I am working on a drill-mount project and want feedback!
1- What percentage of your work is drill-mounts?
2- What brands you carry?
3-What you like about drill mounts?
4-Why you don't sell more drill mounts?
5-What would help you sell more drill mounts?
Thanks for the time and please be as concise as possible so I can compile the information. I want to find out why we don't all do drill mounts and what we need to change that.
Craig
We sell about 2-3 drill mounts a week. (we usually sell about 2-30 non davis frames a week) Not sure what the percentage is...we carry silhouette and mont blanc. Silhouettes are our primary seller and mont blancs really don't sell well at all. Weight is the primary reason the silhouettes sell. The mount is very good with them and they are durable. Mont blancs mostly have a drill notch using the classic nut assembly. They also weigh a lot. I personally LOVE drill mounts. The ability to change size shape etc. Everything is custom. I myself have had over 20 surgeries including the removal of part of my temporalis muscle and am very sensitive to any pressure. Silhouettes do not put any pressure on my temples and are the ONLY frame I wear. Hope this helps!
What would make it easier to sell more of them? Do you edge them and customize them in-house?Originally Posted by mervinek
1. 10-15%
2. Charmant and Charmant Line Art (with a handful of other random single pieces)
3. Customizeable shapes/fit, Patients can get 2-3 RXs out of a $500 frame and usually buy something else also.
4. Cost to Patient/client - some people don't like them or still have a misguided notion that they are fragile.
5. Maybe having a fancy new edger? Though my finish labs drill fees are more than reasonable and their work is exceptional (all I send out are extreme wraps and drills)
In our office, price is always a factor. I would say our average retail price for a frame is $225, so frames that are close to $400 are always a little harder to sell. We have no lab on site, so we do not do anything in house. The only thing we do is assemble. So a patient can order lenses only and we can mount them while they wait. I get a lot of comments on my glasses since I wear them, but no one else in the office wears them. So more office staff wearing drill mounts would help sell. Also, better displays would help. They blend in too much to be seen! I know silhouette has some large tray like displays, but they are too big for our tiny optical!
1- 1-5% of our sales.
2- Marchon Airlock, and Vanish.
3- They are very lightweight and give a minimalist yet easily accent-able look. That and the near limitless potential to customize them.
4- My Shops are in military heavy locations and fears of durability as well as lack of regulation approval hinder my selling of these.
5- A more diverse group of patients.
~Dustin B. AboC
"Laugh, or you will go crazy."
I'd say 10% of what we do is drill work.
Kawasaki.
Many things, I like and wear them, but they are what they are.
Demographics; a larger number of 20-somethings, acetate does well, and many of my clients prefer a product with more personality. I show them, it's here for them to view and purchase if they desire.
Personally, I rather enjoy variety and from the countless examples not everyone needs nor should they sell rimless.
I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it. Mark Twain
1) Less than 5%
2) Silhouette
3) Very lightweight; can customize them; ideal for those wanting a clean minimal look
4) Price & Durability. I work with patients who either do not want to spend a ton of money on their glasses or those who tend to be rough with their eyewear. It is more of a niche product for us than an everyday seller
5) Hard to say, better pricing could help. Probably would sell better if our office was in a different market.
Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity
We sell sillouette's and Zuma's. We don't sell a lot of them because of the price point or because px's dont want to be coming in for adjustments more often if possible. We also dont sell a lot due to rx's. I do like that they both use the plug system and that they are super light weight. I have an issue with them because sillouette hasnt be very nice with their warranty's lately and have returned some frames they deemed werent a manufacters warranty
I sell one or two drill mounts a week. We have a full course of silhouette drillmounts and a few other odds and ends. Flexon, timex, WK, Charmont. I love to customize! The problem is I have some mad skillz to drill. Is that really a problem? Well, yes. If I choose a silhouette frame with, say, a shape from a frame that is not silhouette, our lab tech, the lab we send it to, the assistant manager, and the manager get pretty upset. Why? great question. Cause it just never comes out right. Now I have to play to everyone elses skill level when it comes to drillmounts. Funny part is they still cant seem to get it right! Have a cool Yule and a happy new year!
The project should make those issues go away and drill mount sales will go up! Keep you posted.
We sell about 2 drills a year... :-/ no one asks for them except those 2 people.. lol Guess its a trend thats passed here.
That is an odd response. Two a year? You don't sell them because no one asks for them? Do you carry them? Not a real LOL matter.
We don't carry them. Our owner doesn't like them and refuses to carry. We get asked about 2x per month if we have them...
1- We do about 3 or 4 a month
2- We do Silhouette and an occasional Airlock.
3-We like that our patients can custom build their own glasses
4-We do not keep any kits in store, we order as patients request them
5-A kit :)
Is it a lack of being able to drill? Why are they against the lightest glasses possible?
Nah, she just doesn't like the way they look. I have always been of the opinion always carry styles that pts want. I do not run the zoo, so...
Drillmount is a generic name ..............
I my own opinion, a drill mount, as they are called these days is only a generic name for a Rimless Eyeglass Frame that has been around for more than a lifetime.
They have been around for 3/4 of last century and started out as drill mounts then progressed to "Wills Edge", then "Balgrip" and finally "Nylor". They never got out of fashion as there was always a certain amount of the population that loved the rimless way of wearing glasses.
They must be also the only type of glasses that needs the helping hand of a good optician for the choice of lens shape and their size and are very probably the type of glasses that optical internet sellers do not sell much of.
In the old days of glass lenses they were also the ones that needed the occasional replacement of broken lenses. These days with all the plastic materials available to supply the lenses, breakage has to be at a minimum. Even when using Polycarbonate lenses that have been drilled with a dull drill or too fast, a drop of "Drillseal" will prevent the hole from crazing when slightly stressed.
Rimless frames have been here for just about a hundred years and will be around for another good cycle of another hundred.
Well we also don't call pants "pantaloons" any more.
Speak for yourself. Mis pantalones se están quemando!
so whats the project all about, purpose? end result? Whats point A and point B and how do you plan to get there?
This project will double drill mount sales!! The bar is not high.
Reading these responses makes me positive the industry needs drill mount help! Why would anyone who runs a business want to turn away the most lucrative and fun part of the business? You can create any shape or size while using any mounting they want without fear of it falling apart! Sounds like a winner.
I spoke to an industry leader in the drill mount frame business from Canada yesterday- met on optiboard- if we cannot double his sales in 12 months than the project is a failure. The system will be so easy that everyone will be able to offer custom drill work with confidence.
The purpose is to create an app that works on any computer browser to build them in-front of the patient and have them drilled exactly as seen! The app will be designed for no computer or optical skill necessary to get it perfect!
My office does 70% drills and our Lindbergs sell for $700 while being our number one collection; we have the tools to make this happen and if we share with the industry we can double the existing sales in less than 12 months!
Low numbers are easy to move.
I have some major industry partners that seem to agree with us and have agreed to help promote the app with their advertising budget in 2016.
The race to the bottom can be halted when opticals embrace the future technology and this will be cutting edge. Time to become consultants for eyewear by using the new tools that will follow.
This is just the beginning of a complete system with more to follow!!
Keep posted for updates. You will see it on this chanel first!!
Last edited by Craig; 12-29-2015 at 09:34 AM.
Now that sounds like an awesome and ambitious plan Craig, you certainly have my attention.
~Dustin B. AboC
"Laugh, or you will go crazy."
They are perfect for under the snowmobile helmets and transitions are the perfect hunting glasses; sounds like we can double yours easy! We have a relative in Fairbanks and we have to come see them again.
We prefer trousers to pants, Mame.
Craig, there must be something in the atmosphere cuz I just sold my 5th Kawasaki today. Keep sending, "those good vibrations"
I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it. Mark Twain
That is a good day for anyone! Why Kawasaki and not Lindberg? You can get the lenses done for 1/2 the price of italee. We might need to talk about this, we build the Kawasaki but the Spirit is much easier to wrk with and you can use your lab of choice.
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