The Optical Vision Site

International Visitors Come to Vision Expo

International Vision Expo West is truly “International” – over 1500 overseas visitors come to see the show as well as  a plethora of International exhibitors.  There are 9 languages (8 translations) available on the website and an International Visitors page with lots of useful information for foreign travelers.

The opportunity to network and talk to people from overseas is good for the optical industry here in the US and helps us all to expand our vision horizons. This is important for all of us.

One of our winning comments was in Spanish from Judy Lascano Tejada but we were able to use the translator to read it – here’s a loose translation….

“One of the most satisfying experiences I’ve had in my professional life was visiting Vision Expo East – the variety of optical products is elaborate but, with the most recent technology and diagnostic equipment which practically do the optometrist’s work. Furthermore, the series of marvelous events are the practical continuing education course themes, which make Vision Expo the perfect place for eye care professionals. My expectations for Las Vegas are even greater to enrich my thoughts and provide my colleagues with the nuances of the expo. We’ll see you there!”

After reading this comment we were glad to see that International Vision Expo West has introduced Spanish language continuing education to better serve international guests. These are as follows:

• La Prescripcion Optica Vs. La Montura. Amigos o Enemigos? Course 31-901-V – Alvaro Chajin
• Cuando Se Dana Una Venta? Course 32-901-V – Luis Fernando Estrada
• La Ciencia, La Tecnologia y Las Ventas En El Sector De Las Opticas Course 33-901-V – Javier Oviedo
• Optica y Laboratorio Optico. Una Pareja Dispareja. Course 41-901-V – Alvaro Chajin
• Porque Se Despiden Nuestros Clientes Sin Comprarnos? Course 42-901-V – Luis Fernando Estrada
• Detras Del Lente Oftalmico Perfecto Course 43-901-V – Javier Oviedo

在展会上看到你 – Rendez-vous au salon – Wir sehen uns auf der Messe – Ci vediamo alla mostra -ショーであなたを参照してください – Vejo vocês no show – До встречи на выставке – Nos vemos en el show

EyeCoach Rules for Success

I saw these comments from Robert Bell AKA EyeCoach rules for success the other day on Facebook and I thought they were good for sharing with our readers who like to hear about success stories and multiple eyewear sales. I have to pay special attention to rule #5 because that is the one I always break!!

Everyone MUST meet the multiple needs of patients! There should be no other choice. All of the success stories on multiple pair sales come down to these “general” rules:

1) Turn on the patients listening (because most of the time, they’re not listening at all).

2) Then make them self-aware of ALL their visual challenges in different environments (home, office, outside, driving, etc.),

3) Then ask them to become part of the solution process

4) Then ask for their permission to solve their visual challenges with the products you know will be beneficial to them and

5) Then, and only then, make your presentations on those products that will meet their needs. NEVER do step 5 until you’ve done step 4!!! NEVER!

Should You Hire An Eyecare Practice Management Consultant?

Photo: Intersectionconsulting.com

First I want to preface this, I have a love-hate thing about consultants. Some are very good and some are very bad, there have been times when I have walked out of offices screaming about consultants and other times I have made suggestions that they should hire a consultant because the office was so messed up. I will say this, being a consultant is very hard work even though it may seem easy. The advantages of consultants is they have a broad perspective of overall business trends and can offer a variety of services from start-ups to marketing to financial analysis, teamwork building, human resources, partnership agreements and more.

Because there are many types of consultants before you hire you should weigh in what you are looking for. If your finances are good, but staff management is an issue, maybe you need to hire a human resource consultant, maybe you need a social media consultant or just need a partnership agreement. The first thing is to write down what your issues and trouble spots and your goals. The next is to do your homework and check out consultants get references, check out their blogs and websites.

Still not sure, there are plenty of free resources on the Internet, software and through blogs. But some people are better to have a physical person guiding them through the maze of running a business and keeping them on track.

When You Should Not Hire A Consultant

1. You know everything
2. You hate people telling you what to do.
3. You will not implement anything anyway, so what’s the point.
4. Your staff will sabotage anything a consultant tells you to do.
5. You hate criticism- When you hire a consultant you have to let the ego go.
6. You think your accountant/spouse/staff has all the answers.
7. You think consultants are overpaid and it’s easy work anybody can do it.
8. You consistently step over a dime to pick up a penny.

When You Should Hire Consultant

1. You are working harder than ever and not making any money
2. High staff turnover.
3. Disorganized and can’t seem to get systems in place
4. Want to retire and sell- need to get office in working order
5. Want to bring on associate and need partnership agreement.
6. Need direction and benchmarking stats
7. Need leadership and management skills.
8. Staff is unresponsive and not doing the job to best of their abilities.
9. You are out of control.
10. You want a shortcut to business planning and don’t want to take the time to make your own mistakes.
11. Your way is not working and you need new ideas
12. Losing patients
13. Hard time making decisions

Listed below are some eyecare consultants. These are not all the consultants in the optical industry and if we missed someone apologies in advance.

Eyecare Consultants With Blogs

• Al Cleinman
• Art Gennaro’s Blog
• Eyecare Marketing Information- Jeff Lewis OD- Online marketing via email, advertising, blogs and online
• Gale Stoner
• Karlsrud Company - Selling, Teaming, Leadership
• Silkin Management Group
• Donna Suter Consulting – No blog, but good articles
• Vision Practice Management
• Waugoo Consulting Group
• Eye Coach- Robert Bell
• Consulting With Vision; Ally Stoeger

Eyecare Consultants Without Blogs

• CB Consultations- Crystal Blaker, will set an eyecare office up on social media programs.
• Gailmard Consulting
• Gil Weber
• OD Excellence
• Power Practice -
• Professional Vision Group-
• Rollins Consulting-
• Teamwork Marketing -Patrick Dundas
• DND Consulting
• Resmark Consulting
• The Williams Group

Online Sites For Benchmaking

• ODStats- $19.95 Month

Buying and Selling Practices

• Practice Concepts- Scott Daniels
• Practice Consultants- Gary Ware
• MedPro Consulting and Marketing Services
• Transition Consultants

Resources

• How To Hire A Business Planning Consultant
• 10 Reasons To Hire a Business Consultant
• Practice Management Consultants- Who Need Them (American Academy of Ophthalmology

OWA One Minute Mentor – Optical Career Makeover

We really like receiving OWA‘s One Minute Mentor and like to post them when we think there is a good one for our optical readers. This is a good one for anyone feeling stuck in an optical career rut. Also, it gave me an idea for another good subject to post on – “Before and After Eyewear Makeovers”.  Send stories and pictures if you have any please!

Power Up Your Career Makeover! by Deborah Lochli McGrath:

Makeovers on television shows and in magazines are enticing to most women. Of course the reason they are so popular, is because the idea of getting a fresh start in life is a golden key we have all dreamt about at one time or another.

Career makeovers are not a new concept and if you think about it, making over your career will automatically set a chain reaction in motion that will affect all aspects of your life, particularly those that are unsatisfactory.

Here are some ideas which can take your career makeover to a whole new level!

1. How do you perceive yourself? Are you confident? Do you like yourself? Are you proud of your accomplishments? What is your attitude to life, on working, on the value that you bring to your job? How do you feel about your career? Do you feel in control of your future? Working on your “inner self” is of critical importance when it comes to creating a career makeover.

2. Get balanced. A key component of effectively managing your career starts with managing your time efficiently. Do you keep your work life separate from your home life? Do you take time to recharge your batteries so that you feel refreshed? This is probably one of the most difficult areas when it comes to career makeovers. It takes a lot of courage to “draw the line” when it comes to balancing your life.

3. Begin with a vision. Having an idea of where you want to go is one of the most important steps in your career makeover. Until you know where you want to be or what you want to have, it’s impossible to decide on the correct steps to get you there. Give yourself permission to think about what you really want, dare to dream a little.

4. Be the change. Once you have a vision of what you think you might want. It’s now time to assess where you are now. What are your strengths and your weaknesses? What skills do you have? You need to know where you are now versus where you want to be in the future. Here is where the career makeover really takes place and this is the secret to making it possible…

5. Hone your skills. One of the most obvious ways to create a career makeover is to work on your skills. Whether you go back to school to earn an advanced degree or take training classes here and there, anything that you can do to improve yourself can benefit your career. Learn more about your industry; attend conferences where you can keep abreast of the latest trends. Network with possible mentors. If you are doing work you love you will be passionate about absorbing as much information about your field as you can!

6. Plan for the future. No matter who you are or whom you know, you career will have its ups and downs. These days it’s unrealistic to think you’ll have a job for life. These are realities of work life today.

ALL women need a strategic career plan. Your career makeover is ultimately your responsibility. You are the master of your life and it’s up to you to make a plan. Once you have a clear plan, take the steps that lead you to fulfilling your ultimate vision.

Deborah Lochli McGrath is Director of Product Development for Marchon.

Save The Dates- Free and Fee Eyecare Webinairs and Trade Shows…

Save the dates and remember eyecare marketing opportunities are coming up soon. Don’t forget to plan your trade shows as well.

Marketing

• Remember Back to School Events should be run from now until October
• World Sight Day / Month is in October and World Sight Day Challenge
• Start Planning Your Halloween Event now

Eyecare Webinairs

• Vision Web Eye Codes–92xxx August 26, 10:00 – 11:00 AM CDT | [Register]
• Vision Web Simplify Insurance Billing August 31, 2:00 – 3:00 PM CDT | [Register]
• Vision Web Simplify Insurance Billing September 9, 2:00 – 3:00 PM CDT | [Register]
• COVD is hosting a LIVE webinar interview with Dr. Sue Barry THURSDAY – AUG 26th- TO REGISTER FOR THE MEETING: Go to www.joinawebinar.com, fill in the meeting ID number 547-423-251 and your email address, click on “CONTINUE,” then fill out the brief form that comes up next and at the bottom of that screen be sure to click on “REGISTER.” If you have ANY difficulty registering or any problems during the webinar, contact TECH support for gotowebinar.com at 800-263-6317.

Trade Shows

• Vision Expo West- October 7-9 Las Vegas, Nevada
• Monterey Symposium- November 5-7, 2010, Monterey, California

Vision Expo West Steals And Deals

New Eco Bag From ClearVision

Shirley and I are booked and ready for Swag at International Vision Expo West coming up soon! Hopefully we will be stocking up on reusable bags from Hoya, water bottles are good (haven’t scoped any out yet, but Live Eyewear was giving them away last year), If I had my wish list (iPad, camera and moped) I know keep dreaming!

Some great show specials are available from our sponsors:

To find out all exhibitors Steals and Deals follow Vision Expo on Twitter and Facebook and you will get daily updates!

iCoat  Company will be offering a limited time Special Stock Lens Package, only for Vision Expo attendees, at a value pricing that will save buyers hundreds of dollars. Buyers can either select from a pre-selected stock lens inventory or they can mix and match the powers they use the most. FREE STUFF-free cleaning cloth, AR lens cleaning solutions and various giveaway items.

ClearVision has a lot of show specials which include: NEW ClearVision Eco−Bag filled with an Ellen Tracy Necklace, IZOD Watch and Op Water Bottle. underwater digital camera or Nintendo Wii, IPod Touch (32 GB) or Amazon Kindle, Netbook or a digital SLR camera, Purchase BCBG Dream, the cause-related limited edition sunglasses, to raise funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and receive a BCBG Scarf!

Free Parties, great for networking and meeting new people and saving money on eating out! This opening night one looks fun, Opening Night Blush Bash,Wynn Las Vegas – 9:00 PM – 11:00 PM. Enjoy an exclusive invitation to Vegas’ first boutique nightclub! Flash your show badge at the door to receive free admission and a glass of champagne inside Sin City’s hottest night spot. After the party, Blush staff will stamp your hand so you receive free admission to Blush’s sister club Surrender.

EyeWear Museums Provide Education, Content and Fun

Vintage Safety Wear-

For history buffs and those of us who like eyewear trivia some fun sites to see are the following eyewear and eyecare optical museums. This info is good links for your website or blogs. and can add interesting fun fodder for Twitter and Facebook

The Cinema and Eyewear- 100 Years of History of a Myth- If you want to know how eyewear has evolved in film, famous faces in film wearing eyewear, this is the site to see. Review film eyewear from directors and films from 1920.

Museo Dell’ Occhiale - In Italy is an actual location that you can visit. The site is in Italian, but you can also copy and paste into Goggle Translator.

Antique Spectacles and Other Vision Aids- This is probably the largest collection of vintage and antique eyewear by David Fleishman MD.

Monocle Belt and Telescope -early nineteenth century, were used by both men and women in bed or in Parisian theaters

Optical Heritage Museum In Southbridge, Mass. Good interesting read for optical history in the USA, old lensmeters and refracting equipment.

Another source of eyecare history is your current eyecare vendors. Tura, Zyloware and ClearVision have been around for over 60 years and probably have some vintage eyewear or a story to tell. LaFont has a vintage story and museum on their website as well, Check out Oliver Goldsmith on YouTube

OWA Presents an ABO/NCLE Event Featuring Curtis Zimmerman

The Optical Women’s Association (OWA) will host a POWW (Professional Optical Women’s Workshop) event at the upcoming ABO-NCLE National Education Conference in Cincinnati, OH. The OWA is pleased that Curtis Zimmerman, a fascinating speaker and author, will be the keynote speaker. Curtis will address the general session on Saturday, September 18th at 11:00 am with a dynamic program which will inspire participants to ignite their ultimate potential. The presentation, Living Life at Performance LevelTM will be a FREE CE course for this session.

The 2010 conference will be held at the Duke Energy Convention Center and runs from September 16- 19. The ABO-NCLE National Education Conference is the premier optician conference in the USA, offering training and education in spectacle lenses, frames and contact lenses. Visit the ABO site www.abo-ncle-conference.com for additional information and to register now for the OWA event. All ABO/NCLE attendees, OWA members and non-members are invited to attend Living Life at Performance LevelTM. Advanced registration is required.

Curtis Zimmerman

As a speaker and author, Curtis Zimmerman has impacted over one million people throughout the nation with his life-changing messages and award winning programs. Audiences connect with Curtis through his interactive style and approachable manner. He incorporates the skills he gained from over twenty-five years in the entertainment industry into powerful programs, cleverly balancing the connection between education and entertainment. Curtis transforms organizations by inspiring individuals to live their life at a higher level of performance.

Grady Culbreth, OWA board & program committee member and a past president of the OWA, spearheaded the effort to bring this acclaimed speaker to the ABO-NCLE conference. She says “this event is the third year in a row that the OWA has sponsored a speaker at the national conference and is an example of OWA’s ongoing commitment to education and development in the industry”.

Zimmerman is the author of I Believe…What do you Believe? Keys to Success in College and Life, and a contributing author to Pillars of Success and Lessons from the Road. He was honored to share his message with more than 14,000 Airmen for the United States Air Force and received the prestigious National Leadership Award for outstanding service from United States Congressman Tom Reynolds and is a member of the National Speakers Association.