Hi Chris,

Here are a few things off the cuff (though you've gotten some excellent suggestions already, I think)....

You didn't mention the competition.... Are there a lot of other opticians in the area? I think it would be the competition which would be the main source of a possible "problem" for him. If there are a number of other opticians in the area, of course, it's harder for him to compete for customers' attentions, since they are all comparing your friend to all the other opticians....

How is your friend's service unique? I think he needs to find a way to "stand out from the crowd".... Perhaps be a little unusual. Another possible approach is to target a "sub-niche" among the customers.

I don't know much about opticians, but my impression is that they are all about the same. However, perhaps some of these customers have special "wants" which aren't being met, or special "problems" which aren't being addressed. Sandy's post is a good example of this - she is suggesting focusing on those who want to look good or look young, and doing an "eye and eyeglass makeover" - and beating all the competitors in that specialized area. If he becomes THE optometrist/optician to go to if you want to look younger, then suddenly, he no longer has any real competition, in his special area.

Another idea is an "up-market" optician. I remember once reading an article about a dentist who did this.... He didn't have waiting rooms, etc. People made appointments, and when it was their turn, he was there, and they were the only patients there. It was more of a "closed" and "exclusive" dentist office - he could reject you as a customer if he wanted to. People got extras - free tea and coffee, free biscuits/cookies, and they were generally "pampered". There was relaxing music in the background.... The comfort and happiness of the customer was everything!

He charged more for his service than other dentists, but that's because he targeted the "wants" of a particular niche, and he had a booming business. The "wealthy" don't always want to get the same service as everyone else, many of them want "special treatment", and many will pay extra for a bit of extra comfort and luxury.

I don't know if this would work, but how about an optician who makes house calls? I can imagine that some people have difficulty getting to his office, especially if they may be elderly or disabled in some way. If he's the only optician in the area who makes "house calls," then suddenly, in this particular niche, he again has no competition.

Anyhow, I hope you get some good ideas out of this.... :) Probably your optician-friend can think of much better sub-niches than I can, since he knows what the customers of opticians are like and what they look for better than I would, and what special sub-niches may exist! So, these are just some suggestions "off the cuff" from the little I know or can guess about those who might go to see an optician....

- Dien Rice