# Optical Forums > Canadian Discussion Forum >  Conversion Rate and the Utter Foolishness of Hakim Optical

## optio

I once worked as the optometrist at a Hakim optical near my home. Prior to me, there was a turnstile of optometrists who had worked there. No OD ended up staying more than a few weeks because it simply was not busy. I however, was eager to work at this particular store because it was very close to where I lived. Because all my other work locations were far away, there was never anywhere I could tell friends/family to come see me. Now I could. They could see me at this store since it was close by. That made me committed to it. I never cancelled a single doctor day, even if there was basically next to no patients. This would be "my" store and I was happy to build it up.

The store had really bad numbers. It was in a very poor location and after my 2 years of me being there, it still wasn't busy. The reality is the store should never have been opened where it was. But in those two years, I did manage to bring in my own patient traffic, about a "few dozen" patients a year. Imagine that. Your side-by-side doc with no equity in the store, bringing in his own foot traffic. This was something this Hakim store received from me, that none of my other work locations had ever received. But because these patients were there necessarily to see me, they weren't there necessarily to buy from Hakim, and they therefore converted poorly. They didn't convert at zero percent, but it was not high. There were some sales, but overall my own patients made the store's conversion rate fall.

I told the area manager about this situation, that I could bring in foot traffic and some sales, but it would make the conversion rate specifically, worse. He replied it didn't matter where the patients were from. The conversion rate was what it was, and that's how me and the store would be assessed. It didn't matter that these were my personal referrals who would otherwise never step into the store.

Of course, this left me in a troubled situation. I couldn't prescreen my acquaintances to determine if they were going to buy or not. The kids of my friends, how was I supposed to know if they were going to need glasses? And even if I did, how could I only invite friends intending to buy from the store to come, and not the others? I eventually had to settle for the absurd choice, that I had to tell people I knew not to come see me. I just couldn't have them come, because if they came, our conversion would fall and that would make me and the store look bad. So I had to tell people I knew they couldn't come see me.

In this competitive optical environment, it's hard enough to make a store successful. All hands need to be on deck. Imagine the OD of a given store, who provides perhaps the central service in an optical store, having to actively dissuade would-be consumers from seeing him. On what planet does a business like that succeed? But that was the situation I was in.

I kept on in the store for a few months, hanging on just because of its proximity. One day, I was brought aside by the area manager. This person told me the store wasn't doing well, so they were going to make serious changes, such as sacking the optician manager (who was there since I began and who, in my opinion, was excellent and as eager as me to make the store successful), and various other plans. This person ended the conversation with a look into my eyes and a, "If things don't change, there will be another big change." He was telling me if the numbers didn't improve, I would be gone too.

I stuck on a few more weeks. Needless to say, I wasn't happy that I was basically told that management thought I was the reason the store wasn't busy, and that the good optician I worked with was gone. After an issue came up with the new optician, I left. The store has not had a reliable OD in all the years since. I gave them two years without ever missing a shift.

There is no argument that the store was better off with me turning my acquaintances away. The point of a retail store is the bottom line. The store exists to make money. My low-conversion acquaintances bought glasses from the store that wouldn't have been bought if they didn't come to see me. This is revenue the store received that they wouldn't have received if I wasn't there. The store made more money because of the people I brought to the store. Yes, a specific calculated "conversion" statistic was worse because of my patients, but the bottom line revenue number was BETTER because of my patients. But Hakim management obviously prefer to see nicer conversion percentages on their calculator display, even if it means less total revenue. 

Hakim is a foolish company.

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## optio

FYI:  Conversion rate is the percentage of patients who go for an eye exam, that end up buying glasses.  Optometrists who do eye exams at Hakim have pressure put on them to meet certain conversion rates.  For ODs who comply, that pressure is necessarily passed onto the patient to buy glasses from the store.

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## drk

It's difficult to lay the blame on any particular employee or doctor.  You said it: the location was bad.  

Middle management gonna middle manage.  They are robots.

The overall point is that large businesses with multiple locations win some, and they lose some, and they're aware of that fact and accept it.

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## optio

I'm not sure they accept it.  They are the ones putting the onus on middle management to get the underperforming stores in line. Like you said, they are robots. They are just following orders.

Hakim sales people are compensated on commission.  Doesn't lead to particularly high morale, and neither does putting the blame on the staff/OD for underperforming stores that management should never have approved - thereby putting the responsibility to fix their poor decision, as well as the blame if it isn't fixed, on the rank/file ODs/opticians who agree to work at those error-stores.

It's the culture, and it's a toxic one.

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## CCGREEN

Locations like that get a reputation in the community........
They also get a reputation within the Optical community to stay away.....far far away. Then its difficult for them to get quality help and then the walls begin to fold in on themselves.

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## drk

A big outfit has its "process" by which it identifies a market opening and sometimes they fall flat.  Obviously they're going to sink a little effort to rescue the "miss" before deciding it's too big a drain on the bottom line and pulling the plug.  Everyone is expendable in this quest.

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## optical24/7

It’s always amazed me the lack of figuring, both independent and corporate, ( mostly independent ), in putting more thought into location to open. Who hasn’t heard the phrase, “ location, location, location” ? It’s a phase because it’s the bedrock of B&M businesses. Many times, cost of sq. Ft. Are prime drivers, and they shouldn’t be. They should be figured on what type of client you wish to cater to and how you plan to market yourself to them. 

It’s very doubtful you can build a 1M $ location on a backroad, business park location, relying on location zip code to drive ins. Patients to your practice, because that will be about your only source of patients. ( Oh, unless you give some kind of spectacular experience/products not offered elsewhere).

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## drk

That's really good insight, 24.  

I know of a practice (a very big and successful one) that opened another office with the exact strategy you mention!  Office park, juicy zip code, all vision care oriented.  I really don't know how they've done at that location, but it's a brilliant idea, on paper.

This practice is all about the money, though, and will use every method to get it.  I kind of admire them and revile them at the same time.

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## Robert_S

Is this the same Hakim optical which has been buying up most of the independent stores in the UK? I assume so?

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## optio

These guys? No idea, but if it wasn't, that would be a big coincidence. 
https://www.hakimgroup.co.uk/

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