How do you compete?
How does a little b&m compete with Wally's 38.00 back to school special? Can anyone give me some ideas and feedback? We're considering a 1/2 off frame sale or something of that nature. We don't normally get alot of kids to begin with, but we'd like to .
Customer service and knowledge.. :)
Im not even worried about places like that. Not my customers anyway.
A question like this begs another question:Originally Posted by witty optician
Are your services and quality so poor that you *have* to compete with ChinaMart on price? Not meaning to be over-harsh, but it is valid. What differentiates you from the bottom feeding price droves that just can't pass up CHEAP?! That is the *only* thing big blue has going for them. Surely you can compete on quality, service, warranties and skill can't you? Why sink to their pathetic and lowly level? You're BETTER THAN THAT!
For kids, we do a free poly sv (stock lens within certain rx range) with purchase of a new frame. one year warranty, free hard case, free bottle of cleaner, HEck I'll even throw in a strap/croakie if they really want. When we explain it we tell them the retail price so they hear the $ amount they are saving. We try to carry a variety of fun colorful frames that are durable. Parents are willing to pay more for the frames if they believe they are better quality. Suggest if they really want that Wally pair, they could use it as a back-up, or a pair to keep at school, or in a back pack.
We also have some rec-specs and miraflex that we package price for frame+lens complete.
We have a mostly older patient base, but seem to do a fair amount of business with kids.
Last edited by vcom; 07-29-2013 at 12:59 PM.
Patient, ".. Doctor says I have a subscription for stigmata.. Can you fill that?"
Me, "..Um.. "
If your selling a better quality lens & frame, and also providing courteous, helpful customer service, your already blowing your competition out of the water. Sorry for the run on sentence.
Erik Zuniga, ABOC.
Don't.
Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. - Richard P. Feynman
Experience is the hardest teacher. She gives the test before the lesson.
I just hand out business cards with Zennis web address on it and whisk them out the door so that I can get back to more important things like cruising Optiboard and worrying about PDs!
Cater to parents who love their children.
Thanks to all of you for the advice! I value your knowledge and experience!!
Bingo! :)
I guess what Uilleann is trying to say here is that you cannot compete with bulk. Thats just common business sense.A question like this begs another question:
Are your services and quality so poor that you *have* to compete with ChinaMart on price? Not meaning to be over-harsh, but it is valid. What differentiates you from the bottom feeding price droves that just can't pass up CHEAP?! That is the *only* thing big blue has going for them. Surely you can compete on quality, service, warranties and skill can't you? Why sink to their pathetic and lowly level? You're BETTER THAN THAT!
A small practice cannot buy in large bulk like that to create that kind of price which attracts a certain type of people.
So just sweep that line of thinking out the door.
I worked with that big blue box company for eight years. Telling you now. The Santelli edger I used with them was made by the same company that made yours. That polycarbonate material, CR-39, Hi Index or glass.... those lenses were made of was the same material you sell in your office. So the quality of what they sell (other then coatings) is just as good as what you sell.
I started in this business after going to college for opticianry 30 years ago with OMD's, then worked with OD's then the big box store now I'm back with OMD's. I was just as good a optician with the big box stores as I was private. Just saying there are some people that have to work with that big box store who are damn good and know how to make a quality pair of glasses.
So its only bulk, just bulk. So when you find a way to buy and move a train load of lenses and frames only then you will "compete" with a big box store. Till then dint even think they are competition, they are not. They are just a different slice of the pie we are all after.
It's not a matter of "buying" in bulk, it's a matter of "selling" in bulk.
You buy in bulk to get a better cost of goods thus giving you the chance to increase your profit margin no matter what price you want to sell at.
Why would one want to "sell" in bulk if you only have a net profit of say..........$10 off a pair of glasses. Thats a whole lot of work to pay the bills.
Let me "buy" in bulk, thats just money in the bank waiting to be collected.
You don't know where to get "dollar" product? Heck you could order them online and resell if you wanted to without tying capitol up with "bulk" purchasing. Smart buying is essential, but selling "in mass" is the only way a budget anything makes money.
Hey, I was king of a Sears Optical back in the day. Of course, I was there, so optometric care was superb. But the OD before me was a PIA. Optician-wise, it was uneven...at times fine, at other times quite good, other times lacking.
The company influences its employees, too. It is difficult to work for the "customers" best interest, and not your sales goals, etc.
So, commercial care is uneven at best, and always profit-oriented and built on the "buyer beware" model vs. the professional who cares about you first, and dollars second.
It's the nature of the situation.
Quite obvious that we both have the same goal in mind, just see two diffrent ways to acheive it.
Its a no brainer that if you buy it you have to sell it to make your money. You go ahead and sell your 30 pair to make your $1000. goal and I will sell my 10 pair to make my $1000. goal. Now tell me who did the most work, and had more cost of goods for the same amout of profit. Im just no longer willing to feed the beast AND myself.
Feed yourself with your right hand or feed yourself with your left hand as long as the belly gets full you have accomplished your mission.
Know exactly what you are saying drk. Something just seems wrong with a Optician in... say Florida who has a state license (to me the state license means that your are really interested in the welfare of the patient not the company) But then the company strong arms the license into "management". Now you know as well as I do that at times the goal of the company is going to clash with the laws of the state the Optician is supposed to adhear to. Now who should blink first? Well the person who signs the paycheck is who gets his way.
Personally I was never a "team player" when it came to "sales goals" I was more interested in trying to build a loyal patient base and repeat business and be known as to how well we took care of our patients and how well our product held up.
Find your niche. Do a few things well. Wal-Mart already has it's niche ($38 eyeglasses), and you can't beat them at their niche. How about same-day service, kid-friendly office format, specialized styles or brands, etc.? Find a demand that is not being met in your community. There is your niche!
CC I don't advocate nor sell bottom of the barrel, I'm simply stating you have to have volume sales to sell rock bottom and remain profitable. I too sell by quality and care of goods, I don't compete on price or take insurance. Those are markets I don't cater to, but that's ok if someone does. Different markets for different care/products.
love it. +1!
Just thought I would throw this out their. What does your kid selection look like? Wally is pretty cookie cutter but kiddos can be hard to fit. Especially the ones with big heads. Also consider selling special frames like Erin's World and Miraflex.
Most "special" frames aren't special (Miraflex is), it's the people that know how to fit a frame that are special.
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
it's the people that know how to fit a frame that are special........................
......................that is the secret. That is what separates the good ones from the not so good ones.
Exactly. After three years in this office it is finally paying off in repeat business. I get called on the carpet all the time for not selling every patient every option and because I'm more interested in keeping my customers happy than in a big commission check they can't quite figure me out. The customers have figured me out though and that was what I was after in the first place.
The only way to compete is to have a good selection of kids frames. I have never, ever, worked for a store that had more than 24 kids frames on display. And most were the same frame in different color. So we catered to like 10 percent of the kids who walked through the doors, and the rest either left or settled. That's pretty crappy. So you either have to establish yourself amongst your competitors as the place for tons of kids stuff, or accept that you will never be able to compete and concentrate on your adult patients.
I'm a firm believer that if a practice can get the kids in, the parents will follow, so if I ran the zoo, I would provide a good amount of kids frames, for all kids. Babies to teens. But that's a really wide spread, and you really have to have a lot of product, so if you aren't seeing a lot of kids, you might not want to invest the time, energy and money required.
In my area, we have one major pediatrics group, and THEY don't even have a good amount of kids frames. More than likely, they know that the families are traveling quite a distance to see them, and the parents want to buy closer to their homes so weekly adjustments are more convenient.
The biggest issue I see is that kids want an edgier look these days, even the cute little girls, and I know that stocking the traditional oval or rectangle pink, blue and green frames aren't cutting it. I say cater to the kids, really serve them and make it a non-scary experience, and you've won the parents and possibly the grandparents for life. Just last week I had 9 family members come in to help a little boy pick out a frame. Nine! That's crazy. My kids will be lucky if their dad goes with us to pick stuff out when the time comes.
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