A Marketing Challenge For Y'All

Borrowing from Dan Kennedy's teachings...

A 4-piece mailing over a period of 45 days to a target market that your friend can afford to market to. Would cost $2 to $3 per prospect. Of course the success of this would depend upon:
1. The offer.
2. The copywriting.

Since almost every family has at least one person that needs glasses the target market could be geographical. Try it on 100 prospects (total cost $200 to $300).

The first contact could be an endorsed piece from an partnering merchant.

This type of direct mail program does work. Plus you can do as much as you can afford to do.

Take care,

Mike Winicki

Hey Dien,

Great point about the competition; that's something I need to take a closer look at. I started clipping their ads, but I should probably visit a few in person. A quick look at the Morris County Yellow Pages found around 55-60 opticians and about 80 optometrists! Of course, there is some overlap, since some list under both and those locations with multiple optometrists usually list each one separately, as well as the business itself.

On the optician's side, the biggest competition seems to be the big chains, probably because they have the big marketing machine behind them and can probably get better prices on supplies (thus partially reducing costs & improving margins). And with the high amount of traffic they usually get, they can probably afford to cut their margins on some things (at least temporarily). On the other hand, Tom's part-time optometrist, Ramy, also works at an Amber store and a Pearle store, and he says business is just as slow for Amber and almost so for Pearle.

Speaking of Yellow Pages, I just noticed that Tom lists himself ("Mr. Optics") under opticians but not under optometrists. I'll have to ask him if that was his choice (and why) or if maybe there's a legal reason. He used to have a YP ad in addition to the listing, but he pulled it not long ago, because the small amount of business he could trace to it didn't justify the huge expense of the YP contract (several thousand $). I think he might let me write a Gary Halbert-type, editorial-style YP ad for him, but that's many months down the road.

As I think I either mentioned or implied earlier, we need to work on developing Tom's USP or competitive advantage. It might focus on customer service or the family-friendly atmosphere, but he may need to focus on a specific niche or sub-niche to truly set himself apart, as you say. As I said in my response to Sandy's post, that "fashion makeover" thing may indeed be the way to go.

I am familiar with the dentist you mentioned. Actually, I've heard of two that did very similar things -- one that did so after consulting w/ Jay Abraham, the other had already done so before he met Jay. One is Australian, the other from the U.S., but I don't recall which was which. Also, one of them teamed up with Bob Morrison (of "S.O.B. book" fame) and put on the (in)famous $30,000/seat seminar to teach other dentists how to do the same thing. Made a nice chunk of change doing that, too. If Tom and I make some real strides in saving, growing, even transforming his business, maybe we can do something similar. Maybe license out our successful ads, letters, & other techniques, too. (Hope & Pray.)

That reminds me, I needs to talk to my dentist...

Another thought-provoking post from Mr. Rice. Thanks a lot, Dien.

Keep 'em coming, folks! This is great.

Chris

> 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

Hi Chris:

Being Canadian things are a bit different here in Ontario with our provincial health plan for eyes....our eye exams are paid for every two years - appointments in a shorter interval are our responsibility for payment.

This is the way my optometrist works his clients: six months after the appointment a friendly call from the receptionist to make sure there aren't any problems....1 year another call with same concern but also advising that if an appointment is needed that we are still under the boundaries of health plan payment (also in the interim of the first year a birthday card is sent out)....at 18 months another call....2 weeks before the aniversary date a letter arrives saying that an appointment has been tentatively made for month,day, year and time and if this isn't suitable to my schedule they will change what is necessary if I give them a call (in the course of this second year a birthday greeting has also been recieved.

Seems simple enough, but the concern as well as the committment and setting an appointment with sufficient notice to work it into the schedule keeps him at the saturation point where he doesn't accept any new clients.

Cornell

Chris
1)Offer FREE eye exams for a limited time, by appointment only to anyone who needs the gift of enhanced eyesight.
2)This will entitle you to PSA's thru local TV and radio stations. You can find any radio station at www.radio-locator.com
3)Talk to radio stations and newspapers about being put on list for "remnant" advertising. This is unsold inventory that's dumped at the last minute for a fraction of the cost.
4)Press release announcing Tom's "Christmas gift" to the community, which provides the "hook" the media desires before running a story.
5)Have Tom contact local shelters and social service agencies. They provide vouchers for exams and glasses that the govt. pays for low income people.
6)Contact Tom's competitor who is going bankrupt.
propose a 50/50 JV of his customer list that is hopefully computerized. An endorsement letter from bankrupt merchant would be optimal.
7)Start a referral program from new leads offering discounts for new paying referrals. They've already had the exam and this will help subsidize the products Tom recommends.
8)Go thru his old list, calling everyone to inform of free exams, referral program etc... Let these people know they get first bite at the apple before the public is made aware of upcoming offer...ONLY if they act now.
9)Hire a college student to perform data entry for Tom.

Of all the ideas presented, this and remnant adv.will be the only costs incurred. As you know, he will then have a relatively free way to communicate with prospects to inform and market.
10)Please wish Tom a Merry Christmas for me. I'm confident if he follows these suggestions, he'll have a good one also.
Michael Madden
> Hi Everyone,

> I have a marketing problem/situation that

> Hi Everyone,

> I have a marketing problem/situation that
> I'm hoping you all can help me out with. A
> friend (and potential client), Tom, is an
> optician with a store in a good-size outdoor
> mall. He has been there about 7 years, if
> memory serves. It's a prime location, right
> in the middle of town (Northern NJ), but he
> says that business has been particularly
> slow for all the tenants the past few
> months. Frankly, he is barely paying his
> bills. He acknowledges that November is
> usually a slow month in his industry, but as
> I said, this has been going on for awhile.

> Tom has a very nice store, well lit with
> very nice displays. He prides himself on
> carrying only quality merchandise at
> reasonable prices and is very
> patient-focussed. He is very friendly and
> recognizes regular patients by name, knows
> their families, occupations, hobbies, etc.,
> and keeps detailed records. Overall, a very
> classy operation.

> I have presented him with many good
> marketing ideas/concepts (a la Jay Abraham
> & others), which he likes and sees the
> value in. The main problem (and his main
> weakness) is that he is slightly
> technophobic and doesn't own a computer, so
> naturally he doesn't have his patient info
> in any kind of database that can be used to
> do mailings. I've given him some advice on
> hardware & software, and between Tom's
> wife and I, we have convinced him that he
> needs to do this. (It will be a major
> project, but I recommended he start with a
> small segment -- namely, the more affluent
> patients.) But, he doesn't feel he can spare
> the bucks, at this point. Plus, he has some
> aversion to leasing a PC or laptop, partly
> because he doesn't want to get locked into a
> 2-year contract and then go out of business
> in 3 months....

> He doesn't do much advertising, though he
> has recently been testing display ads in a
> very small, bi-weekly, local paper that
> targets some of the more affluent
> communities in our area. They haven't pulled
> very well, so Tom let me design a new ad to
> test, which just came out last week. The
> headline is "Are You Suffering From Any
> Of These Eye Problems?", followed by 5
> bullets, four lines of text urging regular
> examinations and pro-active eyecare; then
> his name/address/phone & logo, flanked
> by photos of him and the optometrist. The
> bottom is two coupons, one for "$29 Eye
> Exams (reg. $80) every Friday" and one
> for a Holiday Special of $50 off lenses w/
> purchase of new frames. I followed all the
> rules (I think) about fonts/typeface and
> color. We both thought it would work pretty
> well, but tonight he said he hasn't had ANY
> response.

> Tom continues to blame the economy in
> general (national, not just local) for the
> poor business and doesn't really blame me
> for the new ad not pulling, but I'm not sure
> that's the only problem. In fact, if we
> could just do some mailings to current and
> inactive patients, I think we could get him
> some business. Since this doesn't look like
> it's gonna happen real soon, I'm struggling
> to come up with something that's going to
> bring him some cash flow before he decides
> to pack it in.

> So, after doing some heavy thinking since
> talking with Tom earlier this evening, here
> are the 3 things I've come up with. 1)
> Consider getting a small, Small Business
> loan; although, I don't think he'll like
> that one, especially since another local
> optician is going out of business and is
> heavily in debt. 2) Something we've already
> discussed, which is to mail to other
> businesses' customers/clients, either as a
> JV or endorsed mailing or renting the
> list(s), etc. Of course, with any mailing
> there are printing & postage costs, but
> even a limited, test-mailing might prove
> worthwhile, then re-invest in more mailings,
> and so on. Also, I figure we may be able to
> trade for Tom's products/services or perhaps
> for future use of his list. And that brings
> me to... 3) Barter. I was just reading some
> Jay Abraham materials on barter, and it
> dawned on me that this might be just the
> ticket. We might be able to barter Tom's
> products/services (at retail) to pay off
> some of his bills. And, we could barter them
> to local radio stations (and maybe newspaper
> or local TV/cable) in exchange for
> advertising.

> Now, my questions for you guys & gals
> are:
> 1) Does anyone have any other suggestions
> for Tom and/or for his fellow tenants at the
> mall (maybe a group event)?
> 2) Any ideas why my ad didn't work? (I'll
> see if I can get a copy from Tom or the
> paper, so I can scan it in.)
> 3) Have any of you done any trades/bartering
> of products/services like I described, and
> what were your experiences?
> 4) As for radio & other media, does it
> make more sense to approach the
> Marketing/Advertising Director to suggest
> the barter deal, or should I go straight to
> the General Manager? And, what is the best
> place to get the up-to-date names/numbers
> for these people? (Yellow Pages doesn't even
> list all the local stations.)
> 5) Any recommendations on how (not) to
> "pitch" these people?

> To all those who have read thru all of this,
> you do me great honor. I greatly appreciate
> any suggestions or input any of you have.

> Best Regards,
> Chris Harris




Here's the solution...

Hey, Chris - you're getting loads of good ideas :-) ...... the "makeover" idea's great, because there is a computer programme somewhere which allows you to take pics of your patient and show them what they would look like in a variety of specs. Don't know it's name/price ... but that could open the door for your client to use his customer database more creatively over the next year!

Whatever else he does, your client needs to change his shop window display to get people to stop at the window and look round his premises.

Perhaps he could make a Christmas window with a nice dining-table, dressed for Christmas; red underneath a white lace cover; full dinner setting for two; model sitting at one place; gift-wrapped on the other place - bubble caption to read "He couldn't read the invitation - buy him some cool new specs for Christmas!"

Other mall merchants might supply the "set", especially if you include a list of those who did; more advertising for them.

Anyway, that's just an idea - it's great for a window to tell a story; I don't always do that myself, but a themed window does work, as does changing the window and challenging perceptions of the business. A shop which looks "stale" isn't going to attract new clients.

People get blind to a business in many different ways. You can walk through a shopping centre, 'knowing' exactly what kind of businesses are there, but never seeing them. But they are aware of change; and that creates interest and then business.

Good luck!

Margaret

Thanks for the ideas on themed window displays, and you make a great point about the need to break thru people's "blindness" to your store/business.

I'll have to look into that software you mentioned, too.

Regards,
Chris

> Hey, Chris - you're getting loads of good
> ideas :-) ...... the "makeover"
> idea's great, because there is a computer
> programme somewhere which allows you to take
> pics of your patient and show them what they
> would look like in a variety of specs. Don't
> know it's name/price ... but that could open
> the door for your client to use his customer
> database more creatively over the next year!

> Whatever else he does, your client needs to
> change his shop window display to get people
> to stop at the window and look round his
> premises.

> Perhaps he could make a Christmas window
> with a nice dining-table, dressed for
> Christmas; red underneath a white lace
> cover; full dinner setting for two; model
> sitting at one place; gift-wrapped on the
> other place - bubble caption to read
> "He couldn't read the invitation - buy
> him some cool new specs for Christmas!"

> Other mall merchants might supply the
> "set", especially if you include a
> list of those who did; more advertising for
> them.

> Anyway, that's just an idea - it's great for
> a window to tell a story; I don't always do
> that myself, but a themed window does work,
> as does changing the window and challenging
> perceptions of the business. A shop which
> looks "stale" isn't going to
> attract new clients.

> People get blind to a business in many
> different ways. You can walk through a
> shopping centre, 'knowing' exactly what kind
> of businesses are there, but never seeing
> them. But they are aware of change; and that
> creates interest and then business.

> Good luck!

> Margaret

If the mall has poor traffic then he should pull out of it before it bleeds his business to death. Judging by the anecdotal evidence you have given, this type of retail store is a "Sunset Industry."
If you can, try to figure out what the next big thing might be for this industry.
Forget about discounting your products. Its a game you can not win. Find rich people who need more eyewear to enhance their lifestyle. Tell them how they need greater quantities of high quality eyewear. Treat them well, charge full list price with great service thrown in. Ask for referrals.

Hire someone to deal with that computer stuff. Get them to create, maintain and mine a great database.
Carve out a new niche and own it.

> Hi Everyone,

> I have a marketing problem/situation that
> I'm hoping you all can help me out with. A
> friend (and potential client), Tom, is an
> optician with a store in a good-size outdoor
> mall. He has been there about 7 years, if
> memory serves. It's a prime location, right
> in the middle of town (Northern NJ), but he
> says that business has been particularly
> slow for all the tenants the past few
> months. Frankly, he is barely paying his
> bills. He acknowledges that November is
> usually a slow month in his industry, but as
> I said, this has been going on for awhile.

> Tom has a very nice store, well lit with
> very nice displays. He prides himself on
> carrying only quality merchandise at
> reasonable prices and is very
> patient-focussed. He is very friendly and
> recognizes regular patients by name, knows
> their families, occupations, hobbies, etc.,
> and keeps detailed records. Overall, a very
> classy operation.

> I have presented him with many good
> marketing ideas/concepts (a la Jay Abraham
> & others), which he likes and sees the
> value in. The main problem (and his main
> weakness) is that he is slightly
> technophobic and doesn't own a computer, so
> naturally he doesn't have his patient info
> in any kind of database that can be used to
> do mailings. I've given him some advice on
> hardware & software, and between Tom's
> wife and I, we have convinced him that he
> needs to do this. (It will be a major
> project, but I recommended he start with a
> small segment -- namely, the more affluent
> patients.) But, he doesn't feel he can spare
> the bucks, at this point. Plus, he has some
> aversion to leasing a PC or laptop, partly
> because he doesn't want to get locked into a
> 2-year contract and then go out of business
> in 3 months....

> He doesn't do much advertising, though he
> has recently been testing display ads in a
> very small, bi-weekly, local paper that
> targets some of the more affluent
> communities in our area. They haven't pulled
> very well, so Tom let me design a new ad to
> test, which just came out last week. The
> headline is "Are You Suffering From Any
> Of These Eye Problems?", followed by 5
> bullets, four lines of text urging regular
> examinations and pro-active eyecare; then
> his name/address/phone & logo, flanked
> by photos of him and the optometrist. The
> bottom is two coupons, one for "$29 Eye
> Exams (reg. $80) every Friday" and one
> for a Holiday Special of $50 off lenses w/
> purchase of new frames. I followed all the
> rules (I think) about fonts/typeface and
> color. We both thought it would work pretty
> well, but tonight he said he hasn't had ANY
> response.

> Tom continues to blame the economy in
> general (national, not just local) for the
> poor business and doesn't really blame me
> for the new ad not pulling, but I'm not sure
> that's the only problem. In fact, if we
> could just do some mailings to current and
> inactive patients, I think we could get him
> some business. Since this doesn't look like
> it's gonna happen real soon, I'm struggling
> to come up with something that's going to
> bring him some cash flow before he decides
> to pack it in.

> So, after doing some heavy thinking since
> talking with Tom earlier this evening, here
> are the 3 things I've come up with. 1)
> Consider getting a small, Small Business
> loan; although, I don't think he'll like
> that one, especially since another local
> optician is going out of business and is
> heavily in debt. 2) Something we've already
> discussed, which is to mail to other
> businesses' customers/clients, either as a
> JV or endorsed mailing or renting the
> list(s), etc. Of course, with any mailing
> there are printing & postage costs, but
> even a limited, test-mailing might prove
> worthwhile, then re-invest in more mailings,
> and so on. Also, I figure we may be able to
> trade for Tom's products/services or perhaps
> for future use of his list. And that brings
> me to... 3) Barter. I was just reading some
> Jay Abraham materials on barter, and it
> dawned on me that this might be just the
> ticket. We might be able to barter Tom's
> products/services (at retail) to pay off
> some of his bills. And, we could barter them
> to local radio stations (and maybe newspaper
> or local TV/cable) in exchange for
> advertising.

> Now, my questions for you guys & gals
> are:
> 1) Does anyone have any other suggestions
> for Tom and/or for his fellow tenants at the
> mall (maybe a group event)?
> 2) Any ideas why my ad didn't work? (I'll
> see if I can get a copy from Tom or the
> paper, so I can scan it in.)
> 3) Have any of you done any trades/bartering
> of products/services like I described, and
> what were your experiences?
> 4) As for radio & other media, does it
> make more sense to approach the
> Marketing/Advertising Director to suggest
> the barter deal, or should I go straight to
> the General Manager? And, what is the best
> place to get the up-to-date names/numbers
> for these people? (Yellow Pages doesn't even
> list all the local stations.)
> 5) Any recommendations on how (not) to
> "pitch" these people?

> To all those who have read thru all of this,
> you do me great honor. I greatly appreciate
> any suggestions or input any of you have.

> Best Regards,
> Chris Harris