by Steve Choate for our 99 Ways to Make a Positive Difference in Your Pharmacy blog series
You’ve likely heard the saying, “No man is an island.” Likewise, no pharmacy is an island. You cannot do it all alone. Today’s retail environment is more challenging than ever. Not only are you competing with other brick-and-mortar stores, you are competing on a global scale with every online business that sells products similar to what you offer in your store. That is why you need to reach out and partner with other local businesses.
Depending on your local and state laws, you have many services that only a pharmacy can provide and offer as a benefit to other businesses. Leading up to flu season, partner with your local coffee shop and offer flu vaccinations there on a weekday morning. Call your local senior living community center and sponsor blood pressure screenings and seminars on vitamins. During these visits, listen carefully to the types of items that these patients need and are using. Then make sure that you stock as many of these items as possible. You may also want to sponsor a “senior day” at your store each week or month and invite the senior living community residents to visit and offer a senior discount. Make sure you have extra help on these days so you can provide outstanding customer service to these important patients.
Work with your local healthcare professionals and host a special day in their honor at your store. Maybe once a quarter you can stay open late or open early to accommodate their schedule. Create a welcoming environment, including food and beverages, such as coffee and doughnuts or chips and dip. Additionally, have plenty of your business cards to hand out so when they get back to their offices, they can steer patients to your store. You can put a discount offer on the back of your card to entice their patients to stop in.
Partnering with local businesses – both competitors and non-competitors – may lead to new opportunities that you never imagined. Some may help increase your overall sales and profits, and some may help you grow personally.
Get involved locally!
As business development manager, Steve’s primary goal is to build long-term alliances and develop mutually beneficial relationships with existing and new clients and meet or exceed their past, present, and future revenue goals in a cost-effective and efficient way.