One of the striking naiveties of medical marketing in general, and in vision care specifically, is the singular targeting of doctors as the ultimate buying influence in the practice.
 
Do the docs really drive and shape purchases as emphatically as conventional wisdom claims? Last summer, we put the “doctor first” marketing paradigm to the test by asking ophthalmic staff how purchasing worked in their offices for equipment, software, pharmaceuticals, and “disposables”.
           

Here's what we found:
 
1. Over half—56%— of ophthalmology practices adhere to a structured buying process.

2. Who is involved in the buying decision besides the doctor? 61% of offices’ reported that the “Office Administrator” is involved, 53.5% reported that the “Clinical Manager/Director” is involved, 47% reported that the “Manager” is involved, and 35.5% reported “Ophthalmic Technicians” are involved in buying decisions.

3. 58.7% of ophthalmic professionals meet with sales representatives. Of these, 89% meet with sales representatives weekly. 24% of these ophthalmic staffers indicate that they see pharmaceuticals reps one to three times weekly.
 

Doctors remain important in purchasing decisions, of course, but they are not the only influences for purchasing anymore, and they are taking fewer meetings these days. Staff today are empowered with recommending, evaluating, and buying throughout the ecosystem of products used in the ophthalmic practice. Vendor sales teams are in competition to get meeting face-time with ophthalmic staff, and it is up to marketing teams to make certain those meetings get scheduled.

Staff personnel are the gatekeepers, the influencers, and often the deciding voice in what solution is acquired. Their opinions of what the cost-of-ownership for equipment looks like, whether a branded drug is ultimately purchased in a “call back” situation, what health records software is preferred and makes their lives more manageable is what can win the day for marketers.
 
To get the meeting and sell the practice, you need the ophthalmic staff. For a copy of the report with the results of 665 staff respondents to this survey, click here.