Finding the perfect fit: A lesson from a shoe store

ByPaul M. Stubenbordt

If you live in the Dallas area, you've heard of the shoe store I'm about to talk about. It's called Luke's Locker. They specialize in selling running equipment, but mainly shoes.

Wow! That was what I had to say after leaving their location in Colleyville, Texas. Let me take a step back to explain the origin of the excitement. About 2 months ago, I decided to start running more and more until I get up to 20 miles a week. But this requires some special footwear for a big guy like me; otherwise, tendonitis is bound to set in.

Why now?

Just like anything else, once we get an interest in something particular, you hear others talking about it. It's like a new word you might learn, and suddenly everyone is saying it. In my case, it was running, and something that always came up was Luke's Locker.

So why had I not heard of this place before? Now everyone seems to be talking about it, but a year ago, Luke's Locker could have been the name of a boat as far as I was concerned.

Think about it. In your refractive practice, in a market you've advertised in for years, patients will say to you, "Yeah, I saw your commercial, and it made me pick up the phone and call." OK. But why didn't this patient call you 3 years ago when you advertised four times as much as you do now? It's basically the same reasoning as shoes: They weren't considering LASIK, and therefore, they shut out your ads and people discussing the procedure.

They're famous

I remember telling myself, "Man, it's just a shoe store."

Well, after years of dealing with shoes that just didn't fit me, I decided to take a trip to this famous store everyone was talking about. As I entered this relatively small store, I was stopped from entering the shoe section by these amazing GPS watches/heart beat monitors. The sales person came up to me and asked if I needed help and of course I said, "Yes, how much are these watches?" I'm a sucker for technology. He took about 10 minutes explaining the various features and then asked me why I wanted one. I told him I would really like to track my running pace and see if I can improve my pace. Then he began to tell me, "Unless you run marathons, you probably don't need a GPS watch, just time your miles and track them that way." He made a lot of sense; I'm a novice runner, and only a streamlined athlete should buy this cool gadget (more on this later).

Now, it was time for shoes. Another team member assisted in sizing my arch, ankle pronation and other vital angles that make custom-fit shoes important. I went through four different shoes, and then I finally slipped on a pair that seemed to be made specifically for my feet. They weren't the most expensive, they weren't the flashiest, but they were by far the best-fitting shoe I had ever worn.

As I was leaving, another associate said that instead of buying a watch, I could download a free app for my iPhone that would not only track my pace, but also elevation changes as well as overlay my run on a Google map. Since I already own a heart monitor, this made a lot of sense to me. So, did they lose out on a sale?

No regrets

I left this store without a single regret about shopping there. I knew that the shoes that I purchased were by far the best personal fit, and most importantly, I knew I'd be back. Notice I didn't mention price? That's because the service I received made price completely irrelevant. I was also very comfortable with the sales staff, and I knew I could trust the product as well as the price. I was so pleased, I took my wife to get a pair of shoes the very same day. On top of that, several of my friends have been to the store after hearing my story. So no, they didn't lose on selling me a watch I didn't need. They gained my future business as well as the best advertising available: free word of mouth from a satisfied customer.

Making price irrelevant in your premium lens practice

Cataract patients are often confused by the entire cataract experience. At first, they come to realize they are aging. Second, surgery is something they can't avoid. Third, why is my doctor talking to me about a lens "upgrade" that my insurance doesn't cover? That can be a lot for a cataract patient to grasp in one visit.

In practices that do it well, the doctor offers premium lenses to patients who not only want the upgrade but also would greatly benefit from it. They spend time answering all of the patients' questions, personally address any concerns, and they make cost irrelevant by doing so. The patient leaves your practice knowing they received the best possible advice from the best surgeon, and best of all, they have no regrets about their decision. Just like getting custom-fit shoes, patients want the lens that is the perfect fit for them.