Running a pharmacy is tough business involving many things. The most important component however is your patient base as they provide the lifeblood to keep your business going. As we enter this new year that threatens to be tough for business do you know how you can get clients to spend 5 times more and refer others? According to research it is by keeping them loyal. Seeing how loyalty is key for business, here are 5 tips to keep patients loyal to your pharmacy this year:
One mistake some pharmacists make is focusing on just their location and what products they have in their store instead of what they do in their store and why they do it. It is important to tell your story and develop a personal relationship with patients especially when other pharmacies are around you. The most important story patients want to here is that you care for them and their well being.
Managing patients’ medication helps with adherence and is a good way to keep them coming back. Once you start this program, you may start to notice that some patients are getting their medications filled at 3 or 4 different pharmacies or are not taking them as instructed. Implementing this program in your pharmacy, will help them get the benefit of better care from getting all their medications from you.
I heard a story once of a woman who owned 3 pharmacies—2 of which were doing well, but the third was lagging. She could not figure out why the third pharmacy was lagging, especially because she managed all the stores in the same manner. So, she hired 5 secret shoppers to investigate why the third pharmacy was not performing well. All 5 came back to her and said that it was because of a particular rude staff. The woman realized she had not done a good enough job training her staff, and she learned that she had not put the right people in the right place.
To succeed you must know your market and the niche you wish to target. If you want to attract the younger and digital generation for example, you should have a website and make an effort on social media such as facebook or twitter. Brands such as Medplus and Nett pharmacies have quite good social media presence, you can take a cue from them. The digital generation are not taking multiple medications yet but are often interested in wellness and health. So providing information about vitamins and supplements may attract them. When they do start taking other medications or need to buy them for family members, they’ll come to you.
