Frames

Top Tips on Sales Presentations in the Optical

By ROB Editors

By guiding patients to choices that best suit their needs, your dispensary staff can increase patient satisfaction. Two sales presentation specialists offer their top tips.

Robert Bell, Founder EyeCoach
Sell Needs, then Wants
Two types of selling takes place in an optical dispensary:“Needs” based selling and “Wants” based selling.Frames, generally, fall into the “Wants” category, and lenses fall into the “Needs” category. Because “Wants” usually has an emotional attachment to it, there are those who will tell you that “Wants” is an easier sale to make. Perhaps. But once you made the “Wants” sale, you’ve just made the “Needs” sale that much harder. In other words, if you sell the frames first, you’ve just made selling that expensive premium lens, for which the patient has a strong “Need,” that much harder. Did you really want to make it harder for yourself?

Here’s an example: You just sold a patient a gorgeous designer frame for $400. They are thrilled with the color, the fit, the brand and the way the uplifting shape seems to shave a few years off their age.Good job! Now you have to get a premium lens into that gorgeous designer frame.How often do you hear:“Excuse me? The lenses are $550? How is that possible?How can a lens be more expensive than the frame?”Wow, NOW you’ve done it! What a fine mess you’ve gotten yourself into.

Here are my three top tips:

1. If “Want” is the easier sale to make, then fulfill the “Need” first.In other words, sell the frames after you sell the lenses. Once you’re successful in selling that premium lens, the frames should still be the easier sale.However, if you now hear a cost objection to the frames, your question to the patient should be:“I certainly understand, Ms. Jones, but are you really comfortable putting this premium lens into a budget frame?”

2. The Nordstrom shoe example:To avoid the frequency of the above objection, follow the example that the Nordstrom shoe department has set.If you tell a Nordstrom shoe clerk, “I’d like to see these in a size 9,” they won’t return with just one box of shoes.They’ll return will several boxes in your size.Generally, the box with the shoes you first asked for will be on the bottom of the pile, and, as a rule, they’ll be the least expensive. The clerk will “allow” you to try on the more expensive (usually better quality) shoes first before they help you into the shoes you originally asked for. More often than not, you discover that you like the look, feel and fit of the better quality shoe than the one you had first asked to see, and you decide to purchase the better quality, more expensive shoe.

3. For multiple-pair frames sales, sell thesecond pair first. For example, as sunglasses are usually thesecond-pair sale, you may want to say to the patient, “The doctor has written you this prescription for your ‘indoor’ glasses. Before we get started with those, I’d like to ask you about your ‘outdoor’ glasses.We can use this same prescription for your ‘outdoor’ glasses as well.So tell me, Ms. Jones, what are you currently doing to avoid that terrible, harmful glare from the sun?” You’ve just easily opened the door to start the sunglasses (second pair) conversation.

Robert Bell, president and head coach of EyeCoach, has presided over his own frame company as well as held sales and sales management positions for some of the largest manufacturers of frames, lenses and accessories. He’s happy to take your specific questionsat rbell@eyecoach.org.

Mark Hinton, Chief Executive Officerand President of eYeFacilitate
Sell Wants, then Needs
Patients buy with emotion and rationalize their purchase with their own logic, so we have to excite the consumer. Here are my three (make that four!) top tips:

1. Excite the arriving patient about new frames collections. The front office team should express to patients: “After your exam today, you’re going to be amazed when you see the new frame collections that have just arrived in the optical!”

2. Excite the patient with a personal note on appearance.Say: “I can think offive great frames that would look great on you and make you happy, so let’sfind the one that you’d love to wear, OK?”

3. Don’t be an order-taker! Be the expert! Know your inventory! Direct your consumer and tell them why you like the frame. Say, for example: “These fames balance on your face perfectly, the color compliments your complexion, and these frames will be ideal with your prescription performance!”

4. BONUS: Assume the second-pair sale.Say: “Kathy, do you want me to order the same frame for your sunglasses, or do you want to use your second choice?'”

For questions and help in getting yourframes presentation game on, you are invited to e-mail exchange with Mark Hinton, chief executive officer and president of eYeFacilitate, for additional clarification. To contact Mark:eYeFacilitate@gmail.com

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