It's All in How You Ask the Question...

A message to all GMs, RMs and Sales Supervisors: try this - it works.

It is very important that we gauge exactly where our associates are when it comes to MBE behaviors and their comfort level with each one. That is why it is ultra-critical to constantly take "pulse checks" on where your associates are with them. So at the beginning of each day and each shift I have been posing this question to all of the associates:
"If you were to be mystery shopped today, what would your score be?"
Ask them for a numerical score, just like they would receive as if they were to be shopped. Once you have your answer, ask a follow-up question:
If it was less than 100%(which it usually is): "What behavior or behaviors could potentially keep you from getting 100%?"

This will give you some very good insight as to what your associates are comfortable with and will be an open door to begin some great conversations around MBE behaviors. Also, you can focus your observations that day around those specific behaviors and begin to really dig into what opportunities your associates may be facing.

It is important for another reason, too - we need to keep momentum going around MBE. By allowing our associates to go through each day not expecting to score 100% on Mystery Shops, and worse, not delivering a Mind-Blowing Experience to each customer they encounter, we are failing them, and we cannot allow that.

So do yourself and your associates a favor - start this today and keep it going everyday - you'll be surprised at some of the answers that you will get - I promise it will get some great conversations going.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO REGION 16!!!

I just wanted to take a moment and wish everyone in Region 16, as well as their families, the happiest of holiday seasons.


Be sure to take the time to enjoy the time you are able to spend together with friends and family and celebrate in your own way.

Thank you for all of your support in 2008 and all of your continued support in 2009.

Roc'n Top 16 for November 2008

Once again, the associates of Region 16 have done an amazing job delivering on results - let's take a moment and celebrate those results with the ones that did an exceptional job driving those results on an individual basis. Thanks for your hard work!!

click on the image to print/view in full size

Staying Connected with the Patients in 1015

During a recent visit to store 1015 in Old Saybrook, CT I came across a newsletter that the Doctors of Optometry had sent out to their patients to update them for the winter. Dr. Matt King and his brother, Dr. Doug King, have been sending this newsletter out on behalf of their practice now for some time and I thought it was an excellent way to stay in touch with their patients as well as provide some extremely valuable eye health information. Topics include contact lens care and technology, eye health updates and updates on the practice, including continuing education for the practicing ODs.

Keeping the practice 'top of mind' with our patients will make it that much easier to reinforce the need to schedule annual eye exams. This newsletter is sent to patients on a quarterly basis and includes information about seasonal eye health needs and addresses pertinent patient questions.

Please take a moment and check out the great info shared in their newsletter and be sure that all of our ODs have the opportunity to see it as well.

In a time when we need all the help we can get in filling up our appointment books, King Family Eye Care has taken a very proactive, patient-based approach, which will help them retain patients and build loyal customers for life!

Click on the image for a full-size view.

More pictures from Hometown Day in 761

Here are more images from the Hometown Day Event in Store 761 in Warwick, RI.

Click on any image for a larger view.

Hometown Day Celebrated in Warwick

On Tuesday, December 2 in LenCrafters Store #761 in Warwick, RI, 22 children from the West Broad Street Elementary School in Providence were treated to eye exams, new glasses and a little holiday fun. The store was celebrating Hometown Day 2008. Several associates volunteered to help - including making the glasses, assisting the doctors and just having some fun with all of the kids. As is turned out, every one of the 22 students had at least a mimimum need for glasses, and for many the need was significant. For most of those students, this would be their first time wearing glasses, and as a result, seeing clearly.

Click on any picture for larger view

One happy student shows off his new glasses

Deb Klos, Retail Manager of Store 761, organized the event with the school nurse after one of the students lost their glasses on the bus. After the students all received their new glasses, all of the associates from the lab came out and distributed holiday gift bags put together by Deb and her staff. It was a truly inspiring day that illustrated what Hometown Day is all about!

All the students wearing their new glasses

Carla dispenses a new pair of glasses.

Lab Manager Bob passes out holiday treat bags

RLS Rob has some fun while students wait for exams

She loves them!

Do you have a great Hometown Day story? Email Adam at alinicus@sbcglobal.net to let us hear about it!

October ROC'n Top 16

Here's our ROC'n Top 16 for the month of October 2008. So as we continue on through the 4th Quarter, let's be sure and celebrate all of the great accomplishments of our top-notch associates.

Click on the image for full-size view:

It's No Mystery in 557!!!

Well, Region 16 is officially part of the MBE party! We have been mystery shopped in one of our first stores. And how did they do? Well...

The first shop was a full purchase shop and all they did was score a 96%. Jessenia Figueroa did an awesome job delivering a Mind-Blowing Customer Experience and delivered the first stellar score. And as if that wasn't good enough...

Ximara Vega delivered a FinalEyes Shop score of 100%!!! Unbelievable!

So, a big shout out to Jessie and Ximara - they are truly delivering a Mind Blowing Experience in store 557!!

"Style Speak" and How to Build Your "Style" Vocabulary

Now that Region 16 is fully engulfed in the Mind-Blowing Experience, I thought I'd share some thoughts and observations that everyone would find helpful and engaging.

One of the big pieces to the success of MBE is the ability to exit and re-engage using "style speak". This is easily one of our biggest opportunities in Region 16 and at the same time, one of the more fun and easy things to become skilled at. On recent visits to our Trumbull and Stamford stores, we had some fun creating a "Style Vocabulary". Basically, learning and finding new, descriptive and fun words to help us describe specific eyewear. Because this is new and not everyone is comfortable using some words, it is critical that everyone find words that they are comfortable and confident using within a normal conversation with a customer. This will help us become experts at exiting and re-engaging using "style-speak" as well as help us build credibility and consumer confidence through the use of specific, powerful words that help customers begin to create that "emotional connection" we want them to have with their eyewear.

The first exercise we have is a very simple one - throughout the day, as we are quiet or as we are re-merchandising the store after a rush (this can be at the end of the night, even) we can challenge each other by simply taking a frame that has distinct characteristics and bring it to a fellow associate and ask them - "Give me a word that describes this frame." It is their job to now come up with a word, other than the ones we already use to describe the Style Sections (ie Bold, Clean, Simple, etc.) that describes that particular frame. Once they have, the associates can now alternate. What this has done is now helped those associates create and store words for their "Style Vocabulary" that they can use during a conversation with a customer. To take this exercise one step further, James, the Retail Manager in our Stamford Store, suggested that we use this same exercise while we are unpacking our weekly frame shipments, challenging each other to came up with new and descriptive words.

Another way that we can build our vocabulary is through the use of the Heritage Books that we have in our stores that tell the stories of many of the brands we carry. They contain many great words and phrases that can help us build credibility and consumer confidence - and have some fun at the same time!

The other piece to this is that this ties in perfectly with Final Eyes as we look to create that individual experience for each customer. This again will give us the confidence to use descriptive and specific words that can create that connection between our customers and their new eyewear.

Do you have any great ideas that will help Region 16 become the best at delivering a Mind Blowing Experience to our customers? If so, please don't hesitate to share your ideas here in the comments section or email them to me at alinicus@sbcglobal.net.

Roc on Region 16 - you are the best!!

LenCrafters + David Letterman + Sarah Palin Look-alikes = FUNNY!!

Well, David Letterman is at it again. This time with help from some famous look-alikes.

On Oct. 29 the Late Night with David Letterman show made a surprise visit to our LensCrafters Optique at W. 70th/Broadway in Manhattan to shoot a skit titled, “How many Sarah Palins can you fit into a LensCrafters?”
The 6.5-minute segment aired on Letterman’s show Wednesday 10/29 and repeatedly featured the external façade of the store, including an appearance by LensCrafters Retail Manager Danny Rodriguez. Actors dressed as Sarah Palin continued to enter the store until they reached 16 total “Sarah Palins” plus other characters (including a dog, two aliens, a clown, a cowboy and other costumed characters).

How do you think conversion looked in this store on Wednesday?

Roc'N Top 16 for September

Well, it took a while, but here are the results for the month of September for the Roc'N Top 16. Great job to all of the associates who are on the lists!!

Click on the image for a full-size version.

Olympic Champions in Eastchester!!

After a grueling competition, our team in Store 710 in Eastchester, NY has climbed onto the podium with silver medals around their necks in the Lab Olympics competition that is held each year.

The team of Larry Stevens, Matt Seidner and James Bell (pictured, with Lenscrafters Quality Team Representatives Mark Donahue and Joy Bowling) represented Region 16 admirably in the Hi-Tech category of the competition and really excelled. The opportunity to compete in the Lab Olympics came about because of the store's overall results as they related to key quality drivers over the course of the past year.

So take a moment and call our Olympic heroes and congratulate them all on a job well done!!

Region 16 - MVPs of the AVPs!!!

Wow!! Region 16 sold an eye-popping 51.35% AVP Lenes for Week 40!! Amazing!!
That was #2 in the Northeast Region! This marks the first time that we have been over 50% in any week since the rollout of this fantastic lens.
There were several stores that did just an outstanding job selling this lens. some of the top stores last week were:

1. Store 5395 in Mount Kisco at 88.89%
2. Store 764 in the Palisades Mall at 78.57%
3. Store 1015 in Old Saybrook at 65.71%
4. Store 761 in Warwick at 64.0%
5. Store 170 in Poughkeepsie at 63.16%

These stores and all of us have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to consultative behavios when it comes to selling our best lens and we have once again proven that Region 16 Rocs!!

Looking For Life Lessons on TV

I debated with myself for a long time as to whether or not to post my thoughts on today's subject. I'd like to give you a little background.

First of all, one of my favorite things to do is watch TV. I like getting lost in the stories that other people make up. I also like to look for things in these stories that may contain life lessons or inspiration that pertain to my everyday life. Now this doesn't happen all that often, but when it does it sticks with me. This past week my wife and I were watching one of our favorite shows - Grey's Anatomy. At the end of the first show of the season one of the characters gave a bit of a speech that really stuck with me - it had to do with responsibility and accountability. I'm going to let you watch that speech and see if it has an impact on you, too.

To set up the scene: Dr. Webber, the Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital has called his surgical staff together. Earlier in the day they had received the rankings of the best teaching hospitals in the country, of which they are one. The previous year Seattle Grace had been ranked #3 in the country, which was a pretty standard position for them year after year, behind only Johns Hopkins and the Mayo Clinic. When this year's rankings came out, however, they found that they had fallen all the way to #12 - behind hospitals they felt were far inferior to theirs. Dr. Webber is now charged with uncovering why this has happened, what the cause is, and what they can do to fix it. Here is what he told his staff:

Think about this in your work life here at LensCrafters. Think about how our results have suffered and how we have allowed it to happen. Now, I am not saying that we are not working hard - we are! Is the speech a little on the harsh side to apply to us? Maybe - but I think you get the picture. I think it is just an excellent example of how we may have gotten complacent, "rested on our laurels", as Dr. Webber says.

Put yourself in his shoes, as a leader. Put yourself in his staffs' shoes, as associates. Put yourself in their patients' shoes. Understand that by getting caught up in the day-to-day "stuff" around us can allow us to settle for less than the best - from associates and from ourselves.
I encourage you to go back and watch the clip again. Put yourself in the different perspectives. Listen to the words and apply them to yourself, to your associates and to all of us here at LensCrafters and in Region 16.

Ever since I saw this scene I have thought about what I have done to allow us to get to this point. What have I allowed from my associates? How am I going to "raise the bar" for my associates? My doctors? My region? Myself?

Am I being a little dramatic? Maybe. But my point is that there can be inspiration and thought-provoking things everywhere in life and it's up to us to pick up on them, use them and pass them on to others when we can. Think about these things as we begin to close out the year and think about how you - right now, today - can begin to have the courage to "ask the tough questions", find the answers and get the ship righted. I know we can do it - as Tony says - "We are the CAN DO region" and I really believe that.

September - The Month in Review

Well, September has mercifully ended and we are now on to bigger and better things here in Region 16. But before we turn the page, I would like to recognize a few stores who, despite all the obstacles in their way, decided to do everything they could with what they have and still posted some extrememly respectable results in what was a tough overall month.

- Store 5395 - Came in at 108.0% to their sales plan! An amazing feat!
- Stores 144, 510, 557, 764, 784 and 1015 all came in over 90% to their sales plan.
- Stores 144, 510 and 784 all exceeded their units from last year - a great accomplishment!
- Stores 761 and 1015 both finished the month over 11% in Customer Conversion!
- As a region we came in at 104.5% to LY in Customer Conversion!
- Stores 784 and 144 both had an increase in DONL% over last year - awesome!!
- Stores 764, 710 and 510 all came in under 14% Remakes for the month - WOW!!!

So, as you can see, despite all of the tough stuff that surrounds us, we are still accomplishing many things that we can be proud of. Great Job!

Region 16 "Style Guru" Application

Are you "stylish"? Do your friends always drag you along on shopping trips because you know what's in and what's out? Do you read Vogue and GQ instead of the daily paper?
If so, then we've got the job for you!
Region 16 is looking for their first ever "Style Guru"!
What are the qualifications? None! (Except that you must work at a LensCrafters in Region 16)
We are looking for someone who can lead the style revolution in Region 16 as we prepare for the rollout of our biggest initiative ever - The Mind-Blowing Experience!
This initiative will have some very important components that will specifically involve fashion and style.
Now you are asking - what do you get out of being Region 16's first ever "Style Guru"?
Well, you will get the opportunity to work with the associates of Region 16 by broadcasting to them what the hottest styles and latest fashions are. You will get the opportunity to help other associates in the region recognize their own personal style and how to express it. Most importantly, though, you will be labeled the first ever "Style Guru" in Region 16 (perhaps LensCrafters - Ill have to check on that).
How do you get this prestigious title? Simply post in the comments section at the bottom of this entry in 100 words or less - "Why I should be the first ever Region 16 "Style Guru"." The winner will be chosen towards the middle of October so that they can be up and running and ready to help as the region begins to roll out The Mind-Blowing Experience.
So if you are interested - or know of someone who would be perfect for the job - let us know why and you could be the next (and first) Region 16 "Style Guru"!
Good Luck!

It's Always Healthy to Laugh At Yourself

It's always fun to see the lighter side of things - even if you are the butt of the joke...

Take a minute to laugh - it's theraputic!

Wanted: CEO

When you think of a CEO, you think of many people, many things. You may think of our own CEO, Andrea Guerra. Maybe the past CEO of Lenscrafters, Dave Brown. Perhaps you think of other famous CEOs like Jack Welch, Charles Schwab or Sumner Redstone.
Or maybe you think of the responsibilities a CEO may have and the amount of pressure that comes with that responsibility.
CEOs are the leaders of the business world. They make the decisions, handle the money and, most importantly, they lead and inspire. They do all of these things because they are good at all of them. They are, in fact, the BEST at all of them.
Now, think of a LensCrafters General Manager. Most likely you think of yourself (if you are the GM), or your own GM. You may think of a past GM who has made an impact in your career.
Or you may think of the responsibilities a GM has and the amount of pressure that comes with that responsibility.
GMs are the leaders of the LensCrafters world. They make the decisions, handle the money and, most importantly, lead and inspire.
Wait...where have I heard that before?
When doing a little research I came across a CEO Job Description* online. I decided to do a little experiment - check this out:

All of these statements were taken directly from the LensCrafters GM Job Description.

CEO: · Supports motivation of employees in organization products/programs and operations.
GM: -Build and secure a safe, supportive and motivating working environment that encourages innovation and commitment.

CEO: - Ensures staff has sufficient and up-to-date information.
GM: -Delivers clear, motivating and constructive feedback in a timely manner to all associates.

CEO: -Looks to the future for change opportunities.
GM: - Focuses on developing the most qualified associates by ensuring training in the following areas:
- Orientation
- Sales and Service Process
- Quality, Fitting and Adjusting
- Quality Manufacturing Process
- Final Inspection
- Loss Prevention
- Company safety and regulatory compliance programs
- Leadership

CEO: - Decides or guides courses of action in operations by staff.
GM: - Encourages Associate decision making at the level closest to the customer.

CEO: - Implements plans.
GM: - Analyzes store financial data and develops/implements action plans to improve overall profitability.

CEO: - Oversees operations of organization.
GM: - Achieve store success by working toward the “maximum expectations” of the Standards of Performance guidelines.

So, as you can see - being a CEO and being a GM are not entirely different. In fact, they are very similar, just with different perspectives.
They both lead, inspire, coordinate, communicate and take ownership for an organization's (or store's) results.
Being a CEO doesn't mean that you control an entire organization or have the most power - it means that you take full responsibility for everything that happens from the top to the bottom - and everything in between.
So the next time you discuss the function of a CEO, think about what you, or your GM, is doing - they really aren't that different!

*CEO Job Description found at managementhelp.org

Two More Off the List!!

Congratulations are in order for two stores in Region 16. Donna Leiner and her team at 763 in Middletown, NY and Wendy Vittielo and her team in 869 in Kingston, NY.

Both of these stores have been on the remake focus list since the beginning of the program. Both have worked very hard at lowering their remakes in order to no longer be part of the remake focus program. Both have succeeded at getting themselves off the list.

They succeeded with a renewed attitude toward eliminating all unnecessary remakes by committing to some very specific behaviors within their stores.

Donna and her Retail Manager, Adam, committed to lower remakes by selling more premium product, namely AVP lenses. This was a classic "What else can we do?" type of commitment. We don't normally look at selling lenses a vehicle to lower remakes - but they did and as a result they have lowered non-adapts and, in the process, created happier customers. They also renewed their focus around which associates were able to process remakes. With these two specific initiatives in place, they were able to make a significant dent in a short amount of time.

Wendy and her Retail Manager, Heather, were a laser-focused team that had no interest whatsoever to be part of this group. Together, with the help of their Lab Manager, Anthony, created a better process of communication between the retail floor and lab, which was one of their biggest barriers. Wendy and Heather's passion to make this happen is what ultimately drove their team off the list by posting remarkably consistent results over the last 13 weeks.

If you have a minute, give Wendy, Donna, Adam or Heather a call and congratulate them - it was no small feat. While you have them on the phone, ask them for some advice, too - you would be amazed at the wealth of knowledge we have within our own region!

Congratulations to stores 763 and 869 - You guys ROC!!

What's At Risk?

We all know what we are up against - it's no secret. Everyday we turn on the TV or read the paper or it's the lead story on MSN.com or whatever news website we visit when we turn on our computer.
"The economy is the worst it's been in years."

"Gas prices are up."

"Home heating oil is at an all-time high."

What's worse, everyone else - including our customers - are hearing it, too. They see it when they walk into our malls and it's like a ghost town whether it's 11:00 on a Tuesday morning or 6:00 on a Friday night. They sense our trepidation and desperation. It's palpable. We're so desperate we or our associates are falling all over ourselves to maximize every option despite what our customers may be telling us. In many cases we're hearing, but we're not listening. We're trying to capture as many dollars as we can on one sale by loading every option into one or two pair of glasses. In the retail industry this is reffered to as trying to "increase the basket" (we refer to it as Average Sale or Average Dollar Customer). The danger in that type of behavior is that sometimes we sacrifice much more and put ourselves more at risk in many of those situations. How? I'm glad you asked!


One thing we risk is time - our most valuable asset. Instead of us listening to what our customers are telling us, we are assuming that we know what's best for them. And most times that is true. But we spend so much time - in many cases sitting at our work stations and being unavailable to other potential sales - explaining options and things that they don't need or want, that the person who is waiting is growing impatient, antsy and wondering if it's worth waiting. They may think to go run some other errands in the mall and return when an associate is freed up. That person is now gone - and probably won't be back. If we had been engaging our current customer during the frame selection part of our sale, our time at the computer would have been shorter, allowing us to free ourselves up to get to that waiting customer.


The other thing we risk is "overselling". As I mentioned, customers can feel desperation and sometimes in our rush to "increase the basket" we begin to tell them about features and benefits that have nothing to do with what they told us. We feel we are building value, when in reality, we may be sending a message to that customer that they may be paying for a feature that they don't need, thus actually decreasing value. Building value is just that - building. It's not something you just pile on top at the end - it's something that you help someone see throughout the process. Explaining value as it relates to the needs also helps customers to "visualize" themselves wearing a specific lens. This is why it is critical not only to hear, but to listen.


As we begin to look at specific behaviors with the Mind Blowing Experience, you will notice that one of the expectations is that our associates discuss and determine lens choice while standing. This means that by the time we sit down, the sale is esentially complete. This behavior is ultra-critical to the success of MBE and to the success of our associates to improve not only the customer experience, buit will increase our customer conversion at the same time.

So as we move forward, watch for these behaviors. See what type of impact your associates are having by sitting down and selling. See what type of customer experience they are creating not only for the customer in front of them, but also for the one thinking about running down to Old Navy while they wait.

August 2008 - ROC'n Top 16 - Region 16's Unbeatable Associates

Wow - What a month!! The Unbeatable Event, Back to School and the end of summer for us all. And what a month for several of our inspiring associates in Region 16 who's great results landed them on the August 2008 Roc'n Top 16!!


Click on the image for a full-size view.



A special shout-out to Dr. Hilary Niederhauser - Store 5395 - so far, Dr. Niederhauser is the only doctor to crack the Roc'n Top 16 in any category. (This is actually her 2nd time!) Congrats!
It was just an amazing job of staying inspired when it's easy to let circumstances get us down. Congratulations to all of the associates on this list and to those who aren't - we all deserve a pat on the back! Great job Region 16 - You ROC!!

See More Clearly - How We All Can!

When I recently did a Google search for "Advanced View Progressive Lenses" it returned 225,000 results - 225,000!!! What does this say about where our industry is right now? Well, let me tell you.

Don't believe it? Click on the picture for full-size

Our customers, right now, are more educated than ever. They have several choices - and in this day and age when you can do more research from the comfort of your own home and build more of an opinion based on fact, the ability to make educated decisions is easier than ever. Or is it?

Right now someone is researching the price of progressive lenses online and coming up with 225,000 ways to explore this lens they have never worn or experienced. Chances are, with the economical state of where we are, part of their decision-making process will be based on price. They will find some prices, some information, be redirected to sites sponsored by Varliux and EyeGlassLensDirect.com and ultimately will come to one determination - it's overwhelming. And they would be correct. So they will make the decision to visit someone to ask questions. This someone may be a person they trust like an optician, optometrist or an educated consumer who has already worn this type of lens. More than likely, though, they will visit a place that they are familiar with. A place that has associates ready to answer their questions based on expertise and education. They will go someplace where they know that they can be taken care of in a professional, friendly manner. They will go in, they will ask about lens performance. They will ask about what will work best for them in specific situations. They will answer questions about what they do for a living, what they do for fun, how often do they drive at night, etc... They will finally get to their big question...

"How much?"

This is the moment of truth. This is the moment when that associate can make it about price...or make it about what brought this person in the door in the first place.

What works best for them. How this decision will ultimately effect the way they see, and live, for the next 18 months or so. And after they have done all that, the consumer may then ask again...

"How much?"

And that's ok.

That's what we call the "Free to Choose" Market. This person now has a choice. They can take what they have learned and move on to somewhere else to see if they can get a better deal or they can trust this person who has just explained to them why their arm is too short or they can no longer reach their keyboard because they have to sit so far back.

So we tell them the price. And wait. We cringe inside as we are saying it. Even worse,sometimes we cringe outside as we are saying it. And we wait...and hope they didn't notice our negative reaction to something that we are telling them is the best thing for them - until we get to the price. If this person is "Free to Choose" what message are we sending them? What are we saying by not allowing our best products to be what we talk about the most? And endorse? And support? And celebrate? And choose?

Right now is the perfect time to practice the confidence that has brought us to where we are. The confidence that we know what is right and what is best for our customers. We know how to help them weed through 225,000 possibilities to arrive at the one decision that they are going to be so happy with that when their friend comes to them as the educated consumer, they don't hesitate and say - "Go to Lenscrafters and see _______(insert your name here). They will get you exactly what you need."

During our See More Clearly Sale, we will have the opportunity to help every one of our "Free to Choose" customers choose the best lens for them at HALF the cost!!

HALF!!

And when we deliver that message of price after we have explained why the AVP lens is best for them, we can be twice as confident that we are providing that customer a service that is EXACTLY what they came through the door looking for.

And we can be proud of it. Every time.