Her Story
About Valarie
Valarie Chabaux serves as a senior ophthalmic business consultant for VSP Vision, where she supports approximately 300 optometric and ophthalmic practices across San Diego and Riverside County, California. In this role, she acts as a trusted partner to doctors by training and developing their staff to improve dispensing success and maximize profitability in the vision care space. Chabaux entered the optics industry at the end of 2000 after working as an account executive in the cosmetics industry, where she focused on training, development, and new account execution. She took time away from her career to raise her daughter and then transitioned into optics, discovering a passion for the field that aligned with her expertise in working with faces through frame styling. Her true passion lies in training and development, helping others achieve success in their careers, which she continues in optics by educating staff to foster longevity and elevate practice ROI. Chabaux holds ABOC certification as an American Board of Optician Recertified licensed dispensing optician and works as a technical speaker for ABOC and ABO, providing continuing education. She attributes her success to building long-term relationships, approaching interactions as a patient advisor rather than focusing solely on sales. Chabaux values integrity, transparency, and honesty in her work, along with maintaining work-life balance.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Valarie
01What do you attribute your success to?
The relationships that I build. I'm a patient woman. I don't go in just to go in and make a sale or have an interaction. I spend years cultivating and developing relationships to become a trusted advisor and not just somebody there to sell something or give quick advice with no long-term resolution.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
You may be giving exemplary customer service to the person standing in front of you, but you're pissing off the 10 people standing behind them. It taught me to be more efficient and to really recognize time management and the importance of being well-rounded in servicing many people. Communication is 99% of the solution to the problem. If you communicate and let people know what's going on in a transparent realistic way they're less likely to be upset and they feel like they know what next steps are or what to expect next.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be passionate about what you do. Understand what you do. And embrace what you do.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The field is very very competitive. And therefore when you are out in the field and interacting with providers and their staff it's really important to differentiate yourself set yourself apart to become more well-rounded to the practice. So the competitive nature of the industry is probably one of the biggest obstacles. And it's also learning to find who your partners are. So I seek out my competitors and I spend time with them and get to know them and get to understand them so that they may understand me also.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity transparency and honesty. And then secondly I would have to say work-life balance which I'm not very good at myself. It's something I work on all the time.
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