Once you become a dispensing optician, you will be both a health care professional and a salesperson. You will be responsible for providing the best possible care to your customers, while also boosting sales for your business. It can be a difficult balancing act, but by focusing on your client’s needs, you should be able to provide a service that is both profitable and serves the public good.
Whether you are considering taking dispensing optician courses, or you’ve already started your program, take a look at these top selling techniques that are sure to help you excel after graduation:
1. Dispensing Opticians Must Have Good People Skills
First and foremost, a dispensing optician needs good people skills. Many people are sensitive about getting prescription eyeglasses, and care needs to be taken when dealing with them. Handling customers in a warm, friendly and sensitive manner will make them feel at ease and ensure repeat business.
2. A Good Optician Knows Their Customers Needs
When it comes to eyewear, each customer will have very specific requirements to cater to their individual lifestyle. So it’s important to listen to customers, and find out all about their specific needs and interests.
This can also help you to upsell, as people may realize their need for specific types of frames or accessories. For example, a customer who enjoys swimming might choose to purchase prescription goggles, or an avid traveler might need an extra pair of tinted frames.
Using your dispensing optician training, you’ll be able to make the right recommendations for the customer, to ensure they are able to fully enjoy their favorite activities and get on with their day-to-day life without difficulty.
3. The Best Opticians Have an Eye for Good Design
Choosing the right frames can be very important to customers. After all, they’ll be wearing their glasses every day, so it’s important they look good. The best dispensing opticians learn to find frames that suit a customer’s face. Recommending a stylish design can help build customer loyalty, as clients who receive compliments on their glasses are more likely to return in the future.
4. An Optician should Know How the Health Care System Works
In the Canadian health care system, vision tests and prescription glasses are covered in some circumstances, but not for everyone. Professionals who have taken optician courses should ensure that they are well-versed in the entitlements of patients in various situations, as well as the coverage offered by the state (which can vary from province to province) to ensure they can answer any questions the customer might have.
5. Make Sure Your Advice is Easy to Understand
Customers can become confused by medical and technical jargon, and a good optician knows how to communicate in terms a customer can easily understand. You will need to speak to customers about their optical condition in simple terms, as well as explain the functions of different types of frames and lenses.
As a dispensing optician, you will be taking customers through many stages of the process, from reading their prescriptions, to selecting and fitting the proper frames and lenses, as well as any special coatings or tints the customer might opt for. If a customer understands what they’re buying and why, they are more likely to be satisfied with their purchase, which will definitely lead to repeat business for you in the future.
What other selling techniques do you think you might need as a dispensing optician?
Learn all of these and more by enrolling in an optician school!
