Is Your Office Kid-Friendly?

• Kids can spot a phony a mile away. If you are not comfortable working with them, they’ll know it and nothing you do will change that feeling. Treat kids as you would any other patient. If necessary, take the time during a regular staff meeting to discuss how kids and teens should be addressed. Task a staff member to stay current on what kids are being influenced by; perhaps it’s the latest video game or a cartoon or pop icon.
  
  

• Kids will not want what they cannot see. The kids’ area of your dispensary should be easy to find, clean, bright and comfortable to work in. If your kid’s frames are in a tray in the back room, they’ll never get seen or tried on. That goes for sport frames and kids sunwear as well.
  
  

• Level the field. Frame displays, mirrors and furniture should be scaled, as much as possible to fit the area. The average height will be 30 – 50 inches tall, so everything should be visible at that height.
  
  

• Talk to kids the same way you would want your children to be talked to. Don’t talk down to them. Use language, gestures and drawings they will understand and listen when they ask a question. They usually have an un-canny way of getting to the real heart of a discussion.
  
  

• Kids have a lifestyle. It may be filled with dinosaurs and princesses, dress-up and mud, but it’s a lifestyle and you need to discover what it is. Ask them about school, sports, favorite colors and who their heroes are. How do they feel about wearing glasses? Cool or not so much?
  
  

• Kids talk…to each other. Word of mouth advertising is a powerful tool. If Susie Q’s new glasses are really cute or Bobby’s make him look awesome, you can believe that Susie and Bobby’s friends will want the same thing. If your dispensary was the “best place ever,” Susie and Bobby’s friend’s parents will know it as well.
  
  

• Kids are brand-conscious. Like it or not, brand names are powerful influencers. I seem to remember that my oldest child’s first words were “dada, mama and McDonalds.” One study found that 52% of 3-year olds and 73% of 4-year olds always asked their parents for specific brands. Kids will have watched more than 5000 hours of television by the time they start school. By the time they finish, they will have spent more time in front of a television than in a classroom setting. Brand loyalties and buying habits formed at an early age will carry through to adulthood. According to Mike Searles, former President of Kids R Us, “If you own this child at an early age…you can own this child for years to come.” 

You’re probably saying “that’s all fine and good, but who’s paying for this stuff?” Mom and Dad, of course! So, not only are you creating a kid-friendly atmosphere, you’re creating confidence in the minds of the people responsible for the money. In this day and at this time, that means creating value above everything else.

Elizabeth Harris, writing for Promo Xtra, says, “…this recession is deeply and directly affecting women with children. Yet, like Rose the Riveter from WWII, the modern American mom is a strong woman doing what she always does in a time of crisis: She takes a hard look at things, freaks out in her head for about 10 minutes, and then moves on, creatively working through it, around it and within it.”

• Packages, packages, packages! There are few better ways to demonstrate value than by creating eyewear packages for kids. If you’re using an “a la carte” approach to pricing, the only thing that parents will hear is the ding of a cash register, one charge at a time. Allow that to happen and at some point, they will begin to un-ring that bell and cut back on something or worse yet, head for the nearest discounter. Packages don’t have to be the cheapest stuff in the dispensary. The Good-Better-Best approach is perfect for creating packages, not just with frame selections, but with lens materials and options as well.
  
  

• Help parents educate their kids about smart spending and the differences between price and value. This is the perfect time to begin educating these emerging consumers about how to shop and how to decide what they need as opposed to what they want. You can and should help Moms and Dads understand how your products address not only their financial situations but also their concerns for safety and reliability. Once again, Elizabeth Harris says that “Deal-hunting and then bragging about bargains has not only become cool, it’s practically a new sport.”
  
  

• Keep your message, the overall theme of your practice, upbeat and positive. After all, we’re all in this together. What better time is there than now to offer a “family plan”? Perhaps your patients can’t afford to invest in eyewear all at the same time. A family plan could stretch over the year, culminating in a deeper discount when the last family member is fitted. Reward good students with a discount for their grades. Remember birthdays or other significant events with a card.

As a retailer, (and regardless of how you perceive yourself, if you sell something, you’re a retailer) now is the time to work with your vendors on pricing and volume discounts. Most labs offer attractive packages for adults and children, from value packages to brand name packages. Tap your lens manufacturers for patient literature to back up the value theme you’re creating. Frame vendors may offer gift-with-purchase programs and attention-grabbing point of sale (POS) displays, or you can create your own with finds from the local dollar or craft store. Move your kids’ area to the front of your dispensary during the critical Back-To-School shopping period. Use signage to tell passers-by that yours is THE place to come for the best kid’s eyewear in the area.

However you choose to work with your youngest patients, do it right. Keep it fun. Make it valuable and profitable!

Judy Canty
ABO/NCLE