Choosing which frames to buy for your practice is one of the easiest ways to differentiate your offering from the competition. Emma White and Rob Moss provide 10 top tips on frame purchasing
1 WHO IS THE BUYER?
The best person to purchase frames isn't always the practice manager or owner. Dispensing opticians are probably in the best position to gauge what your patients want in terms of frame styling because they're most involved in the patients' decisions.
Remember, however, that while established staff will have a good idea of what your current client base is looking for, a relatively inexperienced member of staff might provide a more open-minded outlook on frame fashion. In most cases, a team effort is the best approach.
Optometrist Gillian Whitby of Whitby & Co on Fleet Street, London, says she would never impose her will on staff when it comes to choosing frames.
'At the end of the day, if the dispenser doesn't like the frames I choose he won't show them to the customer. Dispensers have to be on board and you need to give them enthusiasm about their job.'
Shelly Bansal, owner of First Contact Opticians in Pinner, Middlesex, believes buying is all about teamwork.
'We tend to look at buying collectively in the practice,' he said. 'Myself, the dispenser and support staff all contribute our own points of view.'
2 WHAT ARE YOU UP AGAINST?
By keeping a watchful eye over what your competitors are stocking you can gain ideas on what to stock and what definitely not to stock.
First you need to establish who you're competing with. Are you trying to match what the multiples are doing or is that precisely what you're trying to avoid? Once you've identified your true competitors, consider whether it's best to follow their lead (in your own special way, of course) or whether it's better to blaze your own trail. Don't be afraid to go into other people's practices - particularly when you're out of town - for inspiration.
Hilary King, store manager for Vision Express in Camberley, Surrey, says: 'I am aware of what our competitors are stocking because I think it is important to know what is being offered in the marketplace. But if I saw another practice selling a product we didn't, I wouldn't necessarily rush out to buy it too - I would have to want to buy it and like it.'
Bansal agrees: 'If you conduct your business on the basis of what your competitors are doing then you're always playing "catch-up" in my view.
'My philosophy is that if other opticians are supplying the same products then good luck to them. We may have the same product but we may also have more products in total, which we market as the whole identity of our practice.'
3 WHAT'S COOL?
Keeping abreast of the latest fashion trends and buying accordingly ensures your practice looks fresh. Does your current collection serve to attract new patients, while satisfying the needs of your current patient base? Don't just rely on what you're learning from your side of the counter.
What are people wearing on TV (including the shows you don't usually watch), what are they wearing in magazines (including those you don't normally buy), what are people wearing on the street? Fashions in big cities like London, Manchester, Glasgow and Leeds slowly trickle out to the rest of the country over time. If you're aware of them early, you stand more chance enticing people into your practice.
Louise Skidmore, a former buyer for Boots Opticians, says: 'Keep up-to-date with the latest styles, trends and brands by reading trade magazines, general lifestyle and fashion magazines, attending trade fairs and also have a look around your local shopping centres for new stores and brands.'
Remember that a trip to Paris, Milan, Munich or even one of the US or Asian shows cannot only help you source some interesting and unique (for your town) product, but gives you the opportunity to treat your staff to something a bit different. Beware, however, that fashions elsewhere in the world don't necessarily travel well to the UK.
Susan Reynolds of Reynolds Opticians in Bishops Stortford in Hertfordshire, takes her dispensing optician to Paris and Milan each year and last month visited New York. 'It's well worth going. It's a really useful, educational trip. I think a lot of people should make the effort to travel to these shows.'
Remember that a trip abroad to an optical show is a business expense so it's the ideal opportunity to tie in a well-deserved city break with some hard graft around an exhibition.
Bansal says it is important that the customer doesn't come back to the practice at two-year intervals to see the same frame displays. 'At any one time we always try to find something a little bit different - a slightly different range. We rotate our collection and bring in new lines so that it is always exciting and fresh. We don't get bored with it and neither do our patients. You have to move things forward, things become fashionable so the old stock has to be expired to purchase again.'
4 WHO IS YOUR CUSTOMER?
Even more important than keeping up with fashion trends is knowledge about your customers.
Whitby suggests practices avoid taking too many risks. 'It is essential to know your market and not to be too risky,' she says. Have the confidence in your own patient base and the price range for your market. I work in the City so I don't buy pink and frilly because the women here feel they can't be seen to be too frivolous. But if you are working in a "ladies-who-lunch" area you can afford to be more risky and cater to their demands.'
Bansal says it is vital that a product is well-made and fits in with the image of his practice. 'It is more important to buy a good value product than one that happens to carry a designer logo. Customers can decide to spend a lot of money but if the product doesn't live up to their expectations it might affect whether they come back to us.'
He also thinks that it is easy to be too dictated by fashion. 'Some people will come in because they have seen David Beckham wearing a frame, but if they don't look like him when they put the frame on they can easily change their mind - you have to manage your customers' expectations.'
The main thing is to try and keep to a minimum the number of people who leave your practice after an eye test knowing that they can find something they'll like better elsewhere.
5 WHO ARE YOU BUYING FROM?
Creating good relationships with sales representatives and distributors is fundamental for buying success.
'We've had to prove our worth to suppliers,' says Bansal. 'It's taken a good three to four years. We've achieved this by displaying their products well and paying our bills on time, rather than waiting the 60 days, and generally showing them we are a good customer.'
Skidmore agrees that it takes time to learn who is reliable. 'Stores can get fed up with the steady stream of sales representatives coming to call on them, but it is important to keep the door open, spend time with the suppliers and build relationships,' she says.
'My advice is to start with more suppliers and reduce the number over time as you learn who the reliable ones are. Aim to focus on two, three or four core suppliers,' she says.
6 HOW WILL THEY HELP?
It is always worth asking whether a product will be accompanied by an advertising campaign. Why spend money yourself if the company will market the product for you? Also, find out if the supplier will contribute towards any local publicity.
'You may wish to advertise in the local press and you may be able to negotiate some financial support if you agree to feature their brands,' says Skidmore.
'Many local newspapers often provide free advertising space in return for free product which are then used as prizes in reader offers.' So it's worth asking suppliers if they are able to contribute with free product - sunglasses are ideal for this.
Also, check that the distributor will provide point-of-sale material. Bansal refuses to do business with sales representatives who fail to manage their product in his practice.
'If a representative shows me a good portfolio of products I will get behind it, but if they don't manage the products I won't do business with them any more. If they want their product to move it has to look presentable and they have to display it well with posters, stands and window displays.
It's a two-way process.'
7 ARE YOU BEING SERVED?
There's nothing worse than finding the frames you have ordered are unavailable, unreturnable, or discontinued. Remember that you don't have to put up with sloppy service.
'Reps always try to make you buy more than you'd ever want and then promise to take them back if you don't sell them all,' says Whitby. 'The problem is that they often agree to take back one frame if you buy six more. It's not an easy matter.'
Bansal believes it's often a waste of time to ask sales reps about after sales service, as they either won't know or won't tell you. 'What's more important is to ask how the company will support you if you do have a problem. Will they offer you an alternative frame as a temporary measure if the design you ordered is out of stock?'
Skidmore recommends monitoring supplier performance. 'It's crucial to keep track of how suppliers are performing so that you can assess over time if they are providing a satisfactory service.
'Some points to track are: How many times frames are out of stock when you try to place an order; how many times frames are not delivered on time; and what the return rate is for faulty frames.
'Also, keep a note of exceptional service so that you can make a balanced judgement.'
Reynolds believes that many suppliers could do much more to educate their clients. 'How many companies invite practitioners out to see a pair of frames being made? How can people properly convey the benefits of a product if they're unsure of what goes into making them?'
8 TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT?
Cultivating a good working relationship with sales representatives is valuable, but don't get too close or you could lose control of the buying situation.
'Never feel obliged to buy,' says Bansal. 'You get phone calls from sales reps all the time. I will categorically tell them if I'm not interested because I don't want to waste their time or mine.
'If a company or representative tries to take advantage - perhaps by trying to dictate which product to buy - you have to make them realise that you run the show. If you're not comfortable with their approach and if they don't stop you will end your partnership with them. We have done this with a couple of companies here. They changed the goal posts, so we told them we didn't want to work with them anymore.'
Skidmore adds: 'You can't avoid a relationship with a sales representative, but you have to be professional.'
9 HOW MUCH?
This is a simple one. If you think that something's too expensive, it probably is. If you add on your usual margin do you think your patients will pay the price?
Have a go at negotiating a discount - especially if you're a longstanding customer. Even if they can't give you the extra per cent you're asking for, they may throw in a couple of free frames.
10 WHICH BRANDS?
Keep an eye on which designer brands are in the ascendant. Be aware of a brand's life cycle. Some designer names ebb and flow in popularity over a period of years, while others are consistently a safe bet. Some marques become so popular that they damage themselves and suffer a dramatic demise - what is 'hip and cool' one year can be the epitome of 'uncool' the next.
Also, keep an eye on which brands are changing hands between the frame suppliers. A new brand for a supplier is often accompanied with strong marketing campaigns for you to take advantage of.
Beware, however, as the frame supplier that loses a brand will always somehow manage to offload its old stock somewhere, often at reduced prices which can dilute a brand's appeal.
Acknowledgement
Thanks to Susan Reynolds of Reynolds Opticians, Bishops Stortford, for her help in compiling this list.