If your pharmacy’s front end isn’t grabbing the attention you had hoped for, it’s time for you to make some changes. Instead of a group of employees in the front end with nothing to do, train these team members how to have conversations with patients that are both meaningful and helpful.
The best time to ask questions that will increase their cart value is when they’re already standing at the counter. If you train your front-end staff with the perfect questions and confidence, they’ll boost revenue naturally.
Listed below are some sales strategies you can implement in your pharmacy right away.
- Give a patient an offer of a product that complements what he or she already has in their cart. By doing this, you’re adding something that will give them even better results when added with their current choice. This will especially work with patients who have chronic conditions where nutrient depletion or symptom overlap is common.
- Use such things as current seasons or health trends to make suggestions that are not only timely, but helpful. Come up with a plan, such as a promotional calendar along with seasonal supplement bundles, such as skin care and hydration in summer and immunity in winter.
- Be authentic and relatable. People trust you not product marketing. Use you’re own words and your real-world experience when talking with patients. Have fun by attaching a short quote from your team members along with their name and photo, and attach it to product displays.
- Don’t just suggest products to your patients. Instead, start a conversation by using questions. This helps uncover pain points they haven’t mentioned. (i.e. “How have your headaches been lately?” or “Have you tried something other than Tylenol?”)
- Create urgency in your promotions so you increase the quantity sold. People love a good deal. Use the “Buy One, Get One” (BOGO) or bundle strategy.
Your front-end staff don’t have to be salespeople. They just need to be confident educators. So, if you take the time to use the right training tools, scripts, and practice, they will definitely prevail.
A Member-Owned Company Serving Independent Pharmacies
PBA Health is dedicated to helping independent pharmacies reach their full potential on the buy-side of their business. Founded and run by pharmacists, PBA Health serves independent pharmacies with group purchasing services, wholesaler contract negotiations, proprietary purchasing tools, and more.
An HDA member, PBA Health operates its own NABP-accredited warehouse with more than 6,000 SKUs, including brands, generics, narcotics CII-CV, cold-storage products, and over-the-counter (OTC) products — offering the lowest prices in the secondary market.
