Don't Judge a Book by its Cover
By: Polly Neely
Physicians, do you ever wonder why you’re getting so many patients through your door, but they aren’t converting to surgeries? If this is the case for you, it may be due to the way the patients are being handled when received. It is a natural human tendency to make assumptions of people based on first impressions, however, these initial assumptions are very often misconstrued. So, why do we allow our personal prejudices to affect the way we act towards potential patients?
Appearances Can Be Deceiving
Evidence shows that our minds begin to form opinions of people at first glance with little to no evidence of the persons’ intention, desire, or ability to buy. What we forget to acknowledge is that trends and appearances change constantly.
For Example:
Tattoos: $100-$300 an hour
Ripped Jeans: $60-$400 a pair
Silver/Purple Hair: $100-$400 an appointment
80 year old are now more likely to live on their own and still be traveling frequently than living an assisted lifestyle
60 year olds are now more likely to be living an active lifestyle and still working than to be retired and stationary
People spend their money on what they perceive as valuable. That means, they may not dress like they have money, but have plenty of money to spend on a procedure to save their vision. Your job as a staff member walking patients from their first steps to a completed surgery is not to decide if YOU think the patient is qualified for your services, but rather to show that patient the value of your solutions you offer.
Age Is Just a Number
Your patient population is changing. The cataract patient pool specifically is getting younger and growing larger. Our technology advances are allowing practices to detect early diagnosis. Due to this, younger people are getting cataracts and choosing to fix them at an earlier age wanting to eliminate hurdles to their independence. Age related cataracts can be affected by diabetes, large alcohol intake, unprotected sun exposure, medications, or nutritional deficiencies. What this tells us is that, just because someone looks young, doesn’t mean they can’t afford it, don’t have credit, or haven’t done their research. In conjunction with that, just because someone looks old, doesn’t mean they don’t know about the latest technology, aren’t healthy, or can’t make sound decisions. Every patient deserves to be treated as a willing and able surgery candidate.
Your preconceptions of the people that walk through the doors of your practice can sabotage the outcome of that potential patient’s vision correction decision. If you dismiss them, they will often dismiss you. Not every person who comes to you will be an eligible candidate, however, it is not up to the counselor to prematurely make that decision.