We make it or we
lose it
Things that we say just might turn out right
If I'm telling you the truth right now do you believe
me?
Games ECPs play are totally outta sight!
Since the summer Olympic Games are
behind us I hope my ECP Games coverage will give you
something to cheer about without beating a dead horse.
Focus, perseverance, exercise,
humor, jumping through hoops and over hurdles are just
a few of the requirements for those ECPs participating
in the Games.
Game On means starting every
morning with a positive outlook on the day. No
excuses. No complaining. No moaning, groaning or
whinese. If you dread going to work then others will
dread being around you. I'm sure we all know someone
affected by the alternative option of unemployment.
Some mornings I will purposely take a different route
to work where I have no choice but to pass the local
unemployment office. Every time I drive by there I see
a long line of jobless people that extends across the
parking lot. It's an unspoken suggestion for me to
focus more on the bright side of being employed.
Winning over new clients, customers
and patients while consistently wowing the current
ones takes practice everyday. Even though the rules
may change overnight what remains the same is the need
for differentiation. The higher your wow level of
differentiation the more gold, silver, copper, paper
and plastic wins you will have.
Being calmly competitive and
sincere when faced with the possibility of losing a
patient is a good exercise to perfect. For instance -
if your patient decides to take their Rx to the BOGT
(buy one get two) place down the street - don't
disqualify, penalize or patronize in a condescending
manner. Keep the focus on how your business will treat
them before, during and after they purchase eyewear
from you. Don't apologize for your fees. Don't play
the discount, price match game or predict what will
happen if they go elsewhere. Focus on what you can do
and not what the competitor can't or won't do.
Keeping patient care priorities in
line takes unwavering dispensary focus during those
extremely busy times. Practice staying on task and not
jumping the gun to assist someone when you have
numerous other obligations in front of theirs. It's
great to be busy yet far from great when you forget to
order a job, return an important call, miss a
deadline...etc.
I like to practice the lab tray
stacking game when things get crazy busy. Each request
gets a numbered tray in order of occurrence. When
someone places an order for eyewear their job goes in
a numbered tray. If someone calls and I'm with a
patient and they only want to speak to me then that
message gets a numbered tray. If a patient wants to be
called back when a new shipment of frames arrive
(which you haven't even had time to order yet) the
reminder gets put in a numbered tray. If the doctor
wants my opinion on a matter that is not urgent then
his/her request goes in a tray and I let them know
that I will get back with them ASAP. Avoid getting
sidetracked to low priority tasks or distractions and
work efficiently to knock out the trays in order.
Idiotic distractions during the day
can affect a player's performance towards the finish
line. Here's an exercise for those feisty ECPs that
need some coaching on how to remain composed during an
encounter with stupidity. When you find yourself
getting upset or aggravated with a customer, client or
patient after several attempts to help or please them
then figure out how to bow out gracefully. Beet red
ears are a good sign that you are upset. Remove
yourself from the conversation ASAP. The only place
ECPs should be allowed to show their hiney is in a
proctologist's office. Don't forget that, it may be
worth gold to you someday.
Here's a great balancing exercise
to practice. When a patient arrives to pick up their
eyewear/contact lenses do your best to balance that
patient care evenly with the scheduled exam patients
that are already in the office. You may need to
ask/tell an indecisive patient to go ahead and take
their time deciding on a frame and excuse yourself to
dispense to the picker upper that has stopped by on
their lunch break. When you can master the hurry up
pokey patient we're on a time schedule without rushing
patients you are one step away from that gold podium.
It helps to be backed by a team of players that are
all happy to step in and help.
This torchering exercise can keep
your team's spirits lifted. Make a happy torch for
your office. Use a small poster tube and fill it with
little pieces of paper that have happy grams written
on them. Pass the torch around and make sure each
player gets their happy on. You don't need to have a
ton of gold in your staff stash to fund this torch.
Movie passes, gas cards, get to work late passes,
don't have to answer the phone all day passes, leave
early passes are just a few examples of happy grams.
Smiles will end up being free in the long run.
Don't play around or jeopardize
anyone's safety during the games. Have emergency
guidelines to follow. No business is exempt from five
finger discounts or theft. Some ECPs use instant
messaging to correspond with each other to stay on top
of what is going on throughout the office. Keep a
close eye on your frame inventory and the traffic
going in and out of the dispensary. The team's
personal belongings should be kept in a safe place
away from the public gaze. Close off any rooms that
are not being used. Don't flaunt cash or turn your
back on an open cash box. If you ever encounter a
serious threat or robbery give them the gold without
attempting to play superhero or policeman.
As we come to the close of the ECP
Games coverage I would like to leave you with some
advice I was given by one of our new judges on the
panel. Judge Susan L. is our new patient that selected
our office over the 50,000 other ones she could have
chosen. She is 25 years old and said she never had a
reason to have her eyes examined. Upon dispensing her
new eyewear I will never forget how her face lit up
when she first looked through her new lenses. She
began admiring herself in the mirror and bragging on
how well she could see. Then she said, “Thank you
for selling me awesomeness.” It's those types of
compliments that make the ECP games worth playing.
Now go get your Game On and Sell
Awesomeness!
