Why don�t marketing gimmicks like selling up or second-pair programs work? Eyeglasses, like cars, are low replacement rate products. This means someone is likely to replace the product every few months or years, as opposed to gasoline or milk, which are high replacement rate products.

When selling low replacement rate products, the single biggest sale obstacle is what the car industry calls "sticker shock." Because it�s been awhile since the last purchase, the consumer has no idea that technology has improved the product � and raised the price. When confronted with the new, higher price, consumers are intellectually lost for a moment. They go through a mental process of finding a way to rearrange the budget or secure credit.

Because eyeglasses are a low replacement product with a substantial price tag, your patient is going through the same "sticker shock" at your dispensing table that he goes through at the car dealership. The price he had in mind when leaving the house didn�t include technological improvements like high-index lenses, anti-reflective coating or flex frames.

"Selling up" to premium products does provide more short-term revenue, and it may work despite "sticker shock." But it almost guarantees your dispenser is going to sell only one pair of eyeglasses per patient. Your 20% or 30% second pair discount simply isn�t sufficient to motivate a consumer going through sticker shock.

Unfortunately, our entire system is designed to provide an exam and therapeutic device (contact lenses or eyeglasses) no more than once a year. In fact, experts tell us that the average replacement rate of a pair of eyeglasses is 2.7 years. That�s the single biggest marketing problem with dispensing eyewear.