Day 1.6

Sales Philosophy

At SVE, we want to “Sell Vanilla”. “What does this mean”?  Think of the Marble Slab (ice cream).  Everything you order starts with Vanilla.  You can keep your ice cream very basic or add chocolate or sprinkles and customize it to your liking.  SVE is very much the same way; we want to sell to the customer’s needs and wants.  

We are not into high-pressure sales, or pushing Special Order items, like many of our competitors.  By selling the basics, it is a Win-Win situation for the customers who come to us for a great deal and service in about 1 hour.  Selling Vanilla makes selling fun for the retail and easy for the lab to produce!

When selling what we have in stock, there are three simple steps.

1. Retail places the order
2. Lab makes the order
3. The order is Dispensed

When a Special Order is placed there are seven steps, leaving room for errors.  When relying on outside vendors, more can go wrong that we have no control over.  These usually are expensive purchases for the customer and sometimes end in a costly refund.

1. Retail places the order
2. Lab orders from lens vendor
3. The outside vendor produces the lenses
4. Another outside vendor ships the product to the store (mailman or UPS)
5. It is received at the store & lab has to finish the glasses
6. The customer has to be called
7. The order is Dispensed

A lot more can go wrong in 7 steps than in 3 simple steps, so sell what we have in stock.   

By selling to the customer’s needs and wants, not for your own pocketbook, we will gain the respect of our customers, make a lifelong customer that returns year after year, and perhaps get the business of their friends and family!

An example of this would be:  if you were going car shopping and you go to the dealership to buy a Jeep, but after an aggressive salesman did his/her number on you, you walked out with a Cadillac.  You didn’t get what you wanted, and will probably never return to that dealership.  Now on the other hand, if you walked out of there with a Jeep, but with all the bells and whistles because you felt you got a great deal for your money, you are not only going to be happy with your purchase, but you are going to tell all your friends to go there.   This philosophy of sales is what has made SVE successful and will continue to do so.

Always recommend ProPlus!  It is your job to save the customer money.  ProPlus includes a scratch-resistant coating, UV protective coating, 1-year scratch warranty, and an optional tint (if they are looking for a pair of sunglasses).  All of these benefits help save a customer money.  For instance, if a customer scratches his or her no-line bifocal lenses shortly after buying the glasses, they would have to buy new lenses, which would be at a minimum, $100.  If they bought the ProPlus package, all they’d have to pay is $20 for the replacement!