How the Top 1% of Pharmacy Owners Find Rockstar Employees
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.
