EDITOR'S LETTER
Positioning Product
Stephanie K. De Long

Just before Vision Expo East, I led a discussion group about positioning spectacle lenses. Many participants hadn't rethought the way they present product in years, and found this a good exercise. Here are five of the strategies we addressed:

� Use your influence. Don't underestimate the power of your recommendations. When consumers were asked to list the relative importance of healthcare
professionals, eye doctors ranked third, just behind personal physician and dentist.
� Be hands-on. Nothing beats lens displays where customers can actually see the difference between plastic and high index, for example. Only 30 percent of customers are auditory�the remaining 70 percent need to see or touch the product.
� Present benefits. Consumers buy into benefits, not features. Don't say a progressive lens has a larger reading corridor. That's a feature. Try, "Thanks to the advanced design of these lenses, you'll find it much easier to read." That's a benefit.
� Talk technology. Research suggests that nearly eight out of 10 consumers would like to know more about the technology behind products.
� Package products. Rethink your pricing. One dispenser said he raised lens revenues 18 percent by bundling AR and creating a premium lens package.

Sure, strategies like these benefit the bottom line. In fact, the Fisher Institute for Professional Selling at the University of Akron reports that selling up strategies increase revenues an average of 20 percent. But the real beneficiary of improved product positioning isn't you. It's your patients.

Sincerely,
Stephanie K. De Long
Editor-in-Chief

P.S. Don't miss this month's Seiko-sponsored CE on Meeting Lens Technology Challenges.