Importance of marketing hits home

Sight Care's 10 regional meetings which toured the UK over three weeks and attracted significant audiences came to an end recently in Bristol.

Chief executive Paul Surridge said commercial aspects were gaining in importance for independent practitioners. 'It is virtually impossible to ignore the fact that sustainable success today requires practitioners to devote concentrated time on all those non-clinical issues such as marketing and finance and this is where we can act as strategic partners.' Surridge reminded delegates that the recession was not over and more had to be done to maintain patient loyalty through the provision of unparalleled customer service.