12/17/2010 Playing the Referral Game
Posted by 20/20&U Blog Admin
Location: Blogs2020&U
 		    
If you offer quality products, great service and fair prices, patients will come. Although this durable formula alone is no guarantee of success, successful practitioners know it’s a prerequisite for attracting patients and maintaining their loyalty. Yet the method for establishing and cultivating a relationship with other eyecare professionals, particularly those who can serve as a potential source of referrals, is anything but clear cut.

As one 20/20 reader, a veteran optician from Massachusetts writes, “After a lifetime in the optical business, the one mystery I haven’t figured out is the business of referrals. What do non-dispensing MDs look for when they determine which optical dispensary to refer to? What do they expect from the dispensary? And who makes the referrals, the doctor or their staff?”

To get and keep referrals, this optician sends the referring doctor a thank you card with a short note and his business card, even if it was a staff member who actually referred the patient. About once a month he brings the office muffins or bagels along with discount coupon cards to give to their patients as a way of thanking them. Despite these friendly gestures, he still gets few prescriptions. When he inquires if there’s anything else he can do, he’s often told to just “keep up the good work.”

Another reader, an optical retailer in Bronx, New York, points out that
getting referrals is a two-way street. For example, he refers patients with certain clinical problems to a local, non-dispensing MD, rather than have one of his staff ODs treat them. “The doctor has to have a reason to refer to you,” he notes. “There’s got to be a quid pro quo.”

What are your strategies for getting referrals? Please share with us any ideas you may have and let’s keep the discussion going.

—Andrew Karp
akarp@jobson.com
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Comments (6)   Add Comment
Re: Playing the Referral Game
By Barry Santini		 12/21/2010
s
During the last 33+ years, having been an indie dispensary/with no doc, to having an formal business arrangement with local offices, and back again to indie/no doc status, what I find is that the busy MD offices around me refer to me as part of a pool of opticians and ODs in order to maintain that same quid-pro-quo the Bronx retailer cites. The bottom line is that MDs get FAR more lucrative medical opportunities from seeing a large pool of referrals come there way, especially from ODs.

That said, I also receive referrals from area offices when they have difficult to fit cases, or simply individuals who say "I want a "really" a very good place for my next eyewear."

Lastly (and firstly), we *still* get the bulk of our new clients from friends and family. A new development for me is the consumer who trolls the optical discussion boards, follows my posts for a while, and decides that *I'm* a good potential place for their eyewear needs. I think the evolution of social networking is yet an untapped source for providing a local, B&M business with new clients.
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Re: Playing the Referral Game
By Jim Goerges		 12/21/2010
s
I think it is important to simply ask the patient if they would like a referral, and leave it at that point. Couple things, the patient may not want the referral, may already know about the referral, maybe already has a plan for the situation. That's caring about your customer.
Re: Playing the Referral Game
By Judy Mileti		 12/22/2010
s
I go after referrals, from patients that have already been to our office. They know us, our product, service, etc. Best part they like us.
We keep track of all referrals, for a year I would send a check for $10.00 to a patient as a thank-you for a referral. It sure got people talking, but cost me some bucks. Now I send them a coupon for a free pizza, from the guy next door. It promotes another small business, and he charges me 5.00 for the pizza. This week alone I wrote him a check for $20.00. Our program is called Share the Care. It works.
Re: Playing the Referral Game
By Pam Nassauer		 12/29/2010
s
Ours is a fairly new office, we opened in Feb. 2009, so we had to do a lot of marketing in person. I personally went all over the Tucson area with discount certificates and invitations to a couple of frame open houses we catered. When someone buys a pair of glasses from me, I send out a thank you card to them immediately with my card enclosed, asking them to come back and send their friends. I have had many people come back and thank me for the card and send someone with it. It makes them fell special and appreciated. They are more likely to refer someone to me than if I just ignore them.
Re: Playing the Referral Game
By CA402CE4-1A39-4464-B412-0E07DF2281E6		 12/29/2010
s
Ours is a fairly new office, we opened in Feb. 2009, so we had to do a lot of marketing in person. I personally went all over the Tucson area with discount certificates and invitations to a couple of frame open houses we catered. When someone buys a pair of glasses from me, I send out a thank you card to them immediately with my card enclosed, asking them to come back and send their friends. I have had many people come back and thank me for the card and send someone with it. It makes them fell special and appreciated. They are more likely to refer someone to me than if I just ignore them.
Re: Playing the Referral Game
By Barry Santini		 3/8/2011
s
A new strategy has proven successful for me, and I think it will be effective for others.

When having a dicussion about the effects of incipient cataracts, I open the discussion advising the clients that theit doctor may be offering them some of the newer technology in implantable lenese, such as toric or accomodative lenese, which may further improve their vision over a traditional implant.
I further dicuss that these options are not covered by insurance, and represent a significant out of pocket expense. But, if your doctor feels youcould benefit from them, especially after a discussion of your retirement activities and/or hobbies, then you should give them your consideration.

We make money from eyewear. They see these optional lenese as providing superior vision to properly-qualified patients.

Its a win-win, sorta like premium FF SV leneses. They cost more, but they deoiver more.

FWIW.

B

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