2020&U

Online Refraction: For Better or Worse?

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Self-administered, online refraction is a thorny subject, but that’s exactly why we’re tackling it this month...

Luxury Liner Notes

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Near ad nauseam most who know me know I’m addicted to magazines. Sure, I’ll always be on the hunt for a sharp suit.

Let’s See Your Drivers License

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Vision care professionals in New York State will be interested in this announcement from the Department of Motor Vehicles...

Value Goes Beyond Dollars

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 05:00:00 GMT

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of the consumer press periodically bashing our industry for supposedly charging too much for eyewear. So it was with trepidation that I read an article called “Eyes on the Price,” in the July 4 issue of Time magazine...

No Experience Necessary, But Knowledge is Required

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT

As we were wrapping up Barry Santini’s excellent cover story about high performance sun lenses for golfers, I picked up the phone and called Barry to review some last minute details...

A New Bill of Rights

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 04:00:00 GMT

My take is there are roughly 25 frame reps across the country who truly earn their money. I can do without the rest of them.

Playing the Referral Game

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 05:00:00 GMT

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

Reducing the ‘Effects’ of Polarization

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 05:00:00 GMT

News flash: The optical industry has become polarized.

Easing up on Marketing-ese

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

What follows is a terrific observation from L&T’s Andy Karp regarding the position of “marketing” especially as it relates to products being introduced in the optical arena. There are some terrific points made here and it relates directly to the concerns of 20/20 readers in assessing and understanding new products in both the lens AND frame categories.

Be Careful What You SHOP For

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 04:00:00 GMT

In the previous 2020&U blog entry lens and technology editor, Andy Karp, addressed the phenomenon of purchasing prescription eyewear online. And it is quite the phenomenon—just Google the words “buy eyewear” and you’ll be met with a plethora of websites from which to purchase Rx AND frames. Just to name a few: Frames Direct, whose site touts themselves as the “World’s Largest Eyewear Store.” Or you can opt for EyeBuyDirect.com, “The #1 Eyeglasses Shop” or GlassesUSA.com, which promises “Professional Optics Online.” The list goes on. There are dozens of online sources where a consumer can buy eyewear.

Karp’s entry dealt with the issue of purchasing eyewear on the Internet, which lends itself to sidestepping measurements and adjustments that an optometrist would typically provide for an in-person purchase. This garnered a ton of feedback, so 20/20 knows this is clearly an issue that cultivates strong feelings and opinions from the optical industry. We want to tap into these online eyewear markets and get input from the other side of the coin. And we want to hear from eyewear vendors and manufacturers and get their take on this, as well. The buyer should always beware, but everyone needs the whole picture first!

—Melissa Arkin

markin@jobson.com