Make the offer for a second and third pair at every patient appointment!  I realize you were likely expecting something a little more profound to move your multi pair sales from the industry standard of 10% to a number that could seriously impact your bottom-line profit.

When I started my mobile eyewear boutique in 1997, I had no brick and mortar, no sales training, an inventory of a dozen frames and I was just happy if I sold one pair of glasses.

And that is all I did.  One pair for each client. After all, I was an educated Licensed Optician, not a Salesperson. As eye care professionals we trained to be medical optical professionals grounded in science, light refraction, focal lengths, and the best lens technology.  We are not in the business of selling!  Right?

I was three years into my business, offering a high-level personalized eyewear styling service and I was only selling one pair of glasses because I did not know any different.  Before launching into the entrepreneurial world, my last job was with a 2-for-1 optical company.  I had not been trained to “sell”.  The extent of my sales training was this, “Buy one pair and pick your second pair from this board for free.”  That was the brilliance of my “saleswoman-ship” at that time.

I knew I needed to be better, or I was going to be out of business.

I stepped back, took one year and I studied each of my clients.  I analyzed their individual clothing style, facial features and face shape, wardrobe colors, and personal coloring.  I reviewed the careers they excelled in and the things they valued in their life.  Then, I focused on the style of eyewear that I had fit them with.

I could see similarities and I developed the 5 Spec Style categories.  The cool thing I learned along the way is that everyone has at least two Spec Style personalities and sometimes they are a crossover of three.  This way my Ah-ha moment.  Now, I had a credible way to make an offer for a 2nd and 3rd pair of glasses. It was not “salesy”, I was “styling”, and it was exciting, not just for me but also for my patients.  When I consciously focused on my sales process and made the offer for more than one pair with every patient, guess what happened?  My multipair sales went from ZERO to 30% to 50%, and now sit at 80%.

It was not an overnight sales success story, but it happened!

Here Are My Top 3 Tips To Increase Your Multi Pair Sales:

1. Be and stay curious. Ask intentional questions that help you discover the eyewear styles that your patients would like to wear.  Let them show you who they are so that you are not imposing your style on them.  And then go a step further, dig deeper and find out how they want to be perceived wearing their new specs and with credibility explain why each of the 3 pairs you selected will help them achieve the desired image.
2. If you cannot get excited about the frames on your board; diversify, diversify, diversify. If you are selling the same frames to different people every day, it will be difficult for you to stay enthusiastic about your products.  If the frames are a different style but all black or tortoiseshell, why would they buy more than one? Keep the boards fresh as much for your enjoyment as for the patient.
3. Make credible offers. Be and act as the trusted eye care expert with your client’s true interest at heart, and wear beautiful eyewear at work.  If you don’t love and believe in what you are selling it will show in your body language, facial expressions, and the tone of voice.

Written by: Wendy Buchanan