House to house combat

Following the fantastic response to the Independent Marketing Partnership-driven independent practice promotion project, surely no one can be left in any doubt that the sector means business.

The project (see News), primed with 100,000 worth of goods and services from Bausch & Lomb and Norville, has seen over 270 practices rush to join the Partnership.

This effectively increases by one third the number of practices in the Partnership who will benefit from just the kind of action Optician has been suggesting for months. And it is why Optician has a category dedicated to this issue in the 2006 Optician Awards.

Independent practices up and down the land have been attracted to the product discounts, marketing and free newsletters included within the promotion, but there is an even more exciting element to the triumvirate's support package.

In a bold move that ups the ante in the war for patients, the Partnership is encouraging practices to seek out patients directly.

A household leaflet drop under the heading Take A Closer Look is being readied to actively acquire patients for independent practices with their locale.

The detail of what the leaflet will say and the rationale for why it makes sense for practices to take their message to houses rather than use local newspapers is all provided by the Partnership.

But its real power lies in its ability to seize the initiative and signal a new intent within the heart of independent optics.

The independent sector is fighting back and a message to that effect will be dropping through letterboxes in your area soon. Make sure it has been sent by you.