Working with the public is no joke... You are dealing with different personalities who require attention in different ways. A question I have received often during coaching calls is "How can I come across as confident when working with patients?"
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My first and biggest tip is to be yourself... I know I know you are thinking about how obvious of an answer this is but the reality is that so many times we are focused on the "perfection" part that we forget that just being ourselves and making a connection is truly what it comes down to. While it is important to learn from others always remember to take what you learn and apply your own twist to it...Your patients will always know when you are not being authentically YOU!
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Tip #2: Learning does not end when you clock out. Take time out of your day to research topics that you are not comfortable with or know that you could learn about more. When I made my leap into this industry I had NO CLUE what I was doing... I had no experience, no real mentor, and knew not much when it came to eyewear or optometry in general but I always made time to learn outside of work and this was a key component in not only my confidence but also my growth in the business.
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Tip #3: Learn from your mistakes... WE ALL MAKE THEM IT IS PART OF GROWTH. I love taking notes and still till this day I will write down how I could implement a procedure differently to make the outcome better.
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Tip #4: Speaking of notes... Please get a binder, a planner, a google doc anything where you can take notes that you will be able to look back on. I still have my binder from when I first started and I would jot down EVERYTHING. I kept it with me at all times and would always look back to practice my wording when explaining a product, how to input an order, pricing... etc Practice makes perfect and builds confidence.
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Tip #5: Speak with confidence. When I am training any employee it doesn't matter the role I always make it a point to discuss the importance of voice projection. Speaking in an assertive tone, with voice projection shows your knowledge to your patient.
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Tip #6: Study your patients previous orders. If they are a returning patient there is a lot of information about their previous optical orders. This let’s your know what materials they have used, do they like Transitions lenses? Progressives non adapt?
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Remember YOU know more about the product than your patient does... They do not know if it is your first day on the job of your 3rd year. Be yourself, have fun, and give it everything you got the rest will fall into place.