MBA Intelligence

August 9, 2012

Bi-weekly information and advice to manage optometric practices
from the Management & Business Academy™ (MBA)
Sponsored by Alcon and Essilor

mba-ce.com ALCON.com essilorusa.com Contact Us
Dave Ziegler

Sticky Situations

Dr. Dave Ziegler

A patient asks…

"I don’t have the money to pay you for the glasses that I am picking up today. Could I arrange an installment payment plan?"

It’s important to have a consistent policy on payments for materials. Nearly all offices offer credit cards for patients who don't have the money available at the time that they pick up their glasses.

Sometimes, though, patients say that they don't have a credit card that they can use. While that is probably not always true, the point is that they are trying to find a more affordable way to purchase eyeglasses.

How can you prevent this uncomfortable situation from occurring in the first place?

READ MORE »

Dr. Dave Ziegler, who lectures and publishes regularly, is a member of the MBA Faculty.

Market Facts
Market Facts

Spectacle Lens Usage Stable in 2011

The Vision Watch consumer survey indicates a flat market for spectacle lenses during 2011. Unit sales increased 0.4 percent to 75 million pairs. The share of market of the major lens types was relatively unchanged during the year.

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New MBA Practice–Building Resources

MBA Business Management Tool: RIPs
This MBA Business Management Tool outlines a basic process for establishing practice improvement priorities and implementing Rapid Improvement Projects (RIPs) to achieve both short–term and long–term financial gains.

MBA Market Research: Staff Management Survey
Results for the recently conducted MBA Staff Management Survey are posted on the MBA-ce.com. This report allows you to examine staff hiring, compensation and management practices. The report also details OD desires for staff improvements.

MBA Monograph: Optimizing Retail Pricing
Many ODs fail to maximize profitability of eyewear and contact lens sales through inattention to retail pricing strategies and methodologies. A thorough review of eyewear and contact lens gross profit margins will reveal discrepancies that can be corrected to improve profitability.

Implementation Track: Practice Marketing and Optical Merchandising
The second in a series of MBA Practice Growth Implementation Tracks has been posted. Practice Marketing and Optical Merchandising provides an 11–step guide in how to analyze and refine your practice brand, develop a marketing budget and execute a marketing plan. Also included are merchandising techniques to maximize dispensary profits.

MBA Updates


Carole Burns, OD


Upcoming MBA Seminars:

Register for...

Vision Expo West, Las Vegas, September 8

MBA 2 with Disney Institute, Orlando, September 21-22

GWCO Congress, Portland, September 30

California Optometric Assoc., Monterey, November 8

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Join the MBA community
Register as a reader:
MBA-ce.com

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Register Now for MBA 2 with Disney Institute


The principles of world–class service that were pioneered by The Walt Disney Company will be presented—and interpreted for the optometric practice—at an upcoming MBA 2 seminar held in conjunction with Disney Institute. The program will be presented by Disney Institute, and it will include a lecture by MBA faculty member Dave Ziegler, OD, FAAO, that provides strategies to apply Disney service principles to the optometric practice.

The MBA 2 will be held at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on September 21-22. The cost of the program in $1,760, which includes curriculum, meals and a one–night stay at a Disney resort hotel. Travel costs are in addition to that.

About the MBA

The Management & Business Academy™ (MBA) is a professional education program, sponsored by Alcon and Essilor, dedicated to assisting independent optometrists to improve business management processes. The MBA conducts live seminars, conducts on-going research to establish national optometric practice performance metrics, publishes MBA Insights (a quarterly practice management journal) and maintains www.mba-ce.com (a premier practice website with business-building resources).

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Copyright © 2012 Management & Business Academy™ (MBA). All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.