Look in your September 15, 2006 Ophthalmology Times page 40 article entitled Accentuate the Positive for discussion on how you can use a system such as this to increase your optical frames and eyewear / eyeglasses / eyeglass sales and turn the inventory on those frame boards Accentuate the positive Providing image consulting for patients can boost secondary sales Sep 15, 2006 By: Paul Matheis Ophthalmology Times People nowadays are flooded by hurricane-strength doses of makeovers. Our homes have been transformed through "extreme makeovers," our lifestyles have been "queer eyed," and our families upended by trading spouses. Despite virtual train-wrecks when reality TV collides with real life, the individual, one-on-one makeover can really work. A makeover goes far beyond the superficial, resulting in enhanced levels of confidence, which can open the door to rewarding personal and professional success. Likewise, an optical dispensary can make over its menu of services to include image consulting and soon find its profitability soaring. Image consultant Holly Schounard, ABOC, demonstrates the steps in her eyewear makeover process. Schounard's model is Lauri B. Jorgensen, publisher of Ophthalmology Times. The following is a picture from the article whereas what is included in this auction are in the pictures later below For Holly Schounard, ABOC, makeovers have become a pathway to profitability. Schounard applies her makeover strategies to transforming both patients and optical businesses. She has parlayed 25 years' experience managing optical businesses into a revenue-generating career as a certified image consultant. "The first month that I started my program, the optical dispensary I worked for saw a 29% increase in second-pair sales. Average sales jumped some 40%. It was absolutely phenomenal," Schounard said. Extreme customer service As business manager for a variety of clientsa€”including ophthalmologists, optometrists, and laser vision correction centersa€”Schounard knew the common denominator for profitability was their optical dispensary. However, optical sales had been flat. When Schounard went into optical dispensaries she didn't like what she saw. "I was very frustrated when I looked at the frame boards," she said. "I realized everything on the frame boards looked the same. The optician doing the buying at that time was buying to her likes and to her age group and not meeting the needs of the patients out there." Schounard thought to herself, "How can we increase our secondary sales?" Schounard's extensive management experience taught her that customer service is critical to the success of an optical business. "I want patients to feel special because that's going to bring them back and make people talk about our office and send other people to us. It becomes totally a win-win program," said Schounard. To enable herself to serve patients better, Schounard went to school 10 years ago to become a certified image consultant and personal shopper. The curriculum included training in color analysis, face shape analysis, body types, and matching up appropriate clothing with factors such as personality, body shape, and lifestyle. After earning her certification, Schounard set out to apply what she had learned to the optical industry. First, she designed a questionnaire for customers to complete upon arriving at the dispensary. Schounard told new arrivals: "I really want to be able to take care of all of your optical needs. If I can have just a moment of your time, I'm going to ask you a few simple questions and we can go from there." Two versions of the survey were created: one for men and one for women. Each type of survey had 10 multiple-choice questions; patients were allowed to circle only one answer per question. The dispensary's staff was trained to interpret survey responses, creating a patient profile, a thumbnail view of the patient's way of life. That knowledge would allow opticians to customize their sales approach, aiming at directly matching a patient's career, lifestyle, age, and personality. Another key factor is the ophthalmologist's recommendations for the functionality of the patient's eyewear. "One portion of the questionnaire was designed to tell, 'This is who I am for casual and this is who I am at work.' I knew that if I could identify two different personalities, that would help in my second-pair sales," Schounard said. Cross training, cross selling With an operational client survey in hand, Schounard set out to redesign the frame boards according to personality types. "That made it easy either for the optician to work with the patients, or for the front office staff to get involved," said Schounard. "What you find so many times is the optical dispensary can be so busy that the opticians can't get to patients in time. In some cases, it can be difficult to find enough trained optical staff." That's why Schounard believes firmly in cross-training staff. "During those busy times, a staff member could take the client right over to the frame board and help the patient in the choice of eyewear. The staff member could get things rolling with a patient until the optician could finish up and join them. I'm teaching them as a group what to look for, at a glance, when they're looking at a patient's skin tone, hair color, eye color. So many times, they weren't even thinking of what color works. They were letting the patient say, 'Well, I like this or I like that.' But, by having the whole staff trained, it became great fun for the staff to walk up to a patient and say, 'I see this is your personality type, these are your tendencies.' "Patients loved this because they were being identified as a person and made to feel special about who they are. It wasn't just the optician saying, 'I think that looks great on you.' "So why not train frame stylists or other staff who can pitch in as needed? The bottom line is helping customers because service is critical," she emphasized. Still, Schounard's program is designed for opticians. "First they have to do the right buying, get the right mix. They need to be trained how to identify this program for the patients. Then, when you offer the program to patients, they love it. It's added value. Patients generally don't mind spending $500 or $1,000 for something they know looks great on them and that fits their personality. And they're going to send more people to your office," said Schounard. "That's where this program is helpful even to teach optical staff how to do the proper buying, how to mix up the type of eyewear they're buying, how to mix it up for different face shapes, colors, skin tones, and age groups," she continued. Now you have your new eyewear and you're ready to tackle the world. Before you start, take a look in the mirror. Are you still sporting Flock of Seagulls hair or a Dorothy Hamill wedge cut, a blazer with linebacker-size shoulder pads, quiana shirt, parachute pants, and chukka boots? If so, you may want to pursue a comprehensive color and style analysis and makeover. Schounard also advises on an overarching sense of personal style. "You only have a few seconds to make that first impression," Schounard said. "Everyone wants to get that edge. So, it's critical that patients know how to dress for success. I talk with them about portraying the proper image. "I sit down with patients and show them what colors, what clothing, and what accessories work for them and why," Schounard said. "It's just one more thing I can use to reinforce why one color frame works best for a patient. The program not only helps the patient, but it is also designed to help opticians with their buying. Opticians need to realize how many individuals are out there, and individuals' likes and dislikes." Schounard has expanded the personal style side of her practice beyond ophthalmology to include dental and other medical professions, insurance companies, and students graduating from colleges, universities, and technical schools. "I'm passionate about the program. I see the responses to making people feel really good about themselves, and that's so rewarding for me," Schounard said. The following pictures are pictures of what is included in this auction and you can use to implement the advice in the article Vision Council of America Envision Yourself Kit Complete Envision Yourself Kit sold by the Vision Council of America. This is no longer being made so this is quite a rare find. Why do you need such a kit? How many times have you had a patient walk into the optical and say they dona€™t know what they want? Or the green-encrusted glasses that they have on are so dog-ugly you are just dying to tear them off their face? What do you do? Dona€™t just stand there like a deer in the headlights! This kit will give you a new found confidence! The Envision Yourself program was developed by the Vision Council of America (VCA) to help demystify the process of stamping out ugly eyewear choices. It considers the prescription, coloring, face shape and lifestyle to help consumers take the guesswork out of selecting eyewear. Not only will your patients be impressed with your expertise, they will feel very special and pampered from the personalized attention they will get from you! The color determination part of the program was based on the Color Me Beautiful concept introduced by Carole Jackson, a leading color consultant. This portion of the kit (the color drapes and paint swatches) could be used by other professionals (makeup artist, hair colorist, cosmetologist, aesthetician, nail technician, jewelry designer, personal shopper, interior decorator, fashion designer, seamstress, stylist, image consultant, clothier, tailor, etc.) as well. Included with the kit is: a set of 10 colored drapes, some laminated cards illustrating facial shape analysis, lens tint guide, a booklet on how to hold a trunk show in your office, posters, brochures, a window sticker that identifies your dispensary as using the Envision Yourself principles, Color Key paint chips, 2 tinted lenses (peach and pink), video tape, and a sturdy foam lined plastic briefcase. All pieces look to be in very good condition with very little signs of use.A EBAY REQUIRED STUFF: "The sale of this item may be subject to regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and state and local regulatory agencies. If so, do not bid on this item unless you are an authorized purchaser. If the item is subject to FDA regulation, I will verify your status as an authorized purchaser of this item before shipping of the item."
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