Penelope Lim has waved goodbye to the constant pressures to hit targets  

Prior to joining Specsavers, Penelope Lim now Specsavers Audiology Partner at New Lynn and Mt Roskill, New Zealand, was intrigued by the Specsavers model. During the COVID pandemic and lockdowns, she reached out to the Specsavers team with a list of questions. At the time, she wasn’t actively looking for a new job or a change in her career, but one thing led to another, and she ended up interviewing with the Specsavers team. To her surprise, she was offered partnership.  

At the time, Penelope reflects that she was “thrilled, excited and also nervous – as I had doubts about the model, and it was just so different from the ‘typical’ audiology position.” 

“However, after a lot of reflection and meeting the optometry and retail partners, I decided to take a leap out of my comfort zone, and I’ve never regretted my decision since,” she says. 

“Where I once doubted the model – I see now that the Specsavers model works. The process of screening customers over 40 years of age picks up hearing loss at an early stage. The 15-minute hearing check appointment to discuss the results is an effective way of giving people the opportunity to discuss their hearing loss and they are not forced to do anything about it if they are not ready. It’s great that Specsavers does not cold call customers to come in, rather having an initial 15-minute consultation with me enables me to see many customers during the day.”  

What Penelope enjoys about Specsavers is that as a business, Specsavers are focused on the needs of their customers rather than being driven by profits. People come before profits at Specsavers. 

“When you join Specsavers, you can say goodbye to the constant pressures from above to hit targets and pressing customers just to make the sale! You can now focus on caring for your customers,” she says.  

“Our prices are unbeatable. Our hearing aids are good and affordable, and the Specsavers Advance range is made by reputable manufacturers. We have a great price advantage over our competitors and our customers save heaps of money just by coming to us. I could never go back to selling my customers expensive hearing aids ever again!”  

“In fact, Specsavers is a one-stop-shop. Customers love to be able to get their hearing aids and glasses tweaked at the same place!” says Penelope. 

As a partner at Specsavers, she considers what owning a business and a franchise has done for her and her finances. 

“As a partner, we own shares in the business and are given the opportunity to understand how to be a business owner. I would definitely recommend my fellow audiologists to find out more about being a Specsavers partner, as the financial rewards of owning shares in the business really pays off when your business is up and running!”