Posted by Samantha Timmermann on Wed, Sep 08, 2010
You may have all of the necessary certifications, products, and services necessary to operate an independent pharmacy, but you, your team and store must actually look the part as well.
Here are 5 simple ways you can look like a healthcare professional:
- Have a clean store - clean carpeting, floors, and absolutely no dead flies in your light fixtures. Keep your counters uncluttered and properly stocked.
- Dress the entire team in a uniform. Scrubs will make your staff look very professional. Make sure they were the same colors on the same days. Tip: Black and maroon look very nice and are usually less expensive. Embroidering their names or your logo on the uniform is also a nice touch.
- The staff should be well-groomed. Two-day stubble, scraggly hair, excessively long fingernails or unusually placed earrings are not acceptable. Be careful of younger employees who may dress in an inappropriate or provocative way.
- If you provide delivery service to healthcare facilities or homes, you should take a cue from UPS and dress your drivers appropriately as well.
- Keep your delivery vehicles clean - it is a traveling billboard. Dan used to call his The Pill Wagon Fleet. Each car was labeled The Pill Wagon. People thought it was cute and customers often mentioned that they've seen the Pill Wagon all around town. Talk about word of mouth advertising!
Overall, everyone must look clean, neat, and organized. These guidelines may seem obvious, but incorporating these simple rules in your employee handbook will earn your customers' trust and respect.
Remember, how you do one thing is how you do everything.
Posted by Samantha Timmermann on Thu, Sep 02, 2010
If you want people to follow you on Twitter, visit your website, become a fan on Facebook, or read your pharmacy blog,
it is important to let people actually know about your initiatives. The 'built it and they will come' theory does not apply in the early stages of your social media and web journey. Once people start to comment on your posts and share the info with friends, more and more people will be linked to your page thus creating a strong network of followers. Which can then cause the community to go to your website more often or visit your independent pharmacy. Here are four ways to increase the awareness and traffic on your website and social media profiles such as Facebook and Twitter. 
1. Hang signs, distribute bag stuffers, and include the links in your monthly newsletter - be sure to list the benefits of joining your online community and where they can find you. Download our pharmacy marketing templates.
2. Invite your Facebook friends - When you click “Suggest to Friends” on your pharmacy’s fan page, start typing in the name of your friend or click which friends you would like to send an invite to. Click send invite and an invitation to become a fan of your Facebook page will automatically be sent. As you and your staff become friends with more people on Facebook, remember to go back and send the invite to the new people you’ve added. The names of those who have already been invited will be grayed out and the invite will only be sent to your new contacts.
Make a game out of it and ask your current fans to suggest your page to their friends. The fan with the highest number of recommendations wins a pharmacy gift card. 3. Include the links in your email signature - we recently started using WiseStamp, a FREE web browser extension that takes your email signature to the next level. You can easily customize, include IM & Social profiles, automatically share your blog posts, quotes, news, bookmarks, and more. Please note this tool will only work when using Firefox or Google. If you are currently using Internet Explorer or AOL as your internet browser, you can expect a more enjoyable browsing experience with Firefox or Google. (i.e. faster loading pages and less crashes).
Here's what my signature looks like: 
4. Add links and feeds to your website and blog - If you have a website or blog and you want to keep your readers coming back for more, you need to make it easy for them to link to your social media profiles and share what they enjoyed from your site. Ask your web developer to add Find us on Facebook, Twitter, etc. buttons to your website. Ideally the buttons should be placed at the top of the page. 5. Use Facebook and Twitter WidgetsAs a Facebook Page owner and Twitter user, you can add the Fan Box widget on your own website to gain more fans and share your updates. Check out these live samples: http://www.itcpharmacy.com and http://ncpamarketing.com/social-media-community.htmlFacebook Widgets: http://www.facebook.com/facebook-widgets/Twitter Widgets: http://twitter.com/goodies/widgets
Posted by Samantha Timmermann on Mon, Aug 30, 2010
Did you love the independent pharmacy note card program and are now trying to think of other unique ways to make your customers feel extra special? Start a V.I.P. (Very Important Patient) Club!
It’s simple. Have your cashier ask each customer at check-out if they are in the XYZ Pharmacy V.I.P. Club. If they are, they automatically receive 10% off all non-prescription purchases each time they visit the pharmacy.
To enroll a patient in the V.I.P. club, the cashier should explain the benefits of the program, have them complete an enrollment form, and place a bright sticker on the upper corner of the debit or credit card they use the most.
The best part? Each time the customer uses their credit card, they will see the sticker and be reminded of your independent pharmacy and possibly something they need to pick up from the store. Not to mention, it may also increase their OTC purchase as they will save 10 percent with the special sticker.
This program will also help build your database as each V.I.P. club member should be required to fill out a basic enrollment form that asks for the following:
- Name
- Email address
- Preferred phone number
- Birthday
- Opt-in and notification preferences for email, phone, and text messages
PDS Members: download step-by-step implementation instructions and the enrollment form from the Marketing Solution Center.
Posted by Samantha Timmermann on Fri, Aug 27, 2010
As an independent pharmacy owner, finding the motivation to keep pushing forward each day can be a huge challenge, especially on those days where your business feels as if its falling apart and you’re questioning if it’s all worth it.
Young Entrepreneur, one of the largest online forum communities for entrepreneurs worldwide, recently launched a new annual blog series for recognizing their favorite blogs from a variety of categories. Last week, they recognized the top 10 blogs in the Motivational category.
By reading these blogs and reaching out to your pharmacy business coach, implementation specialist, and the PDS pharmacy owner community, you can get that support you need to overcome the obstacles in your business and reach all your goals, whether that be on a personal or professional level.
While the PDS family provides a wealth of support and inspiration to its members through coaching calls, personal development meetings, and Industry Message Board, we highly recommend reading one or two of these blogs a week to continuously expand your thinking. To make it easier on you, subscribe to the blog by entering your email address and they’ll send you a weekly digest.
And the awards go to…
DailyGood – What better way to start your day than with an inspiring quote, a related positive story, and simple action you can take to be a better person? DailyGood is a highly motivating blog, and is extremely simple. It sticks to a single formula, so you know what to expect every day. 
Self Help Daily – It’s comforting to know that someone out there cares…that there’s someone out there who wants to support you and help you love life. Self Help Daily is all about inspiring and motivating people to improve their life and simply smile more often. Sounds like a great recipe for success. Twitter: @JoiTaniaSigers
DailyAffirm – The power of positive affirmation shouldn’t be underestimated. Each day, DailyAffirm posts a new positive affirmation based on the month’s theme. Some of this year’s monthly themes include hope, love, peace, freedom, joy, and trust. Twitter: @JeanieMarshall 
Zen Habits – Slow down. Get rid of the clutter. Focus on the things that are truly important in life. Find happiness. This is what Zen Habits is all about. With nearly 200,000 readers, Zen Habits posts three articles a week on simplicity, health and fitness, motivation, frugality, family life, happiness, and much more. We love this blog because it helps you get centered and collected. Twitter: @zen_habits
Today is that Day – This online magazine’s mission is “to help people find happiness, contentment, health, and abundance in their daily lives.” And they do a darn good job at it if you ask us. You can find everything from inspirational quotes to money and prosperity tips to health and fitness advice. It just might be the most comprehensive blog on this list. Twitter:@DanAndJennifer
Success Begins Today – For 5 years, Success Begins Today has been offering personal development insight to thousands of readers around the world. This blog is great blog because the author, John Richardson, provides easy-to-understand concepts you can really put to use in your everyday life. Twitter: @success2you
I Need Motivation – Their mission says is all: “Improving & motivating people all over the world through simple, quality, and effective ways.” The blog offer a range of self-improvement tips and tools you can use to get more from life. It’s a useful blog for people from all walks of life. Twitter: @ineedmotivation 
The Positivity Blog – A little positivity really can change everything. Positive thinking can give you the motivation to realize your full possibilities. From improving people skills to reducing procrastination, The Positivity Blog touches on a range of subjects, all designed to help you improve your life. Twitter:@positivityblog 
Change Your Thoughts – The concept behind this blog is that if you change your thinking patterns, behaviors, and beliefs, you can live the life you were truly born to live. This blog will push you to change your negative thinking and outdated beliefs, and those simple changes really can change your life. Twitter: @StevenAitchison
Vic Johnson – Vic Johnson, a motivational speaker, shares his thoughts and insight in this powerful blog. He shows you how to maximize your personal growth, reach your goals, and live a fuller, happier life. Twitter: @FollowVic
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Upcoming PDS Self Development Webinar
On Tuesday, September 14 at 8pm EST, we invite all PDS Platinum and Diamond Members to join Paul Martinelli for his monthly PDS self development webinar. For call-in information, please refer to the Weekly Announcements.
Lesson two of his Creating a New Belief series will help you examine the current beliefs you hold about yourself and your environment. Can your current beliefs help you discover the success you desire and achieve the goals you have set for yourself? Or, are they limiting you and holding you back?
In these two simple yet powerful lessons that he has taught all the over the world, Paul will walk you through the process of developing a new learning model to create a more dynamic belief system - a NEW belief that will sustain and strengthen your ability to make the best decisions to achieve the future you want.
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Where do you find motivation and inspiration? Please share by leaving a comment!
Posted by Samantha Timmermann on Wed, Aug 25, 2010
Last week Facebook unveiled Facebook Places, a smart-phone location check-in feature that allows users to share their location, find the location of their friends, and discover new places based on other Facebook user recommendations - much like Yelp!, Google Places, and Foursquare.
After reading numerous articles discussing the new application, the following is a brief recap of the impact Facebook Places will have on independent pharmacy.
Why Facebook Places is a Big Deal for Small Businesses
As an independent pharmacy owner, you need to be aware of Facebook Pages, and you need to be aware of it even if you have no intention of ever using it. Because some of Facebook’s 500 million users are your customers and, regardless of your feelings, they’ll be using it.
Small business marketing gurus, Ducktape Marketing, recently posted the Top 5 Reasons Facebook Places is a Big Deal:
- Facebook is building a suite of advertising tools that will allow you to list, claim and advertise your place on Facebook.
- You no longer have to educate your customers - they all know what Facebook is and are using it on a daily basis.
- People checking in at your business are naturally telling some part of the world about your business - each time someone check in, and instance is created on their profile and newstream for all of their friends to see.
- Offering coupons and special offers for people who check in is a natrual way to tap into the power of online tools to drive offline sales.
- Data that you can collect on users and amount of times they check in will provide extremely valuable in tracking customers and advertising spending.
The Look and Feel of Facebook Pages
To access Facebook Places you’ll have to use the iPhone Facebook application or, if you don’t use an iPhone, you can access touch.facebook.com from any mobile browser-supported phone. The Facebook Place Page listings are very similar to those of other check-in websites. They show your basic business information (address, phone number, directions, etc), a Bing map, the number of check-ins and any of your friends who have checked into the business.Here’s a screenshot of a Facebook Place listing for Pharmacy Development Services:
Facebook Places vs. Facebook Business Pages
If you attended the PDS Social Media Boot Camp or have taken your own initiative, you already have a Facebook Page. However, right now Facebook Place Pages is existing completely independent of your pharmacy’s Facebook Fan page that you’re using to engage and connect with customers. That means you have to watch and monitor both to protect yourself from attack. Facebook’s Chris Box has announced that small business owners will be able to merge their Fan page listing with their Facebook Place Page at a later date. There’s quite a hefty claiming process to set the stage for the eventual merger, but once it’s done, the new Place Page will serve as your business’ identity on Facebook. You will have one page that users can interact with and check in at.Having a fully integrated page will also open up different promotional opportunities for independent pharmacy owners who can now tie calls to action with check in activity or run ads directing people to their page. What You Need to Do Right Now to Protect Your Brand
Right now, pharmacy owners need to do their part to make sure that their information and brand are both protected. You can’t merge your Facebook Place page with your Fan page yet, but you can claim it. By claiming it you give yourself the ability to edit the information, complete your profile and authorize page admins. Getting this done ahead of time will help you take advantage of the merged profiles once they become available. Also, there’s no current way to edit the title of your Facebook Place Page, so if you want to make sure it gets inputted correctly, you may want to be pro-active and create it yourself.
A lot of information about how this service works is still evolving, but here’s the current FAQ page from Facebook.
If your business is not already listed on Places you can add it by following these instructions. Let us know! Do you plan on using Facebook Places personally or as a business owner? Have you seen any of your customers “check in” to your pharmacy?
Posted by Samantha Timmermann on Mon, Aug 23, 2010
What are you doing to WOW your customers? 
They may have had a great experience while at your pharmacy, but will that bond last until the next time they need a prescription filled? As an independent pharmacy, you must be competitive on price, hours, and location, but in the end it’s all of the small things done exactly right that separate the ordinary stores from the extraordinary ones.
The small things that help create the wow customer experience can range from offering freshly baked cookies to the callback program to asking a patient with a prescription for pain medication how they're feeling and if they need to get home ASAP. However, one of the most successful WOW programs we recommend to our members is the Pharmacy Note Card Program. It’s as simple as ordering custom note cards (ask us about our inexpensive resource) and requiring each staff member to write a personalized note every shift to a customer they interacted with that day.
Whether it be a sincere thank you for stopping by today, I’m sorry you’re still not feeling well, or I’m sorry your visit took longer than necessary, a handwritten note is a powerful tool that has proven itself to be a valuable technique to:
- Build and strengthen relationships with your customers
- Put a smile on your customers face outside of the pharmacy
- Smooth over a less than ideal visit
Your pharmacy employees may complain that they are required to write a daily note, but this is a situation where you can’t let the inmates run the jail. All you’re asking for is about 5 minutes of their shift and if they can’t think of something to say, provide a few note templates to get them started. If they still can’t think of one thing to say to one person, you may need to ask yourself, “how personal is the service in my pharmacy?” and go from there. This could be the cause of why things aren’t better for you anyways.
We recently received a survey, via the We Want to be a 10 program, where an upset customer was about ready to dart to the competition due to the fact that the pharmacy made a few mistakes. In the feedback, she brought it to the pharmacy’s attention that the reason she decided to give them a second chance is because she was so touched by the handwritten thank you note she received from one of the employees. In the survey she came right out and said that if it wasn’t for the thank you card she’d be gone and wouldn’t think twice about going back the pharmacy in the future.
Another pharmacy owner shared that while he was working at a community event somebody came up to him and said:
“You don’t know me, but your pharmacy takes care of my sister. For the past few months, things have not been going well in her life. She recently received a thank you note from your pharmacy and I wanted to let you know that it really made her day and it turned everything around for her. In fact, she actually keeps the note on her counter and reads it all the time. Thank you.”
One of Dan’s five cardinal rules for success is “people don’t care how much you know, until you show them how much you care.”
In the scheme of your business, the note card program may seem like something very small. However, a personalized, handwritten card touches people and if you think about it in business terms, how many people actually do this?
If you had ten employees and they wrote one card each day, that’s ten envelopes going out a day, five days a week, totalling 2,600 note cards a year! The key to success in this program is that it touches people emotionally. It is appealing to people’s emotions because most purchases are emotionally based. So, anytime you can make an impression, do it because people talk about the unusual - the unusually good and the unusually bad.
What does your pharmacy do to create a WOW customer experience?
Posted by Samantha Timmermann on Fri, Aug 20, 2010
There are three ways to grow your pharmacy:
- Increase the number of transactions
- Increase the frequency of transactions
- Increase the amount per transaction
The easiest is tapping into your existing customer base, and increasing your customers’ frequency or amount per transaction. However, it’s always nice to attract new customers. One of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to attain new customer is referrals.
Here are four simple ways independent pharmacies can get more referrals from local health professionals:
1. Welcome New Health Professionals with Open Ears. Did a new Geriatrician or Nurse Practitioner recently join the local health community? Introduce yourself as the local go-to pharmacy by sending them a personalized note or setting up a one-on-one lunch. Take the opportunity to see what they need and how you can help them meet their goals. Download our ‘new doctor’ letter template>>
2. Constantly Build Relationships with the ENTIRE Staff. They key to getting the doctor’s staff to automatically recommend your pharmacy is to constantly stay on top of their mind. You can do this by engaging the doctor’s entire team. That includes the technicians, nurses, receptionists -- everyone!
- Send a handwritten note, flowers, or tasty goodies out of gratitude on the appropriate health care appreciation day. Upcoming holidays: Assisted Living Week begins September 12th and Physician Assistants Week begins October 6.
- Stop by the clinic on a regular basis to chat with the nurses. Be sure you’re armed with pharmacy news, coupons, samples of new products and services, or even five dollar gift cards to local businesses.
- Invite the local health professional community to your pharmacy for a quarterly, after-hours networking event. The goal is to get them into the pharmacy to see and meet your staff and learn about the services you provide. Make the event fun by wrapping the refreshments around a holiday or theme (February - chocolate; May - margaritas, etc.). You’ll have the health community looking forward to your fun events and going to your pharmacy in no time!
3. Train Your Salesperson. Compounding pharmacies frequently ask us if they should hire a salesperson. The answer to the question depends on whether or not YOU know exactly what you want them to sell. You need to know precisely what you want your “salesperson” to go out and nail. Tailor their calls specifically to target the audience they are addressing. Would you want them trying to sell a rheumatologist something for gastrointestinal distress? A pediatrician about geriatric needs?
A list cross-referencing the different medical fields and your compounding services will enable you to target specific subscribers with specific items catering to their specialty area to practice. Narrow the list down to one or two items for your salesperson to present and discuss. Give them ammunition such as coupons for free samples, etc. By training your salesperson, you’ve now created accountability and have a method for determining their effectiveness.
4. Brand Your Pharmacy. Educate. Provide Insight. As much as the national chains aspire to giving excellent service, the chain business model does not align with great personal customer service. The customer experience provided by independent pharmacies gives you an almost unfair competitive advantage over the the chains. Take the opportunity to educate and inform the physician's offices about the services, programs, community ties, and philosophies on which you’ve built your independent pharmacy...especially those that are free to your customers. To get you started, here are a few talking points:
- My Dose Alert and SyncRx
- Free calcium, kids vitamins (Pediatricians), pre-natal vitamins (OB-GYN) and diabetic medications
- Weekly blood pressure screenings (Cardiologist)
- Accutane survival backpacks (Dermatologists)
- Compounding services
- Diabetes education and cooking classes
- Sports injury products (Chiropractor)
- Shingles and pneumonia vaccinations (Geriatrician)
Start taking some of these steps today, and let us know what else you would recommend, or what else has worked for your pharmacy.
Posted by Samantha Timmermann on Wed, Aug 18, 2010
Every morning, I come into the office and read all my work-related blog subscriptions. Yesterday, Chris Brogan, new media expert and author of Trust Agents, posted a video explaining his thoughts on time management. Watching his short video got me thinking about PDS’s view towards time management and pharmacy. And then, ironically, Dan, Sharon, and I had a product development meeting and the topic was discussed. Talk about timing! Here’s a recap:
Each second of time is precious. The more you are aware of that, the more likely you’ll be never to waste your time. Unlike other resources, time is non-renewable, available in limited quantities, and substitutes are not possible.
Consider this insight from from Life’s Little Instruction Book: “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein.”
Time is not something you find - it's something you make.
There are 1,440 minutes in the day. How much better could your pharmacy business be if you took just 1-2% of your day and invested that into improving your business - thinking, planning, strategizing, and prioritizing. We’re talking 14-28 minutes a day. Think about it--your pharmacy, which is quite a large investment, has a profound impact on your family, employees, and customers. It shouldn’t be that hard to find a small amount of time to invest in securing and growing the livelihood of your business.
“Consequences are the tangible evidence of choice.” (One of Dan’s favorite quotes)
Many pharmacy owners get lost in the minutia of owning an independent pharmacy because they don’t prioritize. Yes, every now and then you’re required to put out small fires and meet with an elderly patient that just loves to tell you about her grand-daughter, but these interruptions are not the reason you do not have time to work on your business or manage your time.
As explained in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, you need to manage and make choices on how to spend your time. Staying structured and having a system for managing your time is just as important as having a process for anything else you do in your business. Time management takes discipline, especially in a pharmacy with so many distractions. At the end of the day, it's all about the choices you make. It's not about having the time - we all have the same amount of time - it's having lack of priorities.
Think about where you may be spending time. I'm all about having a healthy balance between work and play - but do you really need to watch that re-run of Seinfeld or Friends? Give up on one of them and see what an impact that can make in your business in a small amount of time.
A great way to get started and effectively spend a few minutes on personal and business development is by subscribing to our blog. About three times a week, we post articles specifically about independent pharmacy development. On the right side of our blog, enter your email address and you’ll instantly receive an email each time we post. Or, just be sure to check in a few times a week. Be sure to extend your knowledge and thoughts to others in our community of pharmacy owners by commenting on a few articles you find interesting.
Posted by Samantha Timmermann on Mon, Aug 16, 2010
Last February, Tom Feltenstein, marketing visionary and author of 401 Marketing Tactics, shared this story with 300 leading independent pharmacy owners and their teams at our annual conference. The takeaway? You should always be recruiting, all the time--even when you don’t need anyone. Because sooner or later, you will.
Late one night, many years ago, the manager of a small rural hotel was sitting quietly at the front desk when a couple arrived. The couple seemed somewhat tired and bitter, and the manager assumed it was due to the harsh weather conditions outside. The gentleman, a man of some stature--maybe in his mid-fifties--approached the desk and asked the manager for a room. The manager kindly replied, “Sir, because of the harsh conditions outside, we are filled to the brim! Let me check if one of our suites is available.” He checked, but there was not a single room available in the hotel. The gentleman glanced at his wife and let out a sigh.
The manager stood up and said, “Sir, there is not a room that I could find you, but I can see that you are tired and in need of some rest. Please take my room for the evening and make yourselves comfortable.” Not waiting for a reply, the manager stood up and walked the couple to his modest, but well-kept room. The gentleman told him, “You know, one day I am going to call you, and you will be the manager at my hotel.” The manager nodded politely as he brought the luggage into his room.
A few months later, the manager received a phone call from the gentleman asking if he could be interested in moving to New York to manage his hotel. The gentleman, it turns out, was the owner of the greatest hotel in New York City and now, because of his superb hospitality, the former manager of a small hotel is the manager of the Waldorf-Astoria.
When do you recruit new team members for your pharmacy? Usually, it’s when someone retires or when you have to let an employee go. You should be recruiting seven days a week, constantly. Don’t wait until you need somebody. That’s when you make choices out of desperation rather than inspiration.
Have some business cards printed with your contact information and the following statement:
“Your outstanding attitude and behavior is exactly what we are looking for in XYZ Pharmacy Team Members. If you’re ever looking for another job, please give me a call.”
The next time you encounter great customer service and think, “I wish my employees were like that,” hand that person one of those cards.
Download the recruit 24/7 business card template for pharmacies.
Posted by Samantha Timmermann on Fri, Aug 13, 2010
If you went to a national wholesaler trade show this summer or you have attended one of Dan Benamoz’s CE presentations, you’ve probably heard the buzz about the new Shop Local campaign available for independent pharmacies.
The Pharmacy Shop Local program provides all the tools and ideas community pharmacies need to educate, both quickly and inexpensively, their customers about the importance of “shopping local” and keeping money in the community.
For example: did you know that for every $100 spent at a local business, $73 stays in the local economy, while if you spend $100 at a chain or non-locally owned business, only $43 stays in the community?
We’ve been on a mission to get the Shop Local materials into all 16,000 community pharmacies. With the help of our network of PDS Members, preferred vendors, partnerships with industry organizations, and the proactive pharmacy owners we’ve met over the past few weeks, we are excited to announce we’ve sent out over 1,000 FREE Shop Local kits!
The starter kit is filled with simple and unique educational tools, including signage, stickers, and badges. Each tool is designed to inform ... and to thank your customers for shopping and supporting you -- their local independent pharmacy. If you have not requested your starter kit yet or need to order more materials, you can do so by going to our website.
Share Your Ideas!
- Do you have an idea as to how we can get the Shop Local materials into more pharmacies across America?
- Are you on a pharmacy organization board?
- Do you work with a vendor or sales rep that would just love spread this message to their customers?
Please call the office; we’d be happy to send them the materials. Many of our PDS Members have introduced us to national boards and their colleagues, helping us spread the word like wildfire. We even have one pharmacy owner bringing 20 starter kits with him to a wedding this weekend for his college buddies!
If we all band together and start a movement, we each do our part to preserve this industry.
Request your FREE Shop Local Kit