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How Did This Trunk Show Turn Out So Wrong?

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FUNG EYE CARE WAS an established optometry clinic on the outskirts of St. Louis, MO. Dr. Fung and her two partners employed 20 staff, a few of whom had just returned from an out of state conference. Lead opticians John and Mike were buzzing about all the new frames at the event, and asked to meet with the doctors to discuss an idea.

ABOUT REAL DEAL

Real Deal scenarios are inspired by true stories but are changed to sharpen the dilemmas involved and should not be confused with real people or places. Responses are peer-sourced opinions and are not a substitute for professional legal advice. Please contact your attorney if you have any questions about an employee or customer situation in your own business.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

NATALIE TAYLOR is owner of Artisan Eyewear in Meredith, NH. She offers regional private practice consulting and ABO/COPE approved presentations. Email her at info@meredithoptical.com

“We would really like to throw a trunk show at the office,” said John.

“John and I will do all the prep work, but we want to do it the Friday afternoon before Labor Day weekend, from 3-6 p.m.,” said Mike.

“We’ve never done something like that before,” said Dr. Fung. “Where would we start?”

“Normally two doctors see patients Friday afternoons. I’d like to reschedule the last two hours and block that time out, so if someone comes to the event without an active prescription they can be seen immediately,” John replied.

Dr. Fung looked at her fellow practice owners, who nodded their agreement. “Okay guys, I like your confidence! Obviously, there’s some pressure to be profitable to make up for the lost appointment times, but an event could be a lot of fun for the community,” she said.

John and Mike spent the intervening five weeks in party planning mode. Two of their frame reps with multiple lines agreed to attend. The pair decided on a tropical theme and accumulated a variety of grass skirts, streamers, leis and cardboard signs.

Mike posted several times on the practices’ Facebook and Instagram accounts, and John reached out to the local paper to ask a reporter to visit during the event. The front desk mentioned the event to everyone who called in, and a framed sign was placed at the check-in counter. In the week leading to the big day, the opticians noticed several patients opting to hold off on purchasing to take advantage of trunk show discounts.

Friday morning the staff arrived in Hawaiian shirts, full of energy. The day flew by and soon it was 3 p.m. The office looked fantastic: the frame reps had plenty of space to spread out their trays, the food and drinks were beautifully displayed, and a dozen helium-filled balloons at the sidewalk swayed in the breeze. The team waited eagerly near the front door.

At 3:15 p.m., a man with his two small children came in and went straight to the food table. Mike greeted them.

“Oh, I’m your frame rep’s husband,” the man said, pointing towards the showroom. “We’re on our way to camp for the holiday weekend as soon as she’s done. Six o’clock, right?”

“Right,” Mike replied feebly.

A couple who had exams earlier in the week showed up to browse and enter the raffle, but by 5 p.m. it was just the staff and the reps.

Eventually Dr. Fung cornered Mike and John. “Guys, what’s going on? Where are the people?” she asked.

Just then a woman walked through the front door. “Hi, I’m a reporter with the Post Dispatch,” she said, greeting the group.

John and Mike looked at each other weakly.

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The Big Questions

  • What could John, Mike and the rest of the staff have done differently to attract more attendees?
  • Is there a way to salvage this event? How would you handle the reporter?
  • Should Dr. Fung, as the practice owner, have done something different? As owner, would you agree to another trunk show in the future?
Sam M.
Princeton, NJ

Five weeks wasn’t enough time to prepare. You have to do mailings, email, social media etc. Did you do newspaper ads? Did the participating vendors help in marketing? I also wonder if there were too many brands shown. A trunk show should be something special. We do a Lafont Trunk show every year because it IS a special line. We sell 30-35 frames in a three-hour period. Also, don’t give up! Trunk shows build on themselves. Every year you will get more people coming in. Make it a yearly event.

Anissa L.
Berkeley, CA

It’s so hard to put together an event such as a trunk show. So, kudos to the lead opticians for the excitement. There are a few things I would have changed. 1. It’s never a good idea to put an optical event directly before any holiday. At that time families are spending time and money together. Solution: It would have been smarter to put the event two weeks after Labor Day. That way there would have been a better turnout and any vacation money would have been put back in people’s bank accounts. 2. Advertise! Post! Retweet! Anything to get the word out. It seems like that wasn’t done to entice people to come into the office. Maybe they didn’t know it was happening. 3. Too much excitement. When an office isn’t known for a trunk show, wait until the third go to get maximum turnout. Next time’s the charm!

Scott K.
Dover, OH

First: Never have a trunk show on a holiday weekend — too many people traveling. Second: Send postcard mailers to specific household income or net worth homes in the surrounding area. On one side of the postcard make it simple and eye catching. On the other side, give some details about the trunk show but keep it clean and easy to read. Third: If possible, email your top customers. Fourth: Have the sale the same weekend every year to build up awareness over time. Fifth: Run a large ad in the local paper — go big or go home.

Judy C.
Virginia Beach, VA

1. Wrong day, wrong theme. Never schedule an event on a holiday weekend. Never. Tropical theme is great, but perhaps during cold weather when everyone is dreaming about their summer vacation. Have a Kid’s Day in early August or a Mom’s Day in the spring.
2. Nothing to salvage. Divvy up the food among the staff and reps and call it a day. Use the time with the reporter to talk about eye health and lens/frame options.
3. Start planning the next trunk show immediately. Choose a date and a theme and set a timeline for publicity. Build excitement beyond the practice. Invite the neighborhood!

Lois S.
Winter Park, FL

I think they had the right idea, but needed to NOT have it on a holiday weekend, and hold it during the week, in the daytime or afternoon. Perhaps they could stay an hour later to accommodate people after work. I would have it on a busy doctor day, so your patients coming out of the exam room will purchase. If you have no more exam spaces available, write up the order, hold it in the computer, make an exam appointment, and offer them the special pricing then. Perhaps they could have contacted their best-purchasing patients by phone or postcard to inform them of the event.

Jenna G.
Fargo, ND

First thing: BAD DATE/TIME. The Friday before a long holiday weekend is not a good time to try and get people to come shop. They want to get out of town. Why clear the schedule? Instead, use that time to target patients who want to buy glasses, have them come in for their exams, and have a bigger selection to choose from. Let them know there is going to be a party and you want them there! Use the reporter to talk about the practice, not just the event. Maybe they should sit down with the practice owner and talk about what is unique about the practice. Don’t send away free advertising! Unfortunately, you can never totally predict turnout. We have had trunk shows where I have done the exact same amount of marketing, and some are hits, and some are misses. Document and evaluate. Be brutally honest about what went well, and what didn’t. Learn from it, and do it differently the next time.

Jon L.
Madison, IN

As the founder of McDonald’s would say, “Early to bed, early to rise, advertise, advertise, advertise.” Ray Kroc knew that if you want business, you have to let everyone know what you are all about. Don’t think that happened here.

Alicia M.
Anchorage, AK

Their first and biggest mistake was the timing of the show — Friday afternoon on Labor Day weekend. The only thing folks want to do is get off work early and finish loading up the camping and boating stuff, and leave for the weekend. Not go visit their eye doc’s office. I think if they had picked another day, possibly a Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon not preceding a holiday weekend, they would have done better.

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