HANDS ON - Editor's Letter
Don't sell.  Educate

Today's consumer is a different animal from the customer of even five years ago. In large part, you have the Internet--and the information it puts at peoples' fingertips--to thank for that. In the process, it is changing consumers from passive shoppers to active buyers. They're no longer looking for just product recommendations, but for real information. In optical, this is certainly true about dispensing products in the category we spotlight this month--sunwear.

Today's consumer wants information about the features and benefits, technology, and performance of products. In a Deloitte Touche survey, for example, one third of consumers surveyed said they would pay a premium for solutions. Not for products per se, but for products that promised a solution.

It's all about presentation. And, meeting the needs of that new consumer requires a move from pure transactional selling to a more consultative approach.

What does all this mean to dispensers? It means that, like Dolly the sheep, you need to clone yourself. Because not only does today's marketplace require you to be an eyecare professional, but now you need to be a consultant and educator as well.

Sincerely,

Stephanie K. De Long
Editor-in-Chief

P.S. This month's cover model is Beth O. Though best known as shock jock Howard Stern's girlfriend, Beth Ostrovsky is famous in her own right as both a sought-after model and actress. In fact, her new show just launched on Spike TV.