How I...
Promote poly and Trivex for everyday wear
By Erinn Morgan

While polycarbonate and Trivex™ are lauded for their impact resistance, these lenses are moving into a new realm of everyday use since they boast light weight and a thin profile. Plus, with the increase in popularity of rimless frames, many dispensers say these materials are the best options for successful drill mounts.

With all these advantages, it is no surprise that poly and Trivex sales are increasing in today's demanding market. Some dispensers are now positioning one or the other as their material of choice for the majority of their patients. Here, we feature dispensing tips from eyecare professionals playing each court--poly and Trivex.

TRIVEX TRUTHS

Walt Garrison, an optician with Altig Optical in Fort Worth, Texas, sells mostly Trivex in his 1,900-square-foot location, which features three exam rooms, a doctor's office, and dispensing areas for contact lenses and eyeglasses. The majority of his patients have VSP insurance, but Garrison has worked hard at getting this group to trade up.

"We predominantly do VSP insurance patients," he notes. "But we are pretty good at upgrading them. Most patients are willing to pay the $23 extra to get Phoenix versus poly." As a result, at least 80 percent of his adult customers are upgrading.

Garrison says a wide variety of customers, including young adults, baby boomers, seniors, and even kids, trade up. "We came up with a kids' package that includes the frame and a polycarbonate lens. But for $30 more, we will upgrade them. As a result, we see a lot of trade-ups in kids. It's all in how you sell it."

No-line bifocals are also a sure-fire upgrade to Trivex, he says. "We tell patients that it is stronger, more durable, and better for computer work--and they usually opt for it.

"The biggest benefit we discuss with patients is the optical clarity of Trivex," he says. "The lightness is there and the durability, too, but these features are comparable to poly. So optical quality is the real plus."

P.O.P. To aid in presentation, Garrison uses a reading card and brochures that tell about Trivex. To help patients make the trade up, he also discusses the reasonable price of the upgrade. "How you sell this is pricepoint," he says. "The pricepoint is pretty reasonable. The pricepoint of the new high index is definitely more expensive. We tell them it's going to be very light. Most patients see the price/benefit ratio and make the upgrade," Garrison says.

Warranty. Another key strategy at Altig Optical is its one-year lens warranty. "Our warranty is pretty much unconditional, even if you just scuff it up," he says.

"This is one of our selling points over a budget place. With poly, people were coming back and getting it replaced when their lenses scratched. Kids came back all the time. But Trivex is different--we are selling the warranty, but we usually don't have returns."

	Sales of Trivex, shown above, and poly are on the upswing in the market today

Trivex profits have been on the upswing thanks to rimless eyewear sales. "Trivex has made rimless a better option," says Garrison. "It is our first choice for a drill mount. In the past with other materials, we would simply try to adjust the frame and end up breaking the lens. Now we haven't had any problems. I also refer to an article that we have hanging on the wall about how, while testing a rimless frame with a Trivex lens, the screws broke before the lens."

His efforts with this lens have paid off. Trivex sales are constantly increasing at Altig Optical, and they are building the awareness with patients of the benefits of this lens material. "Most people who wear it come back the next time and want them again," he says.

POLY PLUSES

Lenses made of polycarbonate are also in the limelight today as customers demand thin and lightweight lenses. At Village Eyeworks, which has locations in Surprise and Phoenix, Ariz., polycarbonate represents about 80 percent of sales.

"It has increased mainly over the last two years," says owner Bob Royden. "We had a seminar here on poly, and we knew it was perfect for our customers so we decided to start pushing it."

Features and benefits. The first step to selling poly at Village Eyeworks is explaining the features and benefits. "I tell customers that poly makes lenses thinner, almost unbreakable, stronger, and scratch resistant," says Royden. "We don't really give them much of a choice beyond polycarbonate. We just say 'When you get eyewear, especially rimless, you have to have this.'"

Rimless sales have been on the rise at Village Eyeworks, and, due to this, polycarbonate has played a larger part in lens sales. "We are selling a lot of rimless with poly," says Royden. "Our patients see the newscasters on TV and come in and say, 'We want the same frames because they look so good on them.' We definitely tell customers getting rimless frames that polycarbonate is their only option."

Adding AR. The other tactic Royden employs is package pricing poly lenses. "We tell customers that we are going to do poly with AR coating," says Royden. "If you start adding up the different prices, they often back out of things because they see the prices separated out. If you present it as a package, there is usually no problem."

As a result of these practices, sales of poly continue to increase. "The majority of our customers get poly automatically," says Royden, "and a lot of people come back and ask for it again."