By Megan Moyer for our 99 Ways to Make a Positive Difference in Your Pharmacy blog series
As one piece of the healthcare continuum in your community, it’s a great idea to become familiar with local physicians. Establishing a relationship with them will benefit both parties and ultimately your patients too.
Start by using an online search engine or check with your chamber of commerce to get contact information for local doctors and practitioners. Write a letter of introduction that includes your location, a brief overview of your professional background and any areas of specialty, and paint the picture of your store. Talk about the patients you hope to attract or do serve and point out any unique items or departments. Do you offer homeopathic options, or provide particular services such as compression sock fitting?
Also try to convey the personality of your store – is your focus on holistic care, overall wellness, or do you stick to tried-and-true treatments? What is the experience you try to provide your shoppers? These aspects are helpful for physicians to know and share with their patients.
Why not take the next step and invite them to your store? Meeting in-person is the best way to build any relationship. You can take the opportunity to show them some of the items you may have pointed out in the letter and maybe get some ideas for products to add to your assortment.
Gaining familiarity with or creating a bond with physicians in the area should help your business grow and more importantly, benefit the patients you serve. Once you’ve reached out to local doctors, branch out to other healthcare practitioners in your area. The more you can connect with others in the healthcare continuum, the better off all involved will be.