Tips on Frame Board Management

Tips on Frame Board Management

Are you missing the boat when it comes to increasing revenue and planning for a more profitable future? It is common for ECPs to use their frame boards simply as a way for their patients to try on frames for fit and style, and even sell frames directly from the frame board. If this sounds familiar, you might not be taking full advantage of frame board management.

There are several disadvantages to selling frames directly off the frame board. If two frames were sold off of the frame board in  the same day, and neither is  
re-ordered, one frame could have been a best seller, and the other a poor performer. However, there would be no way to differentiate between the two. Knowing which SKUs perform well and which do not, is essential when placing  orders. This crucial information leads to strategic purchasing, which is sure to increase profits. 

Also, proper frame board management can  help keep your bills consistent with your current business volume. Bills will reflect what is sold when you keep your frame boards stocked.  Plus, your practice will avoid large fill-in orders in the future. In addition, you will be able to identify your best sellers. Not only will this help to avoid turning a possible best seller into a single sale, it also takes the guesswork out of future orders. These are benefits that can drastically increase your bottom-line.

Common concerns with reordering frames are shipping costs and board space. Bundling orders and placing them at the end of the day or week will minimize shipping costs. In addition, the most current frames are still available  to purchase.

Patients may also face disadvantages when it comes to poor frame board management. They may have an idea in their mind of what they want, but they cannot seem to find what they are looking for. Either the color they are searching for is not available to try on, or there are empty spaces on the frame board and it is assumed that those empty spaces contained the more popular frames. The patients are left dissatisfied, and their frame  purchase can be lost.

One way to strategically implement frame board management is to  start with a test. Begin with a small  selection of the frame board, say 10%. You can then track orders  that were placed for the frames  
in this section. With this test, you can experience the benefits of frame board management and  calculate how much more  profitable your test section became. You will quickly see how a small change can have  
a large impact.

By Heinz Pichler, National Sales Manger, Silhouette International