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Roll Out The Red Carpet
A spotlight on dispensing designer brand names
By Amy MacMillan

They still call Juanita Moman "Sophia." As in, Sophia Loren, Hollywood's legendary screen siren.

It's not because the owner of Moman's Eyecare looks like the star. It's because the residents of tiny Gadsden, Ala. remember the billboards. In the late 1970s, Moman created several billboards with Sophia's likeness on one side and her own face on the other, promoting Sophia Loren Eyewear.

Moman was so successful at selling Loren's eyewear that the actress invited Moman to visit her in Paris one year. "I went to her apartment, and we chatted for about an hour. I was so excited and you better believe I let all the media in surrounding towns [back home] know about it," Moman remembers.

Moman, who opened her business in 1975, has a knack for promoting and selling designer eyewear names and positions her shop, 60 miles north of Birmingham, as a fashion frame mecca.

Promoting designer names takes perseverance and personality. Moman, who recently had her photo taken with designer Kenneth Cole at Vision Expo East, asked him if she could use the shot in some local ads and in her dispensary. "He said, 'Be my guest,'" Moman says.

Aside from the perks of potentially meeting celebs--promoting designer eyewear is a fabulous way to draw publicity for your dispensary and to sell more eyewear.

It's no secret that brand names sell. But when they're backed up by flesh-and-blood designers or celebrities, consumers seem to relate even better. "It's because, like the designers, we all want the same things out of life. We all want to be successful and we want to be loved," Moman says.

Steven Weisfeld, O.D., owner of Spectacles in Englewood, N.J., says designer names mean a lot to consumers, because it's something they can relate to. Weisfeld says positioning, and selling designer names can be an "entr�e into anything you want it to be," including selling up.

Mary Lou Schatan-Foreman, owner of the Schatan Optical Gallery in Torrance, Calif., says designer names became desirable to the public during the age of Camelot. "It was in the 1950s and '60s when Jackie Kennedy brought designer clothes to life," she remembers. "This was when the baby boomers were in high school. We never thought we'd be able to buy anything like that back then, but now we can. We all have an inbred desire to hit that peak. Jackie was a fabulous person to try to emulate."

Schatan-Foreman says the adulation of designer names has trickled down to the baby boomers' children, too. "The up-and-coming generation--from ages 26 to 35--are really into designer names," she says.

Schatan-Foreman, who sells high-end designer names in her shop, says dispensary salespeople must have respect for the designers if they are going to sell their eyewear. This means having an appreciation for the designer's entire wardrobe line, because typically that's where the line's origins are.

"The real big problem is that a lot of opticians selling can't afford to buy these products. If they don't wear it, then it's hard to sell it," she says.

She says if eyecare professionals are serious about promoting designer names, they may want to consider buying one or two outfits from one of the lines for their employees to wear at work.

RED CARPET TREATMENT

Truly fashion-conscious customers understand they need the right accessories to make a complete outfit. It's all in the attitude. Often, if a customer wants a designer name, he or she will come in asking for it.

Other customers, however, have zero interest in designer names, and sometimes demand no-name products. Schatan-Foreman says eyecare professionals need to respect this viewpoint. "I have customers who need to be treated with kid gloves. They need to see well, but they don't want to spend a lot of money."

When a patient claims he doesn't want a designer frame, Schatan-Forman says she first explains to the customer that he needs well-made frames to hold his lenses. "I stop talking about designer names at this point," she says. "I say, 'This product is very well made.' I talk about the physical characteristics of the frame and I tell them 'You cannot pay a little, and get a lot.'"

Then, if the customer does inquire about the name of the frame, Schatan-Foreman says, "Some designer names are not good quality, but I only carry the best." At this point, she's usually won them over and a sale has been made.

"It takes a lot of experience to be able to do that," she admits.

To attain this level, Schatan-Foreman recommends optical retailers consider hiring a professional sales trainer. "Bring in a hotshot sales person for a day or two to show your employees how it works. A lot of the vendor sales reps are trained to do just that, and they will offer their services," she says.

Gary Kaschak, owner of Sterling Optical in North Wales, Pa., agrees that light conversation is the best icebreaker. He says when he's selling, he initially won't even focus on frame names or even on glasses in general. "What I try to do at first is discuss something non-optical. I'll try to find something in common with everybody. If a customer trusts you, he will buy from you."

William J. Filchak, O.D., who owns a practice in Southbury, Conn., says many patients come in looking for specific designer frames. "It kind of goes in spurts, as to who's hot...they seem to get their information from the fashion magazines."

For his part, Filchak will feature one or two designers individually each quarter, where he'll create a separate display and will hold a trunk show to promote awareness of the entire line. Filchak says although he will steer his patients toward the best frame--regardless of brand name--designer name frames are often of high quality because the designers do not want to attach their names to "cheap imitations."

A MODEL TECHNIQUE

Macy's Vision Express, an independently owned optical shop at Macy's, plays off the designer clothing departments within the flagship department store at Herald Square in New York.

"We are the best test case for any designer," says Judi Krivitsky, general manager of the optical shop. "There is so much ability to cross-promote within this store."

Krivitsky has her frames grouped by collection, as opposed to grouping by men's and women's, and advertises her specific designer lines in the store's counterpart clothing departments.

Recently, Vision Express hired models to wear Tommy Hilfiger frames. They sauntered through the store's Tommy Hilfiger clothing departments handing out coupons for the eyewear.

Patricia Tolar, president of University Opticians and Consultants, Inc. in Chapel Hill, N.C., says this kind of cross merchandising can be done anywhere. She recommends optical retailers form relationships with buyers or managers at local department stores or shops where designer names are sold. "It takes legwork," she says. "You have to put some personal effort into it. Take the buyer or window dresser to lunch and show him the frames. If you want to keep business good, you've got to get out there and work."

In exchange for using frames in their displays, these stores may lend optical retailers selected merchandise to display in their own stores to promote the line as a whole. Choose recognizable name designers, because you can "build on what they've already done in order to highlight the glasses," Tolar says.

DIVE IN

Getting right to the public is how Ron Krajewski, owner of the two Eastern Shore Optical shops in Rehoboth Beach and Seaford, Del., promotes designer names.

Krajewski appears on two radio programs a week where he promotes his shops and name drops designer name frames. On one show, he spends an hour in a studio at a talk radio show, where he takes calls and answers questions from listeners about eyewear. He even sponsors a trivia question so station callers can win a coupon for eyewear at his shop. He also hosts another 15 minute radio program where he calls into the station and takes calls from listeners.

Krajewski says the radio format is successful because his local area is drenched with coverage from a staggering 32 newspapers. "It wouldn't be worth it to hit the newspapers. It would be too cost-prohibitive, but radio reaches everybody."

During his studio appearance, Krajewski is sure to tote along frames to show the disc jockeys on air, all the while chatting up designer name eyewear. He says the format works well in a rural area like his, but that "You have to back it up with commercials."

In fact, Krajewski recommends doing your own commercials if you are gregarious with a decent voice. "I do my own commercials. And then, when you get voice recognition, you become a mini-celebrity in your area."

Krajewski, who has been doing his radio show for 18 years, says going straight to the public is the best way to promote designer names. "If you inform the public, you will stay busy," he says.

LIGHTS, CAMERA...TRUNK SHOW

Trunk shows are a great way to promote specific designer eyewear and cement your optical business in the community.

Krivitsky, of Macy's Vision Express, says when her shop wanted to promote Donna Karan Eyewear, it held a wine-and-cheese trunk show where free Donna Karan t-shirts were passed out.

Pat Tolar says trunk shows must be planned at least 10 weeks in advance. Initially a vendor must be selected, a budget should be set and a theme should be nailed down. Vendors can usually be relied on for help. "Most designers authorize vendors to offer pre-printed invitations or post cards with the designer name highlighted to invite prospective and current clients to view the entire line of the day of the show."

Victor Sharapan, an independent sales rep who sets up trunk shows for optical chains across the country--most notably Sterling Optical--says these shows need to focus on high quality eyewear. "Because, when you sell a better frame, you'll sell better lenses," he says.

Lastly, never assume who can and cannot afford to buy designer eyewear, says Paige Bluth, optician and manager for Drs. May and Hettler in northern Virginia. "We deal with everyone from people on welfare to multi-millionaires. Some poor people will wear very fine eyewear. It's human nature to want the best."

She points out that some customers will choose designer eyewear, and if they don't have the cash, they will save for many months in order to afford the frames. "If you can explain the benefits of the frames, then the patients can justify spending the money. It means you have to enjoy working with people, know your product and have the desire to sell," she says. EB