This article only scratches the surface. In the full Revenue RX episode, I walk through this secret shopper experience in greater detail and connect the dots between customer engagement, staff behaviour, conversion rates, and sustainable growth.
If you want to know what your customers are actually experiencing when they walk through your door, and what you can do about it. Listen to the full episode now.
When I walk into an optical store as a secret shopper, I don’t answer the usual greeting the usual way.
When someone says, “Hi, how are you?” I reply with:
“Have you got an hour?”
It’s part humour, part instinct, but mostly it’s a test. A test of presence. Are you actually listening to me, or are you already moving me into your sales process?
In this episode of Revenue RX, I share what I discovered after visiting seven different optical businesses as a secret shopper. I wasn’t just looking for a frame. I was looking for engagement. Curiosity. A sense that someone genuinely wanted to understand me — not just sell something to me.
What I found should give every optical business owner pause.
The First Missed Opportunity
Across most stores, the opening interaction followed the same pattern: a polite greeting, a scripted question, and then frames. Lots of frames.
What was missing was conversation.
Many staff moved immediately into what they believed was a “safe” or “non-pushy” approach. Take your time. Let me know if you have questions. On the surface, this feels respectful. In practice, it is often disengagement disguised as courtesy.
Eyewear is not a self-serve product. It’s part medical device, part fashion, and part identity. Without thoughtful questions and genuine discovery, the experience quickly becomes transactional — or worse, forgettable.
When Service Turns into Self-Service
One of the most common experiences I encountered was what I call assisted self-service. Staff were physically present but mentally checked out. The expectation seemed to be that I would lead the conversation, define my needs, and guide the process.
But if you don’t ask questions, you don’t learn anything.
And if you don’t learn anything, you can’t guide the customer.
Without understanding prescription type, lens history, lifestyle needs, screen use, light sensitivity, or even how long someone has been unhappy with their current glasses, frame selection becomes guesswork. Frames get “thrown” at the customer, rejection leads nowhere, and no insight is gained.
That’s not selling, but it’s not service either.
Inventory Isn’t the Differentiator
Some of the stores I visited were beautifully designed with strong brand assortments. Others were long-established practices relying on loyal patients. A few were clearly struggling.
The common denominator was not inventory.
It was engagement.
Stores that rushed to the frame board skipped trust-building. Stores that avoided questions to avoid “selling” removed themselves from the value equation altogether. And stores that assumed returning patients required less attention quietly put retention at risk.
In optical retail, the emotional experience determines whether someone buys — and whether they come back.
Short-Term Transactions vs. Long-Term Wealth
In several locations, there was an unmistakable sense of urgency. Close now. Move the sale forward. Finish the transaction.
That pressure is understandable, but it’s limiting.
Real wealth in optical retail is built over time. It comes from relationships, not rush. From customers who feel understood and return year after year, bringing family and friends with them.
When the focus shifts from closing the sale to guiding the journey, conversion improves naturally.
Working IN the Business vs. Working ON It
Some encounters revealed another challenge: stagnation. When business slows, many owners wait. They hope traffic improves. They blame external factors.
Hope isn’t a strategy.
When a business plateaus, it’s rarely a traffic problem, it’s a clarity problem. Growth requires stepping back, examining systems, and being willing to change how things are done. Sometimes that means coaching. Sometimes consulting. Always it means working on the business, not just in it.
What This Episode Is Really About
This secret shopper exercise wasn’t about criticizing stores. It was about exposing blind spots, the small, everyday moments that quietly erode conversion, retention, and long-term value.
It’s a reminder that:
- Customers want to be understood, not sold
- Questions are more powerful than pitches
- Employees are your most valuable asset
- Emotional experience drives financial outcomes
And ultimately, every optical business should operate as if it were for sale, because that discipline forces excellence.
Joseph Mireault
Joseph Mireault, Optical Entrepreneur, Business Coach, and Published Author.
Joseph was the owner and president at Tru-Valu Optical and EyeWorx for 16 years. During his tenure, he consistently generated a sustainable $500K in annual gross revenue from the dispensary.
He now focuses on the Optical industry, and as a serial entrepreneur brings extensive experience from a variety of different ventures.
Joseph is also a Certified FocalPoint Business Coach and looks to work directly with ECPs in achieving their goals.
Through his current endeavour, the (Revenue RX, Optical Retail Wins podcast) he shares the challenges and solutions of running an Optical business.
His insights are shared with optical business owners aspiring for greater success in his new book, “An Entrepreneur’s Eye Care Odyssey: The Path to Optical Retail Success.”
