Influential Woman · Optical
Laura Manning
Outside Sales Representative
Chesapeake, VA
Her Story
About Laura
I've been in the optical world since 2017 when I became a licensed optician. I started my career working as a licensed dispensing optician, helping build practices and consulting with them to help them grow. I worked with Safilo for a little over two years before briefly leaving the industry to pursue my passion for helping children with autism and developmental delays and disabilities for about two years, using my master's degree in applied behavior analysis. I then came back to the optical industry with Marchand Eyewear, where I'm now an outside sales representative moving into my third year with the company. I'm still ABO certified and maintain my optician's license because I will never let those go. In my current role, I manage accounts and work closely with my clients to problem-solve and help them find the right frames and lens materials that best suit their patients and their practice. I serve as that touchpoint between the account and the company, helping navigate problems with account details, billing, and other issues. Communication is really key in what I do. My expertise includes optics, transference of light through different lens materials, and best business practices in the optical industry, as well as human behavior from my background in applied behavior analysis.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Laura
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would attribute my success to being an open person, being friendly, and going back to my values, being trustworthy and someone people can communicate with. Building those relationships and that foundation is very, very helpful in an industry like this. It's important to have good communication skills, good relationship-building skills, and being able to foster those opportunities to build really long-lasting, stable business relationships. That's really important.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I think that all of us could do with taking our lives a little less seriously sometimes. Yes, our careers are important, and our jobs are important, but sometimes it's good to just take a little break, or laugh a little bit, and not take things so terribly seriously all the time.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Some challenges I face in the world of optical are that sometimes the economy can be a challenge. The way people are viewing things that are happening in the world can really affect how people buy a lot of the times, so that can be a challenge. How people view things that are happening in the world sway buying mentality. As for opportunities, there are quite a few. I'm often able to go to VOA events and optometrist conventions where I can communicate with offices, get to know people and doctors, and learn new things. I get to see new lens styles that are out on the market and new technology. My company is owned by VSP, and there's a lot of new lens technology that we're a part of, so just being on the cutting edge of industry in that way is an awesome opportunity. We all try to talk about those things together as a team, which is really good.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I value being a trustworthy person and a good communicator. I value friendships and collaborative friendships, work relationships where you can have a team effort and you're supporting one another.
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