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Which Comes First?
Want to create better patient satisfaction, multiple pair sales, and a stronger bottom line?
Find a new order, and present lenses before frames
By Erinn Morgan
photography by Peter Baker

Which comes first, the frame or the lens? If your dispensary mirrors the optical majority, patients are most likely directed immediately to the frame boards�or given a spectacle presentation first�before lens options are even discussed. Most dispensers probably spend double or triple the amount of time presenting frames than they would lenses to customers.

Given the fact that patient knowledge of lens options can quickly lead to multiple pair sales, the industry�s emphasis on presentation seems quite skewed. In Europe, many dispensers present the lenses to patients before the frames. Stateside, a number of optical shops are catching onto this trend.

�We sell lenses first and frames second,� says Dennis Chaiken, owner of Direct Optical, located outside of Detroit. �When people come here we first start to talk about their lens need. We don�t say, �Look around at the frames and we�ll help you in a minute.� Too many dispensers think fashion equals profit. We strive to give them good eyeglasses and the best lenses for their eyes.�

The Challenges

The real issue becomes training your staff and yourself to think about lenses first. �It�s a challenge to shift the mindset of the opticians and salespeople in the dispensary toward presenting lenses first,� says David Seibel, O.D., at Vision Care Consultants in St. Louis. �I harp, preach, and talk about the advantages of this strategy, but I still see opticians with limited time, and they fall back on saying, �Let me show you our designer frames.��

Many also agree that salespeople begin with the frame presentation because it will take more time. Because of this, and the more appealing fashion nature of frames, many spend the most time on selling frames, and not lenses.

�They tend to be so fashion-conscious in the dispensary of the frames,� says Jerry Thornhill, lab manager at Optical Shop of Aspen, a chain of high-end optical shops. �Lenses are the last thing they are worrying about. It doesn�t make sense.�

Still, those entrenched in the camp of selling lenses first espouse the many reasons why this tactic can be more efficient and profitable.

Why it Makes Sense

Presenting lenses first to the patient opens up a world of opportunity for second-pair sales. It allows the dispenser to delve into the patient�s lifestyle and the variety of lens options that can meet his needs. Once several lens needs have been determined, multiple pairs are a much easier sell.

Additionally, the lens is an easier sell in general. It is still categorized in the minds of most patients as a necessity, whereas the frame can still be considered a fashion accessory that is a luxury. Once the lens need has been determined�whether that be one or two or three different lenses�the frame will easily follow suit.

This process also ensures that the patient will choose a frame that will ultimately work with the lens they are required to have. �You have to understand what type of lenses you are putting the patient in and adapt the frame to that,� says Paul Klein, O.D. of Broward Eyecare Associates in Florida. �If they are getting a progressive and they want a really small frame, they most likely can�t have it. The lens precludes the frame.�

Too often, because of lack of foresight on the part of the salesperson, labs are faced with putting lenses into frames that are a difficult match. �Most people out there sell the frame, and lenses are the afterthought,� says Thornhill. �If they weren�t, then they wouldn�t be trying to put certain lenses into inappropriate frames. We get stuff that people are asking for which is outrageous. I do my best to make it work.�

Many also cite the benefit of getting a customer into a premium product before they are even looking at frames. Some dispensers believe this will put them in the mindset of wanting a premium frame to go with their premium lens.

�I think it�s great to talk about it first because it often gets customers into a premium product,� says Aaron Schubach, director of marketing and lab manager at Standard Optical, which has 16 conventional locations in Utah and one high-end sunglass and goggle shop in Park City. �For example, if they are getting a high-index lens, you can recommend a three-piece drill mount frame.�

The Doctor�s Word

When lenses are the priority in the sales presentation, the process often starts in the exam room. Many doctors will discuss vision and lifestyle needs with patients and make lens recommendations to them. Most agree that this discussion not only starts the ball rolling with patients and their lens choice, but often cements it for them. �Once the doctor says it, it�s the gospel,� says Schubach.

�The patient is really sold from this point on.� He circles his recommendations on the exam form and then passes it along to the optician for the final sales presentation.

According to Seibel, the exam is �where all the battles are won and lost. At the end of the exam you have 30 to 90 seconds to deliver the home run. These people want you to make the suggestions right there. So I say, �Here�s what I�m going to recommend for you: High-index lenses with AR coating.� This gets passed along to the optician who will help them. I don�t discuss frames in the exam room because the minute you do that you�re selling.�

He notes that once the opticians begin discussing what the doctor has recommended, they are typically already sold on the lens. �The work is done and that�s why we have a great success rate,� he says. �It starts with the recommendation from the doctor. And our opticians say it has greatly decreased the dispensing time.�

In the Dispensary

Whether the doctor has set the process in motion in the exam room or not, opticians and salespeople can really make a difference presenting lenses first in the dispensary. The first step is to learn about the patient�s lifestyle.

�Our opticians ask lifestyle questions,� says Chaiken. �They are not going to put somebody who looks at small numbers all day long into a progressive lens because they should have a nice big wide bifocal at work for this.�

Learning about their lens history is also key to understanding their current needs and limitations. �I get the patient chart and review what they were wearing before,� says Beverly Heischman, optical manager of Fava & Maria Eye Associates in Lebanon, Pa. �And then I make a professional judgement on how I can make it better with a new lens. I always do that evaluation process�I ask what they like about their current lenses. This is often where you can uncover the need for more than one pair.�

Good Tactics

Since patients will have a limited attention span for the entire frame and lens presentation, each needs to be as concise and pointed as possible. �I can upgrade a patient very quickly by explaining better lenses to them,� says Heischman. �They usually say, �I want that!� And even after we select the frame we discuss how the lens will work in that frame. Being able to communicate this way with the patient puts them at ease.�

The strongest advantage you can give yourself when presenting lenses first is to really understand all the options and new products on the market. This can be accomplished by attending lens seminars at trade shows, reading manufacturer�s brochures and utilizing other educational tools they may offer. �I really stay attuned to lenses and designs,� says Heishman. �A lot of people don�t know about the new things out there. Unfortunately, the lens manufacturers don�t come around as much any more�we have lost some of the training and education.

�Especially with the premium products�if you don�t know how to use and fit them, it will cost you more time in the end trying to fix the problems that can come up,� she says. �Knowing your lenses will give you a good success rate and better your bottom line.�

Staff Meetings

To keep up to date on the latest in lenses and their strategies for presenting them, Seibel holds bi-weekly �optician�s shows� where the dispensary�s opticians each take turns giving presentations about why it is important to have all the premium lens options. �This staff meeting sends the message to our employees that this is very important,� he says.

Another good tactic is packaging lenses to make that presentation easier. �Some docs have also learned to package the lenses,� says Klein. �Even if you go to a fancy restaurant and it is an � la carte menu and bread and soup and salad are separate, you can easily get tired of this. Some doctors have packaged lenses and options together.

�We have three classifications of packages. The first is CR 39; then high index and UV; and the third is a fully loaded lens,� he explains. �Rather than having to present three or four things separately you present it as a unit and there is less decision-making and more of a tendency to take the one with all the extras because it�s like a prix fixe dinner.�

At Standard Optical, the doctors discuss their lens package in the exam room. �They tell the patient about our Masterpiece Lens System,� says Schubach. �It is an aspheric design, including AR coating, scratch-resistance, UV, and polished edges.�

Finally, one of the best advantages you can have in your court is personal knowledge of the patient�s lifestyle, hobbies, and work situation. �I ask how much they use a computer, and what their hobbies are,� says Seibel. �I ask and ask and ask. Patients don�t care how much you know until they know how much you care.�

Frames First

There are still many dispensers who feel that presenting the frame first is the most effective way of selling eyewear.

�By the time the optician gets to showing the frames, patients can be exhausted and don�t want to sit through another presentation,� says Klein. �They also see that the expense is adding up. If you present the frame first, the lens design will simply follow the doctor�s recommendation. Most patients will not say �No� to the doctor�s recommendation. The frame is a style issue and an emotional reaction, and the lenses are a necessity. It seems logical to present the emotional part first. The necessity part doesn�t have too many alternatives.�

Which way is right for you, your dispensary, and your patients? Backed with the proper knowledge and tactics for presenting lenses first, it may just be worth your while to try a new order.