AS A CONSUMER, DO YOU ever think about how frequently we are presented with the equivalent of good, better, best options? Then, how often we’re uncertain what the differences even are between the options?

A pedicure where they offer basic, deluxe, and super deluxe but it seems that the only difference is a foot rub? Or maybe it was at the car wash where the difference is a coating that’s supposed to keep rain from sticking to the car? As consumers, we’ve become skeptical of making purchases without knowing the value.

The service that always makes me uncomfortable is getting an oil change. Seeing my confusion, the mechanic points to a laminated mat on the counter. I read the options of good, better and best, their corresponding prices, and the lists of jargon underneath each. I ask the mechanic to explain the differences, and he proceeds to read off the exact same jargon.

This is when I realize that I am not getting help understanding the value of each of these options. So, I default to what I do know, and THAT is the value of money. I love my car, so I don’t want the cheapest option. And the best option is quite a bit more expensive than the middle option and I can’t even tell what the difference is. So, to avoid being bamboozled into paying for something I don’t need, I default to the middle option.

If you are getting questions in your optical about a less expensive option or you’re offering options and find that customers are choosing the lesser of them, reflect on this: Are your patients choosing this option to avoid being bamboozled?

In a recent meeting with a Spexy Member optical, I was asked how to handle patients who are not wanting the best progressive or best anti-reflective treatment. I told the optician about the importance of explaining eyewear products in such a way that her patient understands that this eyewear will change their life. I gave examples of how anti-reflective treatment should be described: It will ensure the patient looks better when he’s wearing them because there won’t be that ugly glare reflecting off his lenses when people look at him or in pictures. Also, he won’t have to be straining through that glare continually.

The optician, who had been nodding her head the whole time, interrupted and said, “Yeah I do that.” Then proceeded to tell me the script she says when discussing anti-reflective treatment with her patients. When she was done, I asked her permission to speak honestly. She agreed and I reminded her that I have a note taking app that dictates my meetings. I highlighted the exact words she spoke and pasted them onto the screen. As she read back the spiel her hand started to cover her mouth. “I had no idea how unclear my delivery is.” She went on to realize the importance of both clarity and avoiding optical jargon.

This is the most reflective exercise to improve your communication. I challenge you to record yourself discussing eyewear with patients. Listen to it. Then transcribe every word. Now is when the growth comes. Rewrite it over and over until you get rid of the jargon and have a clear example of how it will change your patient’s everyday life. Scan the QR code at left for a video example.

Many ECPs are unintentionally leaving patients in the dark when it comes to eyewear. Nobody wants to feel bamboozled. This confusion forces the patient to fall back on the value of money. Reflecting on how your daily communication with patients is directly affecting your sales and allowing that reflection to help you become better, is one of the most vulnerable and transformative exercises you can do to improve your sales.