Editor's letter
Frame Buyer Program
Stephanie K. De Long
If you or an associate is considering going to next month's International Vision Expo East show in New York, we suggest you sign on for some of the Frame Buyer courses. Designed for dispensary managers, staff, and, especially, buyers, these courses are all part of the Frame Buyer Certificate Program.
Eyecare Business is proud to co-sponsor this program—conducted at both International Vision Expo East and West—along with The Vision Council's Eyewear and Accessories Division.
If you take a total of eight hours of education on this track, you'll automatically become a graduate of the program. In addition, you'll receive a certificate of completion to display at your location.
So, who's previously completed these certificate programs? Opticians. New employees. Dispensary managers. ODs looking to learn more about the purchasing process. And, of course, dispensing staff and buyers from businesses big and small.
To see what some of them had to say about the courses they've taken at past shows, look at What They Said on this page.
Here are just a few of the 13 hours of Frame Buyer Certificate Program courses being offered in New York: Setting Your Frame Board Mix and Pricing, Vendor Selection and Evaluation, How to Set Up a Planogram, and Visual Merchandising Magic (I'm pleased to be moderating this one, which will feature a panel of outstanding merchandising gurus from inside optical and out.)
If your schedule doesn't allow for eight hours of courses from this category in March, no problem. You can complete them at another Vision Expo show and still earn the certificate.
This year's continuing education program runs from March 22 to 25. Regardless of what category you're interested in, we hope you'll take advantage of the variety of educational offerings at Vision Expo East.
Hope to see you there.
Steph De Long
Editor-in-Chief
P.S. For more info, go to visionexpoeast.com.
| WHAT THEY SAID… |
|---|
| A look at what previous Frame Buyer Certificate recipients have had to say about the program. ADDITIONAL REVENUE “I've actually learned pricing techniques that have added thousands and thousands of dollars to my bottom line.” |
| — Virginia Davis, buyer, Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| HELPFUL HINTS “I was able to take helpful hints from every course I took. We need to be able to accommodate all types of patients, so any tips on how to successfully manage inventory are beneficial to me.” |
| — Cynthia Johnson, certified optometric assistant, Estherhazy, Saskachewan, Canada |
| SAVVY SPEAKERS “Having speakers there with different views was great. One speaker would say, ‘This is how we do it,’ and another would say, ‘That didn't work for us, but this strategy did.’” |
| — Sandy McComb, optician, Lake Charles, La. |
| BOTTOM LINE “It's something that helped me put a lot back into the office. With the economy the way it's been, it gave me the tools to make the bottom line better here.” |
| — Heather Judd, optician, Montpelier, Vt. |
| FRAMES AND FASHION “There was a lot of great fashion information along with specifics on how to manage your frame board. The instructors were phenomenal.” |
| — Chalet Eldell, buyer, Athens, Ga. |
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