We have a problem in optics, a problem that we need to solve together. Consumers do not understand the difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ and, as a result, we struggle to gain their confidence.
Go on, throw your arms up in the air and say it, ‘my patients know what great service I give them.’ Say it often enough and you might believe it. You might even be right, but there are some fundamental questions that we need to ask ourselves like: ‘Does my patient understand the difference between a good eye exam and a vision test?’
How about: ‘Does my customer understand the difference between a well-made frame and a poorly made frame?’ Or: ‘Does my consumer enjoy spending money in my shop?’
I imagine you shuddering at my use of the words ‘customer’, ‘consumer’ and ‘shop’ because you don’t think of your practice or your patients in those terms. But when a member of the public walks into retail premises and spends money, I’m pretty sure that they consider themselves a customer going into a shop. I’m also certain that when someone has spent £1,000 on frames and lenses, they are not using the same adjectives about the experience as the practice staff.
Therein lies the rub. If you are a practice owner, you are probably making a decent living and wondering whether you really need to read the rest of this article. Well, I’ve got news for you, you do. You do because most of the people that should be walking through your door are going elsewhere.
They are going straight to the bottom of the food chain having made a price-based decision, most likely because they do not understand why they should spend £500 on a frame and lenses when they can spend £100.
Can you tell them why? Only if you get the opportunity to talk to them before they go to the Jolly Green Giant, otherwise it will be a good few years before they think about another purchase.
So, I am throwing down the gauntlet. It’s a beautiful microfibre gauntlet with our logo on it but it’s still a gauntlet. How are we going to educate the public on every aspect of optics so that they can make an informed decision?
Frankly, if they decide to get a cursory eye test, I’ll be disappointed, but I’ll understand. If they want to minimise their spend on frames and lenses, that is their prerogative, but wouldn’t it be great if they at least understood what their choices really are?
When I ask an optician about customer behaviour, they always talk about the eye test first, then the lenses and, finally, the frame. That is the order in which you do things but if you ask the customer about their purchasing decision, they start at the other end.
The most tangible part of the transaction for people is the frame. It dictates how they look and how they feel. It is also the part of the deal that they have some control over. When it comes to the eye test, they are in your expert hands. They might recognise that the exam takes longer with one optometrist than another or that one practice has flashy equipment, but most people aren’t scientific about what is actually happening.
The lenses are driven by price. Some patients might question the value and ask for a second option and ask for an explanation, but they are still very dependent on the practice staff. When it comes to frames, it is more about the customer’s perception. How do I look? How do I feel? Do I really want that scientist person to style me?
So now we arrive at the crux of the matter, does your frame offer represent value for money? Is your frame labelled honestly? Where was it made? Read the markings inside the frame and ask yourself if the quality of the product is representative of the place of origin.
Put simply, is the frame Made in France or just assembled in France to circumvent the rules. The problem is that if a brand is duping you then, consciously or otherwise, you are duping the client into over-spending. If they realise what has happened, they won’t be coming back.
I could talk about these issues forever, but they essentially boil down to one thing – trust. We need to pull back the curtain on optics, be transparent about all aspects of what we do. You want more customers irrespective of how well you are doing now. The only way that is going to happen is if the public understands what we do and why it is worth paying for.
This starts with frames because that is the easiest thing for your clients to relate to. Be demanding of your frame suppliers. If you are not sure about a frame, if you just don’t feel it, don’t stock it. Not everybody wants or can afford high-end eyewear but give the consumer the opportunity to understand their choices. At the very least, they will respect you for it.
- Jason Kirk is an eyewear designer and co-founder of Kirk & Kirk.
