Why Your Pharmacy Staff Isn't "Selling" and How to Fix the Problem
Entrepreneurship is often synonymous with selling. There’s no doubt about it, you have to sell something to keep your pharmacy doors open. However, that doesn’t mean the transaction requires a used-car salesman demeanor. Your pharmacy’s sales process should have an enchanting effect. That is, the act of influencing behavior in ethical ways with the process of delighting people with a product, service, or idea that will actually help you sell and cause a voluntary, long-lasting relationship that is mutually beneficial.
Pharmacy owners struggle with getting their pharmacy staff to “upsell” or make recommendations for relevant supplements or products, which we call back-end opportunities. The reality is that no one really likes or wants to sell; it doesn’t feel natural or authentic.
For example, if you develop a critical driver for your pharmacists to “sell” 5 bottles of Ocean Blue Omega-3 every day and then wonder why you aren’t seeing results, it may be because they feel uncomfortable. Here’s what could possibly be going through their minds:
- They do not feel as if they are educated enough on the product to make the recommendation.
- In their mind, the patient is already paying an arm and a leg for their medications, why would they want to ask them to pay more money?
- Why should they have to “do more” in their already demanding position to increase your bottom line?
No wonder your staff feels paralyzed. What would happen if you re-positioned the goal of selling 5 supplements per day into educating every patient about a specific item that could increase the effectiveness of their medication? Honestly, how would your patient feel if you neglected to share information about a product that could have expedited their quality of life and six months later they are worse off ...just because you didn’t want to impose?
As pharmacy professionals, we are not in the prescription business, we are in the solutions business. We offer solutions to people’s problems. And with that mindset, you can offer an “enchanting” experience within the four walls of your pharmacy.
How do you teach your pharmacy staff the art of enchantment?
In Guy Kawasaki's book, Enchantment, he explains how enchantment is not about manipulating people. It’s transforming a potentially off-setting situation into a heart-felt, ‘we’ve got your back’ conversation and relationship.
Guy Kawasaki's Pillars of Enchantment include:
- Likeability – it’s about having a great smile, firm handshake, helpful mindset and dressing appropriately. Position your pharmacy as a clinical environment by putting your entire staff in matching scrubs and the pharmacists in business attire with matching lab coats.
- Trustworthy – this is extremely quality in the pharmacy industry since you are dealing with medications and someone’s health and future. The educational mindset and well-trained staff will often solidify this trait in your customers’ brains. It’s also important to default to yes attitude. Everyone should be approached with a mentality of “how can I help them” opposed to “how can I get them out of here as quickly as possible?”
- Quality - perfect your services and staff’s knowledge. It’s not just about offering top-notch products and having innovative services. It’s also about the experience that accompanies them (think Nordstroms, beautiful products with even better customer service). As stated above, your staff may not feel comfortable with recommending an additional high-ticket item. This is why it’s important to arm your pharmacy team with the information they need to feel comfortable with the different products. Clip case studies, send the shoe fitter to advanced training, the educator to a natural medication course, etc. Your patients cannot buy the knowledge of your staff elsewhere.
- Tell a Story - did the omega-3 help you lower your cholesterol without changing anything else? Post the before and after blood work and set your staff free to tell the story.
- Plant Many Seeds - In today’s world the customer experience doesn’t just happen in the pharmacy. It happens on your website, Facebook (and the like), blog, face-to-face, etc. Write a blog post about how omega-3lowered a patients’ cholesterol, shoot a video on how to pick an effective supplement, arm your happy customers with coupons. Plant reminders everywhere.
- Use Salient Points - miles/gallons vs. yearly costs, dollars vs. months of food, gigabytes vs. number of songs. How can we use that in the pharmacy world? Lower your cholesterol vs. average points decreased, perhaps?
- Overcome Resistance – provide social proof that the suggested supplements/services are being embraced throughout the health community. Did Dr. Oz recommend taking Omega-3? Print out the article and have it in the waiting room. It’s also important to not assume who the major decision makers are. For example, the male with high cholesterol may turn up his nose, but the wife will often be the decision maker.
- Make Your Enchantment Endure - When someone thanks you, respond with “You are welcome, I know you would do the same for me”. This tells them you believe they are classy. Classy people believe in reciprocation and will spread the word.
- Build a Great Ecosystem - Android vs. iPhone, Your Independent Pharmacy vs. the Chain - differentiate the service at your pharmacy that it actually makes people take a side and then nurture them. These people want want you to succeed. Tap into the “talkers” in pharmacy and have them help you fill in the holes - they’ll provide with you valuable insights.
- Don’t Rely on Money - if your enchantment is based on money, something is wrong. It should be because you have a solutions-oriented mindset.
- Present - train your staff to customize their “sales-pitch”, it shouldn’t sound as if they are just spitting off a bunch of statistics. The same goes for in-store and doctor presentations. Sell your dreams and commitment to the community when you speak.
With these pillars integrated throughout your pharmacy business you’ll not only do old things better, it will also make you a smarter owner, increase the productivity, and confidence amongst your team to empower the community to live healhier …. while comfortably increase your pharmacy’s bottom line.
