with the discussion as if they do want to go ahead trying the better product.  The first step is to tell them about the benefits of the product that will better meet their needs, and then finish by asking them if you can make an appointment to try the new product (if an appointment is needed, if not simply offer to give them some trial lenses).

The key to upgrading to better products is not to give them a list of products they could have, but to make a recommendation based on the specific patient needs and the benefits the better lens will offer them. The use of the term “benefits” is key here. It’s important to use consumer language to discuss the specific benefits for the customer and their lifestyle, not to lead with the product features. As an example consider the new AIR OPTIX® for Astigmatism contact lenses. One of the features is high oxygen permeability or Dk/t, but this means nothing to most patients.  The benefits to describe to them are the freedom to wear the lenses as long as their day demands without redness or dryness as they let your eyes breathe much more than traditional lenses. Benefits normally tap into an emotional association that the patient can relate to their lifestyle.

Phrases to use and questions to ask

As mentioned above, the words you choose should be language patients would use rather than any technical terms. Many common questions asked don’t elicit all problems as some things such as discomfort or dryness may be considered normal by patients who have been wearing contact lenses for a long time. So a question like are your contact lenses comfortable may not prompt them to mention discomfort at times when they expect it to happen. When looking for opportunities to upgrade contact lens customers to a newer product consider some of the following questions:

• Do your lenses ever feel dry at the end of the day?
• What time do you normally remove your lenses?
• Is there any reason why you need to remove them then?
• Have your lifestyle / occupation / hobbies changed since you were fitted with these lenses?
• Do you ever feel any irritation when in air conditioned/heated places?
• Do you work on  a computer, drive or have to concentrate for long periods with your lenses in? Does this make your eyes feel dry or tired?
• Would you like to be able to wear your lenses for longer periods?
• Do you ever/Would you like to be able to nap in your lenses?

Asking these sort of questions about patients' lifestyle and comfort at specific times is more likely to elicit problems that may be overcome by upgrading to a better lens that provides greater comfort or health, than more general questions about comfort or happiness with your current lenses. This doesn’t have to be kept in the consulting room either. There are several opportunities in the patient’s journey through your practice to ask them specific questions like those above, so all practice staff can have a key role in upgrading patients. This can have significant benefits to both the patient and your practice so can be well worth the small effort required.