The 20/20 Editorial Team

James J. Spina
VP, Editor-in-Chief

Jacqueline Micucci
Executive Editor

Gloria Nicola
Senior Features Editor

Andy Karp
Group Editor, Lenses and Technology

Melissa Arkin
Assistant Editor

Lauren Taylor
Editorial Assistant

10/22/2007 Niche Picking
Posted by 20/20&U Blog Admin
Location: Blogs2020&U
 		    
Luxury? Value? Rimless?

Sport Sun? Designer Sunglasses?

Managed Care? Who Cares?

Niche this…Niche that. So where is your comfort zone when it comes to dispensing and retailing eyewear? We put that sometimes dreaded “retailing” word in there because when it comes to niche merchandising and marketing you simply must understand that dispensing eyewear is encased in the incredibly complex mix of selling goods to good people looking to buy. Or maybe even that label itches your particular niche!

Well we want to know.

Where’s your niche? Why are you there? Are there other places you’d rather be? Does the pure product side of being an eyecare pro make you feel… well… sickly?

Come on. Let’s hear it from you.

By virtue of our role as an enhancer of eyewear products 20/20 is deeply concerned about your feeling when it comes to special and specific niches in the optical arena. Our yearly edit calendar is actually divided up by monthly niches (luxury, sport, value, men, kids, etc) in order to address a variety of complex scenarios facing you and you optical practice.

Nudge us on YOUR niche.    

—James J. Spina, 20/20 Editor in chief
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Niche Picking
By Barry Santini		 10/25/2007
s
In the last few years, my "niche" has evolved from a primarily "hard skills" eyecare pro commited primarily to fufilling pople's eyecare needs, to much more of a "soft skills" guy, trying to evangelize eyewear as a true fashion accessory...without so much emphasis on vision correction. Unfortunately, I think most eyecare people are less comfortable with the "soft" side because we really don't get much formal training in it...either in our work environment or at our professional meetings. Soft skills, I think, are looked-down upon by many optical professionals as like a stereo-typed *stepchild*, i.e., not their natural/primary training. If we had more training in the soft/sell skills, we'd all be more successful.

Remember...as long as long approach eyewear as a *need*-based, medical item, then when your client's vision *needs* are fulfilled by either a primary pair of eyewear, contact lenses or refractive surgery, attempts at multiple eyewear sales may appear *redundant*.

Try your hand at more soft skills, and in doing so, you will expand not on ly your client's horizon on eyewear fashion, but also your own.

FWIW

Barry

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