Offline Warriors: Anybody deal with Eye Doctors in the past?

14 replies
I'm meeting with a client in 2 weeks...I'm just not familiar with this niche.

Any thoughts or experience with this niche?

Chris Negro
#deal #doctors #eye #offline #warriors
  • Profile picture of the author ronr
    sent you a pm

    Ron
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    • Profile picture of the author chrisnegro
      Originally Posted by ronr View Post

      sent you a pm

      Ron
      Thanks Ron....responded to your PM.

      Anybody else have any inside knowledge of the Optometry Niche?


      Cheers,

      Chris Negro
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  • Profile picture of the author laird
    Originally Posted by chrisnegro View Post

    I'm meeting with a client in 2 weeks...I'm just not familiar with this niche.

    Any thoughts or experience with this niche?

    Chris Negro
    Chris,

    A number of years back, I developed a website for a local Optometrists office. I was a happy client for a couple years and one day, while in for a check-up, we started discussing websites and he admitted he wanted one but didn't know how to go about it.

    Long story short...did his site.

    We focused on three things (to the best of my recollection):

    1) Child-friendly environment (kids are scared so he created a child's area complete with child-sized tables, chairs and props).

    2) VSP members had an extensive number of frame options and, within reason, could get same-day appointments.

    3) His background in ocular sciences and passion for photography.

    Basically it was a humanistic website that was pretty darn different than everyone marketing at the time. He just wanted something up on the web and was supported by direct mail, coupon envelopes, yellow pages and the Penny Saver magazine.

    Lasted for several years until he sold the company/location to what would later become a Site for Sore Eyes.

    Del

    PS - Good Luck.
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    • Profile picture of the author chrisnegro
      Originally Posted by laird View Post

      Chris,

      A number of years back, I developed a website for a local Optometrists office. I was a happy client for a couple years and one day, while in for a check-up, we started discussing websites and he admitted he wanted one but didn't know how to go about it.

      Long story short...did his site.

      We focused on three things (to the best of my recollection):

      1) Child-friendly environment (kids are scared so he created a child's area complete with child-sized tables, chairs and props).

      2) VSP members had an extensive number of frame options and, within reason, could get same-day appointments.

      3) His background in ocular sciences and passion for photography.

      Basically it was a humanistic website that was pretty darn different than everyone marketing at the time. He just wanted something up on the web and was supported by direct mail, coupon envelopes, yellow pages and the Penny Saver magazine.

      Lasted for several years until he sold the company/location to what would later become a Site for Sore Eyes.

      Del

      PS - Good Luck.

      Thanks Del.... any other NATURAL businesses that they could do ad swops with? I'm really big on Ad Swaps as they are still typically a referral as it is perceived as a "non solicited" referral.

      Cheers,

      Chris Negro
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  • Profile picture of the author Angela V. Edwards
    Originally Posted by chrisnegro View Post

    I'm meeting with a client in 2 weeks...I'm just not familiar with this niche.

    Any thoughts or experience with this niche?

    Chris Negro
    No, I haven't, but my own Eye Doctor's website sucks. I've been thinking about talking to him about it.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Angela V. Edwards View Post

      No, I haven't, but my own Eye Doctor's website sucks. I've been thinking about talking to him about it.
      Angela. Surely that's because of your eyes.
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      "Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognized a problem and turned it into an opportunity."―Joseph Sugarman
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  • Defiantly focus in the VSP as mentioned above. This is big for getting people with insurance in the door... even though they (we) hardly ever use it.

    You might want to consider ad swaps with dentists - especially since he is looking into child friendly things. He and the dentist might be able to do swaps with a free exam of some kind.

    My wife works for a doctor. He and another doctor in a different niche advertise free exams for each other at their offices.
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    • Profile picture of the author chrisnegro
      Originally Posted by shkad14 View Post

      Defiantly focus in the VSP as mentioned above. This is big for getting people with insurance in the door... even though they (we) hardly ever use it.

      You might want to consider ad swaps with dentists - especially since he is looking into child friendly things. He and the dentist might be able to do swaps with a free exam of some kind.

      My wife works for a doctor. He and another doctor in a different niche advertise free exams for each other at their offices.
      I assume VSP means Very Special Person? I do like the dentist adswap idea...makes TONS of sense.

      IN TERMS OF INSURANCE....HOW DO OPTOMETRISTS GET INSURANCE REFERRALS? This is a huge lead generator for those Optemestrist who are connected to some nice insurance companies.

      Thoughts?

      Chris Negro
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      • Originally Posted by chrisnegro View Post

        I assume VSP means Very Special Person? I do like the dentist adswap idea...makes TONS of sense.

        IN TERMS OF INSURANCE....HOW DO OPTOMETRISTS GET INSURANCE REFERRALS? This is a huge lead generator for those Optemestrist who are connected to some nice insurance companies.

        Thoughts?

        Chris Negro
        VSP is the vision insurance most people have through their employer health care - me included. It is important to get your eye doc in front of the people who already have the insurance, but are looking for an eye doc. It usually pays for a free exam, $100 toward frames, and free lenses.

        What they dont tell you is, no one ever gets those free lenses - the eye doctor will up sell you to better lenses which cost $60-$150. But that is fine.

        I believe VSP stands for Vision Service Plan, and they have a website at VSP Home, but I am not sure.

        This is a great selling point, because if he is a VSP eye doc and he sells glasses at the same location, VSP will send them a whole bunch of VSP preffered frames, which are very cheap - but also look good.

        Some one finding this info on an eye docs website would easily turn into a customer if you played that right.
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        • Profile picture of the author chrisnegro
          Originally Posted by shkad14 View Post

          VSP is the vision insurance most people have through their employer health care - me included. It is important to get your eye doc in front of the people who already have the insurance, but are looking for an eye doc. It usually pays for a free exam, $100 toward frames, and free lenses.

          What they dont tell you is, no one ever gets those free lenses - the eye doctor will up sell you to better lenses which cost $60-$150. But that is fine.

          I believe VSP stands for Vision Service Plan, and they have a website at VSP Home, but I am not sure.

          This is a great selling point, because if he is a VSP eye doc and he sells glasses at the same location, VSP will send them a whole bunch of VSP preffered frames, which are very cheap - but also look good.

          Some one finding this info on an eye docs website would easily turn into a customer if you played that right.

          I just checked on their website.....he is a VSP Doctor Hmmm !
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          • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
            Chris, the mention of insurance triggered something that's important to me as a patient...

            If possible, stress how the eye doctor handles all the insurance paperwork. Submitting claims, following up, checking on deductibles, etc.

            My wife finally got done fighting about a claim (not an eye doctor) that took almost two years to settle because the doc involved couldn't be bothered to furnish the proper paperwork. It was much easier to just keep dunning us.

            My wife finally went to the hospital records department, obtained the needed photocopy (one frickin' page) and hand carried it to the insurance office at the clinic.

            Needless to say, we probably won't be that doc's best source of referrals...

            Boiling it down - anything you can offer to help the doc make his patients' lives easier will be a big hit.
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            • Profile picture of the author chrisnegro
              Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

              Chris, the mention of insurance triggered something that's important to me as a patient...

              If possible, stress how the eye doctor handles all the insurance paperwork. Submitting claims, following up, checking on deductibles, etc.

              My wife finally got done fighting about a claim (not an eye doctor) that took almost two years to settle because the doc involved couldn't be bothered to furnish the proper paperwork. It was much easier to just keep dunning us.

              My wife finally went to the hospital records department, obtained the needed photocopy (one frickin' page) and hand carried it to the insurance office at the clinic.

              Needless to say, we probably won't be that doc's best source of referrals...

              Boiling it down - anything you can offer to help the doc make his patients' lives easier will be a big hit.
              Thanks John -- and many thanks for all of your insights as I've noticed how freely you help and give advice to all of us Warriors.

              Cheers John !

              Sincerely,

              Chris Negro
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