Have you ever described a frame as ‘grape’ or ‘melon’ when presenting it to a customer? Chances are you haven’t. But, in the world of eye wear, words are a very important factor in how you present products to your clients. There is a reason why a multi-million dollar industry exists simply to come up with correct descriptions of products, and you can use this same strategy in your sales techniques in your optical. And it’s easy!
Think of your favorite yummy foods…That black frame? It’s not black! It’s licorice! The brown zyl you are trying on a customer? Caramel, chocolate, coffee, mocha, or root beer. Fruits, desserts, and other delicious food items are great ways to personalize colors for your clients. What sounds better? “Here, Mrs. Jones, try on this blue frame” or “You have to try on this delicious blueberry frame, Mrs. Jones…it’s a perfect complement to your casual jeans days!”
Another great way to change your customers’ thinking about color is to use precious gemstone references, and other ‘rich’ terms. Black frames can be midnight or ebony. Red frames can be ruby or garnet. And don’t forget the metal tones. Rather than simple ‘gold’ or ‘silver’, I discuss these with customers as ‘warm metals’, ‘cool toned metals’, ‘sterling’, and ‘platinum’.
Making your frames sound downright decadent is really easy once you begin to think of the colors you offer as something other than the traditional names we’ve always called them. You will have fun coming up with descriptions, it gives the impression of added value to the frames, and your customers will have a much more enjoyable experience trying on ‘dark chocolate’ frames rather than ‘brown’. And an interesting side note? They remember the names! I can’t tell you how many times a customer has come in for an adjustment or another pair and repeated back to me the color I sold them, or referred someone in because the friend or family member had seen their chocolate/caramel/platinum/ruby frames.
Value is a perception. Taking the 1-2 extra seconds to come up with a great name for a frame color adds value, and ‘spice’ (another great color name!) to the sale!
