INSIDER’S VIEW

The NEW Connected World

Step into it now by mining existing clientele and targeting them and their friends for future growth

BY KEN SCHWARTZ

Smartphones and tablet technology…that’s where our lives, and the lives of our clients, reside. We are constantly talking, texting, photographing, sourcing, and searching for everything from knowledge to love. We engage our “friends” (all 1,500 of them) with the click of a button.

THE GAME CHANGER

Do you need another Yellow Pages ad this year? How’s the response on that direct mail coupon? Maybe these vehicles are worthwhile to keep—I don’t know, but you should.

What I do know is that the smartphone is going to be much more opportunistic and precise in reaching your clients. It’s the game changer.

So you better start capturing your “friends” and keeping them engaged, or they’ll be someone else’s “friend” soon. Unfortunately, that’s the way it works these days. So, let’s drill down and catch this wave together.

JOIN THE CLUB

Everyone wants to be part of something, and social media has given us endless possibilities. Our customers at Oliver Peoples always relished being part of our “club” of cool and hip design and imagery, with no logos. We have stayed true to our customers since 1986, even through the sale to Oakley and then Luxottica.

Even today, Oliver Peoples is fortunate that these companies understand our club and the value our customers brought to the brand. There are other groups of customers, too—those who want to be part of a branded club, and others who want to be part of the geek chic online club.

At the end of the day, you need them in your “club.” You need to keep them engaged about everything from fashion to function—but cleverly conceived, personal, and to the point—by way of their smartphone, tablet, or digital device at least two to three times a year.

THE IPAD

It’s a brilliant device, and one that, in my opinion, you need to purchase as soon as possible. No, I’m not a company plant with a sales quota, but every practice should have an iPad.

Why? Well, if you’re going to stay competitive in this market, you’ll need to engage your “friends.”

Begin mining your existing clientele and targeting them and their friends for growth. See the sidebar on page 68 for tips on taking photos of clients NOW so that when the technology is ready, you can send them images of themselves virtually wearing some great glasses.

For now, communicate regularly, whether it’s reminding them of an upcoming appointment, informing them of a trunk show, or sending other special announcements. Keep in mind that getting a message from a professional in their life is important.

THE NEW PARTNERSHIPS

Eyewear distribution companies and eyewear sales associates will be the conduit for making this a win-win situation. Gone will be the days of the rep just showing up, opening the bags, and seeing you again in six months. The real value will be with those companies that give you the back-end support to manage your virtual outreach program with reps that “get it.”

They will be the ones working with you to drive business, for both of your benefits, by increasing sales opportunities to your clients via their smartphones and tablets.

CONNECTING WITH PATIENTS

Here’s the future: Taking photos of each patient, you will use virtual try-on technology to create and then send to their smartphone or digital device the images of them with the latest custom-fit frames on their face. And to help drive home the message, be sure to add a personal message from you, the eyecare professional.

Your clients will then share this powerful package with their real friends (not just online ones), increasing awareness of you, the ECP, as well as the frame brand, while keeping client information private for your own use.

THE “WHY NOW”

Many clients have been with you for many years, and some are new. Regardless of how long you’ve known them, you must remember the following.

• YOU know who they are, their visual needs, their prior purchases, their prescriptions, their measurements, and their contact information.

• YOU are a professional in their life, not some marketing company or an online retailer looking to capture their business.

• YOU have the huge advantage of a real personal relationship along with extraordinary legitimacy in their world. They want you to make their visual experience better; if you don’t, you’re giving them an opportunity to go elsewhere because that’s what online “friends” do.

Take initiative, step up your game, and start capturing their images. You can thank me later.

The co-founder of Oliver Peoples, Ken Schwartz has been in the optical industry for more than 40 years.