As opticians, how excited do we get when we see a beautifully crafted and designed frame? We see and appreciate the artistic design, the subtle details and the rich materials. Would our appreciation be greater if we knew the process from start to finish? Only by seeing for ourselves the complexity, the artistry and technology that goes into a quality frame will we have the words and the story to communicate our appreciation to our customer. Learn and earn a free ABO credit with the CE course “Why You Should Know How Frames Are Made,” available on 2020mag.com/ce. This course provides a fascinating glimpse into the intricacies of making MODO frames and bringing them to market.

How do we convey our appreciation to our customer? Start with empathy—see it through your customers’ eyes. They see a small seemingly simple pair of plastic, metal or rimless frames. Here’s where you have the opportunity to turn that mundane impression of eyewear into one of appreciation for the artistry and complexity that went into the making of that frame. There can be as many as 50 steps involved in the making of a frame.

Let’s take MODO’s Block Titanium frame as an example. Your customer sees a metal frame. However, it is so much more! How would you share its story with your customer? I might say something along these lines: “This frame is one of MODO’s Block Titanium frame designs. There are no solder points on the front making it a strong, seamless, sleek design. Titanium is a hypoallergenic material that’s thin and lightweight yet extremely durable. Specialized manufacturing technology is used to apply these great color inlay design elements. You really must try these on to appreciate how light they are; it’s like wearing a feather. You will also appreciate their Buy a Frame Give a Frame program where they give frames to those in need.”

The story of a frame is a fashion story, a technology story and a brand story. Consumer studies indicate that we prefer to buy products from socially responsible companies who give back and have environmentally-friendly manufacturing practices.

In summary knowing what constitutes quality components, materials and design features will make it easy for you to convey your appreciation of the complicated multilayered process involved in the manufacture of quality frames. In turn, you will increase customer satisfaction, average sale price and the quality of frames sold. Your customers will automatically validate their purchase rather than ask “Why so expensive?”

• Deborah Kotob
[email protected]
2020mag.com/education