Time flies when you’re an independent community pharmacy owner.
Once again, it’s time to conduct your pharmacy’s annual year-end review.
Take advantage of this time to reflect on everything that’s happened with your pharmacy business this year, and decide where you can make changes and improvements for the future.
Here are six questions to ask yourself as you reflect on the past year and prepare for what’s ahead.
What’s working—and what isn’t?
While you should be monitoring your pharmacy’s progress throughout the year, now’s a great time to really reflect on what’s working and what isn’t.
For example, if you added a new patient care service, such as offering immunizations, has it been successful? If so, are there other innovative services you can add next year, such as offering health screenings?
Or, has your smoking cessation program hurt your business more than it helped? If so, maybe you should consider cutting the program before the New Year.
Have I developed mutually beneficial relationships?
Think about the relationships you’ve developed with patients, physicians and partners this year. Have you kept up with these relationships beyond establishing an initial rapport?
If you haven’t experienced improved patient outcomes or an increase in patient and physician referrals, you may need to work on nurturing these relationships.
Focus on maintaining your relationship with patients by delivering on your promises and actively listening to their problems so that you can provide the best care possible.
And, make the most of your relationships with physicians by respecting their time, meeting face-to-face at least once a year and establishing an official referral program.
How can I improve my time management?
Did time get away from you this year?
For an independent community pharmacy owner, time is of the essence, so it’s important to manage your days to the best of your abilities.
Saving time and boosting productivity in your pharmacy all starts with making a plan and prioritizing. Once you’ve inventoried your time, you can start strategizing to make the most of it.
Follow these tips to improve your time management:
- Get organized
- Watch the clock
- Get rid of time-wasting habits, like socializing with coworkers
- Delegate your duties
- Cut out distractions, such as checking your social media accounts
How can I improve my marketing efforts?
You may have noticed that your marketing efforts this year took a back seat. But as you move into the New Year, don’t let marketing fall by the wayside.
Digital marketing is more important now than ever, and you need to develop a strategy that works.
Start by improving your pharmacy’s website, as it’s one of your pharmacy’s greatest tools. Then, focus on creating an email marketing campaign and a social media strategy, which can work hand in-hand.
Kick-off your email campaign by offering an incentive to your email subscribers who share your content on Facebook or Twitter. Not only will you see an increase in your social media engagement, but you’ll also encourage more people to subscribe to your email list.
What am I particularly proud of right now?
A year-end review isn’t just for deciding where to make improvements. It’s also a chance to reflect on what you’ve achieved over the past 12 months.
Maybe you successfully organized your first promotional event. Or, perhaps you greatly improved your networking skills.
Celebrate those wins, big or small, and remind yourself how your hard work paid off.
What are my goals for next year?
Once you’ve reviewed and reflected on the last year’s work, it’s time to think about what lies ahead. How can you start the New Year off strong?
Make a list of what you hope to accomplish next year, and use what you’ve learned in the past 12 months to help you get there.
For example, if you want to attend more industry events next year, start researching and scheduling them now. And, continue to fine-tune the networking skills you’ve been working on so you can make the most of any events you attend.
Use these tips to keep your pharmacy moving forward into the new year.
