Clear vision
The position
The client is a retail optician. The market is expanding – an ageing, fashion conscious population is good for business. But the competition is fierce, and not just from other retail opticians; supermarkets, chemists, mail order companies, and internet suppliers are all getting in on the act of supplying cheap specs.
Our client’s strategy is to differentiate itself from the competition by aiming towards the top end of the market and to offer a personalised service, building rapport with patients that would lead to a long term relationship.
They asked us to design a programme for their optometrists which would enable them to build a genuine rapport with their patients that would make the experience of visiting the optician a real pleasure. They also wanted the optometrists to develop a better awareness of the business.
How did we tackle it?
There was a clear goal – to improve business performance by getting the optometrists to firstly accept the need to build greater rapport with clients and then to actually do it. The challenge was twofold – to change attitudes and also behaviour.
We designed a week-long programme, which consisted of a range of different activities and experiences. These were designed and chosen to increase self awareness, appraise personal style, update clinical skills, and enable them to appreciate how their performance directly affects turnover and profit. The experiences were woven together to create a workshop that was really engaging, yet highly practical. For example, the optometrists learnt first hand about client service by mystery shopping at competitor stores. They developed their business awareness by researching for a business presentation which they then delivered to a senior team. These activities were combined with the use of MBTI®, role plays with actors and one to one coaching.
The optometrists worked in project teams so they could share their skills and experiences and develop lasting work relationships. And the long term impact of the training was reinforced by a mentor scheme to support the participants in putting their action plans into practice.
What did it achieve
It was an astounding success. We ran a pilot programme that was so successful it paid for itself in twelve weeks. It was no surprise that the roll-out had a huge impact on turnover and profitability. Key outcomes were:
- 9% improvement in sales
- establishing a culture to monitor performance
- optometrists taking a greater leadership role and seeking feedback on their contribution
- a clear link between training and achieving the business strategy
Email Jill Pennington or phone 0117 315 5243.
