Nearly every fashion magazine published today is singing the praises of eyewear in the mainstream media. Take a look, high end magazines are showing men dressed to the nines in the finest high fashion suits and what accessory are the wearing? Eyewear. But not just any eyewear—beautiful, distinctive eyewear that flatters them and enhances the fact that they are "well put together." If you think about it, these magazines and fashion houses are taking the heavy lifting out of our jobs. They are paying the big bucks to market to our patients and they are sending the message that eyewear is cool! Not only that, they are subliminally telling our patients to think about eyewear differently, giving them the message that not only can eyewear make you see great (the patient already knows this) but they are also saying eyewear can make you look really great too.
Eyewear is truly having a moment, which is fortunate for us as optical professionals. We can help people express themselves with their eyewear. If we take the time to get to know our patients and understand the style statement they wish to make, we can help them craft a look they feel good about presenting to the world.
The Swagger Factor
Let's not underestimate how important it is to a patient to love the way they look. They take a look in the mirror and say to themselves "man, I look great!" This patient is ready to take on the world. Just like the character Barney Stinson from the television show How I Met Your Mother consistently encourages his friends to "Suit Up" in order to present their best selves, we can see that when you look your best, you often feel your best too. I like to call it the Swagger Factor. It's that feeling when you know you look good—you stand a little straighter, you smile a little brighter, you laugh a little easier. You've got your swagger!
We, as optical professionals, can help our patients find their swagger too, we've got to pay attention to sizing, fit, color and style and before you know it, your patient leaves your office with swagger and a renewed confidence in their appearance that leads your patient to tell all their friends and family about the optical professional who helped them find their swagger.
The Technology Factor
So we've established that glasses are cool and can really make a patient look and feel amazing, let's also remember seeing great is also something we do everyday. Lens technologies are so advanced today that we have the capability to use personalized lenses that have HD optical properties in combination with super advanced photochromics and anti-reflective coatings that can protect against dangerous blue light and are as tough as they are protective. And that's not even discussing the amazing lens materials that we have available to us today e.g., Trivex. When it comes to our patients having an amazing eyewear experience, it's really not hard to provide amazing products for them. After all, offering these kinds of products to our patients is easy when you understand that making lenses this way provides a viewing experience that your patient will easily see the value the minute they look thru the lenses.
Want to really knock your patient's socks off? Get down to the nuts and bolts of their daily life, ask them questions about how they use their eyes and then offer them solutions for the visual problems they identify. Remember we're not talking one pair of glasses that "does it all" because we all know that doesn't exist. Instead, create real life solutions for their visual issues and be prepared to see the amazement you just created for your patient. Lifestyle dispensing is an old term that still has current meaning.
Conclusion
We all get that it's been a rough winter, but let's not forget we work in an amazing industry and we have amazing opportunities around us everyday! Sometimes it's easy to focus on the bad news (e.g., polar vortex) but don't forget where to look to find the silver lining!
