Selling the frames in your optical dispensary can seem like a losing battle with online retailers undercutting you on price. But, the price isn’t always the deciding factor when making a purchasing decision. A classic read if you’re looking to understand how your patients make buying decisions is the book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Dr. Robert Caildini. In this book, Robert Caildini lists six principles that help influence people to buy from you. In this post, we’ll quickly cover how some of his principles can be used to guide your patients to purchase frames from your optometric practice.

3 Ways To Influence Patients to Purchase Your Optical Dispensing Products

Gain Social Proof

You wouldn’t purchase an expensive piece of equipment without checking the company’s references to see if it works, right? Consumers are influenced by the people using products. While big brands push celebrity endorsements, small businesses rely on positive online reviews to build social proof.

In your optometric practice, you can use positive online reviews to build social proof and help persuade patients to purchase frames from your practice.

Use Scarcity

Fear of missing out is a real. The idea behind loss aversion is that people would rather avoid a loss than secure a gain. In an optometric practice, you can use the scarcity principle by educating your patients on what they stand to lose by not purchasing frames from your practice. Other methods include offering a limited-time sale or decreasing your inventory. One article also suggests giving your patients fewer options to avoid over-analyzing a decision.

Leverage Authority

It may seem like your patient’s don’t listen to a word you say, but the reality is that people pay attention to those who have established themselves as the expert. Since you are the eyecare expert, when your patient is in the exam room, educate your patient on the frames and lenses that would work for the patient’s vision, lifestyle, and budget requirements.

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