Pharmacy Staff Development Archives

7 Ways to Increase Non-Prescription Pharmacy Sales

April 8, 2021/0 Comments/in All, Pharmacy Growth Strategies, Pharmacy Profits and ROI, Pharmacy Staff Development/by pdsmarketing

Prescriptions may be the number one reason patients come into your pharmacy (they are your most vital revenue source, after all). To maximize your pharmacy’s revenue potential even more, take advantage of the non-prescription sales opportunities available to you today.

Prescription profit margins have seen a decline in recent years. On the other hand, OTC or front-end product profit margins have remained consistent and strong. While prescriptions make up the bulk of your revenues, a good OTC sales strategy can be just as impactful to your profitability.

Through these seven easy-to-implement strategies, you can encourage patients to make non-prescription purchases and ultimately boost your pharmacy’s revenue.

1. Do Your Market Research

Just because you like a particular product, doesn’t mean everyone else does too. Don’t rely on your intuition to figure out the best ways to grow your non-prescription sales. Review data and research to determine which over-the-counter and retail products are trending. A study by Hamacher Resource Group (HRG) revealed the cold & allergy, vitamins & dietary supplements, and pain relief categories represent nearly 43% of unit sales in health and wellness.

Be sure to review your sales figures to see which product categories are most popular with your customers and take steps to make these products easier to locate in your pharmacy.

2. Use Your Pharmacy’s Floor Plan to Your Advantage

An effective pharmacy layout is optimized to display merchandise that you want patients to see and buy. Some areas of your pharmacy probably receive more foot traffic than others. For example, areas next to the prescription counter and aisles leading to the checkout registers tend to see more traffic. Rotate products in and out of these areas and at the end-of-aisle displays to see which items result in increased sales when relocated to these highly visible locations. Test different floor areas. Move merchandise around. A little reorganization has the power to influence your patients’ purchasing decisions.

3. Train Your Pharmacy Team to Cross-Sell and Upsell

A large number of drugs dispensed can cause drug-induced nutritional deficiencies. Many of the patients that walk through your door are already buying nutritional supplements. Knowing this, you should ask yourself:

Are they buying supplements from your pharmacy?
Are they buying quality supplements that are beneficial to their health?

Upselling nutrient depletion supplements is a win-win. Patients who are buying supplements elsewhere don’t normally consult a pharmacist at the time of purchase, and are often not taking the correct nutrients their body needs. For example, you make $5 selling a patient a beta blocker, and then you make $15 selling them the CoQ10 his body needs to counteract drug-induced nutritional deficiencies.

Your pharmacy team is key to this “UpSolutions” strategy. Train them to build relationships with customers and make relevant product suggestions based off the drugs patients are picking up.

This can also work for any product you sell in your store. Coach your team to be helpful and ask customers what products they are looking for, thus opening the conversation to upselling. Check out the OTC Guide, which gives you specific product recommendations based on what your patients are already purchasing.

It can also be helpful to hold weekly team meetings to inform your staff of what inventory needs to be moved, marked down, or removed.

Idea: Hold a contest and reward staff members that upsell the most products each month. For more information on upselling non-prescription products, check out the on-demand webinar: Outside the Vial: Improving Profitability with OTC Sales.

4. Build Strong Customer Relationships

According to HRG research, customer service is overwhelmingly rated as the most important competitive advantage. Consumers who establish good, trusted relationships with their pharmacy are more likely to return compared to when visiting stores where they don’t have a personal connection. Your talented team is capable of creating an atmosphere of comfort and trust so be sure to train them to engage with customers and establish personal relationships whenever possible. Guide your staff to recognize repeat customers, greet them by their first name, or ask questions about their families, work or pets. Everyone appreciates a personal touch.

5. Stock Related Products Closely

Knowing how products relate to each other can help your pharmacy increase retail sales. For example, people who are looking for a knee brace may also need joint cream. Customers with a cold might be looking for a box of tissues. Display related products next to each other so customers can easily find what they are looking for. Don’t forget to use your pharmacy floor plan to help you determine how to position related products for maximum sales impact!

6. Be Your Own Secret Shopper

Forget everything you know about your pharmacy and walk through the doors as a secret shopper. Walk the aisles with a fresh eye and ask yourself if things look inviting. Would you continue to shop in this store? If you are hesitant, it may be time to make some changes. Updating your decor, brightening the lighting, or simply adding a fresh coat of paint can go a long way.

7. Pharmacy Customer Service That Sizzles

It doesn’t matter if you run a pharmacy or a ditch-digging company, everything begins and ends with customer service. Offering truly exceptional service is one of the best ways you can boost merchandise sales at your pharmacy. Ask the question, “Is there something we could do to improve your shopping experience and, if so, what would it be?” People love a listening ear. And their feedback is just what your team needs to make necessary improvements.

A pharmacy is so much more than just a place to fill prescriptions. It’s a place where people can find convenience products, supplements, food, souvenirs, and other household items. Knowing the most effective ways to increase sales of these items will pay off with a healthy bottom-line for your independent pharmacy.

What’s Next?

Looking for more ways to drive your most lucrative patients to your door? Download our free eBook, Pharmacy Business Blueprint today to increase your profits while providing world-class healthcare.

PDS Members: Log in to PDSadvantage to get access to the OTC Education and Resources page or detailed information about how to implement clinical services in your pharmacy.

Don’t Undersell Your Value

April 23, 2020/in All, Pharmacy Growth Strategies, Pharmacy Staff Development/by Erin Hmielewski

Here at PDS, we take pride in highlighting some of our incredible partners. We know these companies have the potential to revolutionize pharmacies just like yours through their products and services. We’re excited to introduce RxGenomix. Read on for their sponsored blog post about the importance of solution selling and showing your patients how much you have to offer.

Do you provide value for your patients? Do you save them money? Do you make your patients’ lives better? I’m sure you do. Your pharmacy services and medical knowledge are valuable. But do you enjoy selling your services to your patients? Probably not. Very few pharmacists do, but for pharmacists to advance their standing as healthcare providers, they may need to do just that. But how?

Stop Underselling Yourself

The personality of a pharmacist is rarely that of a salesperson and, unfortunately, that results in a lack of awareness of the value pharmacists bring to their patients. Value has been underappreciated and squeezed out in today’s pharmacy models, so we need to be looking for new ways to apply this value.

In Solution Selling: Creating Buyers in Difficult Selling Markets, a book by Michael Bosworth, the author points out how we can identify a latent pain in an individual and provide a vision for a solution based on our capabilities. Now, not everyone will be looking for a solution to a problem, so the key lies in identifying what services you offer that may not be well understood by your patients (MTM, durable medical equipment, pharmacogenomics, etc.), recognizing who might be in need of a solution to a problem, and starting the conversation.

Connect with Your Patients Through Solutions

Bosworth lays out a grid to help structure a conversation that starts with diagnosing the reasons for the pain (which, in our case, could be actual pain or a negative condition such as high blood pressure). Once you can identify what causes the pain, your conversation with the patient can move into exploring the impact of the pain, how others are affected and how that pain changes the patient’s life and the lives of those around them.

Is it costing them money and causing financial stress?
Is it affecting their quality of life?
Does it limit their activity and their ability to be present and active at work or in their family life?

Finally, once the scope of the pain’s impact is clearer, the pharmacist can match their expertise to the pain and present some potential solutions. This kind of structure can help you clarify your patients’ pain, allow them to see its real impact and then present some possible solutions tied to your capabilities. It turns selling into a simple conversation initiated by a healthcare provider that has something valuable to offer.

Be Prepared, Don’t Get Discouraged

Everyone has their own process for making decisions about buying something new, so don’t take it personally if you meet resistance to something new, especially as the price tag goes up. It may take multiple attempts or offerings. You should also be aware that a buyer’s anxiety will go up the closer they get to making the decision, so don’t let that discourage you from trying to work toward a solution. And, finally, believe in yourself as someone who has something valuable to offer. Successful salespeople aren’t just smooth talkers; they are prepared. You have been preparing to help your patients from the first day of pharmacy school. Believe in your ability to make it happen and show your patients just how much you have to offer.

About the Author

Written by Cari Lalande, PharmD, Director of Clinical Pharmacogenomisc. RxGenomix is a comprehensive pharmacogenomics (PGx) solutions company created to empower pharmacists to apply PGx in their practice to improve patient care while reducing overall costs. RxGenomix provides the education, training, materials, research, in-depth analytics, connective technology, delivery tools, and laboratory support needed to easily access and effectively apply PGx testing to pharmacy practice.

Build and Sustain an Effective Pharmacy Team in a Tight Labor Market

March 31, 2020/in All, Pharmacy Growth Strategies, Pharmacy Staff Development, Pharmacy Team/by Marie Wilda

Here at PDS, we take pride in highlighting some of our incredible exhibitors. We know these companies have the potential to revolutionize pharmacies just like yours through their products and services. We’re excited to introduce Oval Group as they focus on something so important to PDS – TEAMS. Read on for their sponsored blog post about building and sustaining an effective pharmacy team.

Talent is a scarce commodity. We predict this will continue to be the new normal for pharmacies. Staff turnover is expensive, unproductive, and can deliver a devastating blow to morale. The companies who are winning the war for talent are not only recruiting people who are the best fit for their business but are working hard to develop and engage their current pharmacy team so that they will remain and grow from within.

First, some facts:

January 2020 US Bureau of Labor Statistics results share that over 2 million new jobs were added in each of 2019, 2018, and 2017. Future indicators based on recent trends and the projected population of available workers predicts a global labor shortage over the next decade.
A recent study conducted by Korn Ferry Institute, predicts that by 2030, there will be a global human talent shortage of more than 85 million people, which could result in about $8.5 trillion in unrealized annual revenues.

Many of the articles and studies on this topic focus on the need to develop “Knowledge Workers” – people who can keep up with technological developments and be sufficiently agile to develop new skills and talents to keep up with changing business needs. The most successful companies are facing this shortfall head-on and investing in their talent by providing opportunities for continuous training and development.

We offer a simple framework from which to start to develop your own successful talent strategy.

3 Steps to Build Your Dynamic Pharmacy Team

Step 1: Create a compelling message – articulate the Vision, Mission, and Core Values that resonate with like-minded people.

- Vision – a clear picture of where your business will be at a specific point in the future.
  For example: “By 2025 we will be the number one provider of alternative healthcare options in Busyville, USA, generating $5 million in annual revenue.”
- Mission – your purpose for being in business.
  For example: “We improve the lives of every customer or patient we encounter.”
- Core Values – the driving forces you espouse that your employees or customers can expect to experience in your business.
  For example: “We find new and creative ways to help others daily. We respect each other’s perspective while fostering an environment of continuous learning to solve the problems and concerns of our constituents.”

Our own research and experience have shown that the connection between an employee’s values and the requirements and rewards within a role is the most important predictor of employee engagement and effectiveness. A person, who can’t wait to get out of bed in the morning to get to work, will be more productive and will remain in the role longer than one without passion or purpose.

Provide an employee survey for your pharmacy team

Provide your team members with an opportunity to share their wants and needs. A third party employee engagement survey, where employees can be candid, coupled with feedback and follow up from management can go a long way to improving employee morale. Employees want to feel heard and acknowledged. If you want them to take ownership at work, it’s important to help them feel that they have a say in impacting their work environment.

After conducting an employee engagement survey, there are two important steps you must take. Number one is to share the results. Then ask and respond to input on changes they believe would improve the environment. You don’t have to agree to all employee requests, especially if they don’t make economic sense. But the requests you can accommodate will tell your employees that you care about their opinions and respect their needs. Plus, learning that they can have meaningful impact on their environment will build loyalty and trust.

Does your staff have a clear set of business goals and strategies?

Defining your goals and strategies will naturally help you identify the talent profiles you will need to fulfill those goals. Also, by sharing your goals with your team, you have an opportunity to solicit input on how they can assist with achieving those goals. The ability of your team to achieve results may surprise you. Of course, if your team has values that are aligned, you will be in a much better position to create meaningful incentives that will motivate the behaviors you seek.

You may find that you’ve identified skill gaps within your team needed to achieve your goals. The good news is that skills are trainable and offering developmental opportunities for your team to build the skills required for business success will engage them and help your business.

Step 2: Seek talent who shares your team values, and hire the candidate who best fits the profile of the open role.

Once you’ve established your business culture and core values, don’t compromise those values by hiring skilled talent that does not fit your culture. Skills can be learned and even behaviors can change with effort. Values (the driving forces that get us into action) change very slowly, if at all. Look for candidates who match your business values and have a shared passion around similar drivers.

We recommend developing a role benchmark that clearly spells out the ideal candidate profile, identifying those factors that will lead to success in a specific role. Then use gap assessments for applicants that tell you how close a candidate under consideration matches your ideal profile. The best way to build your new applicant pipeline is to build a strong team and culture of employee development and empowerment. Social media and word of mouth rule the day. Happy employees will post positive comments on social media sites and will talk amongst their friends.

Some of the best sources for new hires can come from your own internal staff. Since they know the jobs and the business culture best, they can recommend others who fit the criteria. Job applicants will scour social media sites looking for comments about what it is like to work in your business. If the comments are negative, the best candidates will not apply.

Step 3. Develop a consistent culture of continuous learning and development for your pharmacy team.

Given the tight labor market we face today in this country, finding good talent will inevitably get much more difficult before it improves. That means for those managing a workforce, the biggest challenge will be to keep the good talent and take action to undermine those who wish to poach your best employees.

Keeping good talent is not simply about erecting barriers (real or virtual) to prevent access. Rather it requires a strategy aimed at making your workplace so attractive that your employees are truly not interested in considering other options. Once you have articulated and shared your business Mission, Vision, and Core Values, plus built a team that is aligned with your direction, you need to foster an environment that lives your promise.

If your team is excited to come to work, charged up by their daily roles, fulfilled in their achievements, and happy in the environment you foster, there is only one thing left to do. You need to provide ongoing opportunities to learn and grow at work through continuous improvement, embracing reasonable change consistent with your plan, and seeking ways to reward and reinforce your company values.

About the Author

The Oval Group LLC (Oval), established in 2003, is a talent management solutions provider specializing in talent assessments and services that enable business owners and corporate executives to make informed strategic decisions about their unique business and the people who hold the keys to its success.

Your TEAM is a critical piece of the puzzle

November 13, 2019/in Featured, Pharmacy Staff Development/by Erin Hmielewski

What comes to mind when you think of pharmacy success? Most will mention efficient operations, the ability to grow, and of course, profitability. When it comes to measuring success though, one critical aspect of the business that is often overlooked is the TEAM. It’s not that they aren’t important, it’s that business owners often fail to recognize the direct and immediate impact their employees can have on the bottom line.

In any business, including independent pharmacy, individual employee performance impacts the performance of the team as a whole. In order to run a truly successful business, you must have an engaged and dedicated team. So how do you get there? What will the impact be when you do?

PDS member, Travis Wolff of Med-World Pharmacy, realized how important this piece of the puzzle was. He DOUBLED his revenue in only 9 months by focusing on (you guessed it) – his TEAM and their engagement.

Watch this webinar from the Oval Group, LLC, a PDS partner, to hear this inspiring story.

Are you ready to experience the impact of an engaged team? Here are a few things you can do to get started.

Review your current team – are their roles aligned with their abilities? Aligning existing talent with responsibilities that fit their strengths can make a big difference in their performance.
Look at your hiring process so you can hire and select the right staff. According to the Society of Human Resources, 80% of employee turnover is due to bad hiring decisions.
Understand your employees and help them understand themselves. There are many assessments available that allow you to take a deeper look at the individuals on your team and figure out how to configure your team for success.
Enhance team communications to increase efficiency and productivity. This will help improve morale by reducing stress and conflict.

The right team in the right roles with the right goals will be as invested in the success of your pharmacy as you are. Getting there is not always easy, but the outcome is worth it.

For PDS members, log into PDSadvantage to find the applicable pharmacy team resources in the Knowledge Library that can help you start engaging your team on a higher level such as Designing Your Company Culture, Recruiting, Hiring, Training and Retaining the Right People, Incentivizing Your Team, and many more.

PDS partners are vital to the success of our members. The Oval Group LLC is a talent management solutions provider that specializes in tools that enable business owners and corporate executives to make informed strategic decisions about their unique business and the people who hold the keys to its success.

How to Build Profitable Relationships and Create Customer Delight in your Independent Pharmacy

July 9, 2019/in All, Pharmacy Profits and ROI, Pharmacy Staff Development/by Marie Wilda

Here at PDS, we take pride in highlighting some of our incredible exhibitors. We know these companies have the potential to revolutionize pharmacies just like yours through their products and services. We’re excited to introduce GRX Marketing, pharmacy marketing experts who offer customized solutions for your pharmacy’s unique marketing needs. Read on for their sponsored blog post about creating customer delight and building profitable relationships in your independent pharmacy.

Customer relationship management. A simple enough concept that focuses on just that; managing customer relationships. While every business, and person, has their own methods of customer interaction, the building and maintaining of profitable customer relationships is often the biggest piece that needs to be honed.

According to a study conducted by SmallBizTrends.com, a 5% increase in customer retention can lead to an increase in profits of between 25% – 95%. Additionally, 47% of customers would take their business to a competitor within one day of experiencing poor customer service!

Marketers define customer value as the customer’s evaluation of the perceived differences between all the costs and benefits of competing companies. This is often the primary reason they choose your independent pharmacy, rather than anyone else.

Think about the stores that you are loyal to (grocery, restaurant, gas station, convenience stores, etc.). Why do you keep going back? Is it the prices, the products, services offered, location convenience, or is it the customer service? Why do you continue to use them, rather than any of their competitors? It’s because at some point, you decided to value them for what they have to offer. Now think about how much money you have given them over the years, compared to their competitors.

Building these relationships and ensuring that your customers are happy within your own independent pharmacy business is very important. Below are three ways you can strengthen your skills towards more profitable relationships with your pharmacy’s customers.

Three Ways to Gain More Profitable Relationships

Be adaptable. Independent pharmacists know as well as anyone that no two customers are alike and even the same customer can be different week to week. No matter who you are talking with, be sure to be empathetic, patient and focus on delivering clear communication.
Practice active listening. Active listening is a technique that is used in counseling, training, and solving disputes or conflicts. It requires that the listener fully concentrate, understand, respond and then remember what is being said. As it relates to independent pharmacies, active listening can lead to improved sales and patient adherence by constantly thinking about what each customer needs and what products or services you can provide to help them. Active listening lets you show your respect, support, and concern, and promotes trust between you and the customer.
Provide a way for customers to provide feedback. In-store and email surveys are a great way to gauge feedback from your independent pharmacy customers. The good, the bad, and the ugly are all important to know so that you can continuously improve and avoid having unhappy customers voice their feedback publicly. By being open to suggestions and criticisms, you are showing your customers that you are listening to them and their concerns. More importantly, you are willing to change based on that feedback. Once you have developed those relationships, and customers continue to come back month after month, the next step is to ensure they stay happy. The easiest way is to simply go above and beyond whenever possible.

Examples of Going Above and Beyond for Your Pharmacy Customers

Start offering a rewards program
Send happy birthday messages
Start a new patient welcome program
Add little goodies to their bag when they pick up their medications
Offer one month free of medication packaging
Host a customer appreciation event

There are so many things that can be done to help create delight with your independent pharmacy customers. The bottom line to keep patients happy is to consistently deliver what you promise and then continually strive to deliver more. Any independent pharmacist can fill a prescription, but only the best goes above and beyond for their patients!

As fellow pharmacy owners, GRX Marketing knows what works! Over the past decade, we have perfected the art of developing, and implementing, marketing plans for each independent pharmacy’s unique needs. By customizing proven marketing tactics such as in-store, email, patient outreach, social media and more, our program allows pharmacy owners to focus less on marketing their business and spend more time on creating happy customers. Contact us today at www.grxmarketing.com or call 515-280-2914.

Employee Engagement: How to Effectively Influence Your Pharmacy Team

December 3, 2018/in PDS Super Conference, Pharmacy Staff Development/by pdsmarketing

To increase employee engagement, it is critical to persuade or “sell” your vision for the company to your team.

A Familiar Scenario:

You’ve completed an intensive, week-long business boot camp. During the boot camp, you’ve learned a new marketing strategy to increase your independent pharmacy’s sales. You’re excited.

You can’t wait to use this new marketing tactic to grow your business.

You say to yourself, “I’m going to tell my team about this right away so we can see results fast.”

You call a meeting and tell everyone about your new idea.

But, you’re met with blank faces and reluctant nods from your team. In other words: you didn’t move them.

“This sounds good, but I’m not sure this will work,” or “This strategy is very different from what we’re currently doing. Should we risk it?”

Does this sound familiar? We’ve all been there.

You have two choices: you can try to do everything on your own, or you can learn how to use influence buy-in from your team to execute on the strategy. This post will explain how you can use the persuasion principles of reciprocity, likeability, and authority by Dr. Cialdini to get your team on-board with your ideas.

Using Reciprocity to Engage Employees in Your Pharmacy

In general, people feel obliged to give or agree to your request, if you gave them something first. You can use this in your business by giving your pharmacy team gifts and other incentives such as paid time off or bonuses.

This doesn’t have to be monetary; the aim is to provide value to the lives of your pharmacy employees. After all, people tend to do more when they feel appreciated.

Here are some ways to give to your employees without denting your wallet:

Give advice or teach them something useful that they can take with them outside of your business.
Take the time to highlight how a new strategy lines up with the mission and values of the business. This will give your team a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
Instill a sense of autonomy and ownership of projects, whenever possible. This will give your employees a sense of control and accountability in their own work and in your company.
Print out business cards for your employees. You will be surprised how this simple gesture boosts pride and work fulfillment.

Most of the time, your team wants the same outcomes you do; healthy patients and a thriving business. When your employees realize that you value and reward their work, they’ll be more willing to listen to your ideas.

Leveraging Authority in Your Pharmacy Business

People turn to experts for advice on what to do.

For example, patients listen to doctors’ recommendations and prescriptions because they view them as an expert on the subject.

In your pharmacy business, you’re the expert. You’re the authority figure that your pharmacy team should look to when figuring out what to do next.

Here are a few examples of how you can effectively communicate your authority and build trust without crossing the line into abusing your power.

Present Yourself Well – Simply put, your appearance makes a difference. Small changes such as name tags or a uniform color scheme make a difference in the team dynamic. A great example is a uniformed police officer; a more subtle example is a waiter taking your order. Want your exceptional team to stand-out to your patients? Start with how they look when they come to work.
Lead By Example – Your team is looking to you for cues on everything from how you communicate with a challenging patient, to how you follow up on tasks. Asking your team to do something you won’t do yourself signals a lack of respect in your team dynamic. Want them to enter data in a specific way or manage a critical workflow carefully? Don’t just tell them, show them, and reinforce it by recognizing and rewarding positive behaviors.

Be respectful and polite, but also, don’t let anyone undermine your authority.

Be firm but fair and soon, you’ll earn your staff’s respect and they’ll be more receptive to ideas you might have.

Using the Principle of Likability to Get Others to Follow You

Ruling through fear might get you loyalty, but it’s cheap. When it’s time to make big decisions, it’ll become clear that your team will follow the motions, but you won’t have their complete buy-in. You’ll feel as if you’re swimming against the current whenever you introduce something new.

Sharing basic similarities and views with your team boosts your likeability factor. Applying this principle isn’t difficult, and if you run a business, you leverage it more than you realize.

For example, smiling and maintaining eye contact when you’re talking to your team or patient.

Complimenting someone means they’ll be more likely to respond positively to a request.

A referral from a trusted friend tends to carry a little more weight.

Improve employee engagement and the time you spend together by building connections. Ask your pharmacy employees about their families, their hobbies, and even how their day is going. Then, share something personal about yourself.

Remember, it’s much easier to like someone if you know things about them.

Showing interest in your pharmacy teams’ lives and building relationships with them will give you more influence and benefit your workplace.

Making the Most Out of Time with Your Pharmacy Team

As the owner, you’re responsible for the success of your pharmacy business. Considering we spend a tremendous amount of time in the workplace, learning to make the most of your time and how to motivate your team effectively is critical. Your team is the most sustainable competitive advantage in your organization.

And it’s your job to learn what makes them tick.

If you use these persuasion tactics, you’ll be able to influence your pharmacy employees and try new things faster than before. But, to maximize your business’s growth in 2019, you also need to learn how to use the other 3 persuasion principles of consensus, scarcity, and consistency.

PDS is proud to bring you the Annual Pharmacy Business Super-Conference with three days of actionable content. Independent doesn’t mean alone. Gain the knowledge and strategies shared by 1,600+ thriving pharmacy owners.

How to Create a Leadership Culture in Your Independent Pharmacy

October 19, 2018/in All, PDS Super Conference, Pharmacy Staff Development/by pdsmarketing

How well you lead determines how well you succeed is not just a motto, but a truth that will dole out hard lessons if not thoughtfully applied in your business. Strong leadership culture is your pharmacy’s most sustainable business advantage. Read on to learn more about how to navigate the Five Levels of Leadership and create the culture you need.

At PDS 2018, John Maxwell, the New York Times best-selling author of The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential, discussed how to create such a culture in your independent pharmacy. It does not matter whether you are a seasoned entrepreneur or an inexperienced owner venturing into the industry. When you step in a leadership role, you become the most critical member of your organization. If your approach to leadership is anything less than earnest and informed your team and business results will be lackluster.

Level 1: Position

Leaders that operate on the first level use their position as a manager, owner, or executive to control their subordinates; without it, they would not have the support or the respect of the people that work for them. Pharmacy employees follow because they have to, not because they trust their judgment or believe in the mission. Moving beyond this level requires the demonstration of key characteristics that add value to the team and the business; achieved only by leveraging the talents and experience of the team.

Focus on building relationships with your pharmacy team.
Increase effectiveness by sharing knowledge and encouraging collaboration.

One way to know where you stand is by asking yourself, “If I didn’t have the position, would my team still be following me?” If the answer is yes, you’re on your way to creating a leadership culture.

Level 2: Permission

At this level, a leader becomes passionate about building positive relationships with employees. They listen to employee concerns, give constructive feedback, and are willing to do whatever it takes to help their team members succeed. As a result, subordinates follow them because they want to, not because their job depends on it. The formula to excel at the permission level consists of three simple steps: Listen, Learn, Lead.

Take the time to focus on…

Building a culture based on trust and candor.
Understanding employee performance goals and concerns.

Once a leader has earned the respect of team members, their focus should shift to the organization and its overall profitability.

Level 3: Production

Simply put, in level 3 things get done. In a leadership culture, team members follow because of the things that they have done for their organization, as opposed to personal relationships. Employees will learn how to create, set, and achieve goals that align with the company vision, so leading by example is critical to success in this stage.

Work to establish and strengthen credibility.
Translate ideas into action and align with the mission of your business.

Employees will hit their targets with encouragement and support, but they won’t benefit from your experience in the long run if they can’t produce results on their own. Investing and training team members will produce sustainable results.

Level 4: People Development

At this stage, people are following because of what the leader has done for them, personally and professionally. A level 4 leader must focus on developing new leaders and influencing success beyond what they can accomplish as an individual. Employees follow because they will learn how to lead, which is one of the most valuable incentives that a leader can offer their subordinates.

Find, place, and train employees that want to develop leadership skills.
Identify the strengths and weaknesses of their team members.
Understand when and where those team members will produce results.

Level 4 leaders have already earned respect, trust, and loyalty of their pharmacy team. If you want to become a Level 5 leader, you should focus on the impact that your business will have on your city, your region, and the world.

Level 5: Pinnacle

Their reputation is what defines a Level 5 leader. They have earned the respect of their community, and they attract team members, customers, and fans who believe in the same values that they do. Their employees follow them because of the values that they represent and the impact that they have on others.

If you want to attain the highest level in leadership, you should take a look at the relationships that you have with your employees, customers, and neighbors. Think about the role that you play in each of their lives. Would they willingly follow you? Could you confidently lead them?

Independent Pharmacy Owners Deserve to Thrive

The PDS Super-Conference is unlike any other pharmacy conference in the industry. Over the course of our 3-day event, you will discover groundbreaking innovations, exclusive exhibitors, and keynote speakers that will empower and inspire the best in you and your team. Click below to learn more and reserve your place among the industry’s elite.

The Pharmacy Brand Promise Your Patients Need to Read

April 20, 2018/in All, Pharmacy Staff Development/by pdsmarketing

Pharmacies are in a unique position to be seen as the champion of patient wellness and community healing. They are the destination for judgment-free care. Unfortunately, people carry an assumption that every business they step into will try to sell them on their products just to turn a buck. Your brand promise is about sharing your commitment to health and wellness goes beyond profit.

Show them you care! The people who walk through your door are patients, not just a number. If you make them feel that way, you’re likely to lose them. But if you make them feel like you’re their healthcare champion, they will reward you with loyalty and a deeper relationship.

Pharmacies are both healthcare providers and retail businesses, so it’s a slippery slope gaining trust and providing the best-customized healthcare while moving the needle in their business. This is why it’s so important to be transparent and treat both sides of the coin — patient health and customer happiness — as a priority.

Many companies have brand promises directed towards their customers that exemplify their mission to place their happiness first. Here are a few famous brands with promises that have resonated with us:

Zappos: “Deliver WOW Through Service”

What Zappos does remarkably well is delighting their customers with services and features that are (still!) ahead of the curve with online retailers. Customers are encouraged to buy as much as they want, and return whatever they don’t like for up to a year with free shipping both ways. They can also call their customer service reps’ for just about anything under the sun. The call center team does not rely on scripts, they don’t have quotas or call-time limits. Their only mandate is to serve their customers to the best of their abilities. In fact, the culture at Zappos is so strong that new hiring recruits are offered $2,000 to quit after the training period, but only 10% take the money and leave.

Disney: “Creating Happiness Through Magical Experiences”

Disney dedicates their resources to making its parks “the happiest place on earth.” This mantra extends to everything they do, from providing unique check-in services, cast characters dedicated to delight guests, pristine and detailed sets, and leveraging the latest technologies to improve their guests’ experiences. It’s all part of the magic that happens here.

AirBnb: “Belong Anywhere”

Airbnb’s logo symbolizes “people, place, and love.” This inclusive message in their logo and brand promise transfers to their customers’ experience so they can expect to feel welcome and at home anywhere in the world.

But what about pharmacies?! We thought you’d never ask. PDS has created The Pharmacy Promise. This promise, that can be used in every retail pharmacy, serves as a vow from provider to patient that they will act in their patients’ best interest – and no one else’s – the moment they walk through the door. It is equally as important for your team to know this promise as well. Not only will they know it when they interact with patients, but they will take pride in their workplace and the mission of your pharmacy.

You can download the Pharmacy Promise below to print out and hang up in your store or commit it to your team’s memory so they can relay this to your patients during their interaction.

Pharmacy Promise To Our Patients

We don’t work for the insurance companies or the pharmaceutical companies, We Work For You!
We promise to work with your doctor to find you the best product available that your insurance will pay for, in order for you to get the best outcome possible.

Download Your Copy of the PDS Pharmacy Promise Below

4 Essential Business Skills for Independent Pharmacy Success

April 11, 2018/in All, Pharmacy Staff Development/by pdsmarketing

Operating a successful pharmacy takes more than the mastery of a single clinical or business skill. The complexity and evolution of the industry have made it so extended hours or higher prescription volume are not enough to drive impactful pharmacy growth. Between declining reimbursements, ambiguous DIR fees, and a competitive pricing environment owners are faced with unique roadblocks not found in other industries. The surest approach to staying competitive is to hone skills that make you and your business better. So, where do you start? Which business skills are the most relevant to successful pharmacy ownership? We’ve got that answer!

Below are the four business skills we frequently see in the most successful independent pharmacy owners.

Business Skill #1 – Facing Failure

Pharmacy Owners: Learn to Fail

Failure may not seem like an indicator of success or a business skill but accepting unexpected outcomes with grace forges resilience. What matters the most is your reaction and next steps when the disappointment from a loss still stings. Do you throw your hands up and move on or do you analyze what went wrong and try to figure out how to improve the situation? Experiencing failure makes you a more resourceful, flexible and empathetic leader. The most successful pharmacy leaders respond with an open mind; choosing to see the moment as an opportunity for growth.

Business Skill #2 – Grit

Build a Thriving Pharmacy Business in the Face of Adversity

Regardless of industry; the top performers have grit. Though often intangible, it is an easy trait to recognize when someone possesses it. Passion, determination, and motivation to achieve is a unique and undeniable combination. With the state of the industry and the challenges pharmacy entrepreneurs face, grit is a requisite for creating sustainable growth in your pharmacy. Unfortunately, over time and in the face of industry roadblocks — it can fade. Surrounding yourself with passionate and like-minded colleagues while building an empowered and mission-aligned pharmacy team can make all the difference when the going gets tough.

Business Skill #3 – Develop Meaningful Mentorships

Pharmacy Mentors: Independent Doesn’t Mean Alone

Experience is a pricey and critical asset when it comes to running a pharmacy. Clinical skills aside, becoming an entrepreneur requires a business education that most pharmacy schools don’t have in their curriculum. Forward-thinking pharmacy owners must be proactive about gaining this knowledge.

With the pharmacy industry in constant flux, the concept of mentorship is ever more critical for success.

At PDS, we believe that when independents share insight into what works and what doesn’t with a trusted network — our collective strength to influence change and affect the future of our industry increases exponentially. Learning to grow and leverage a trusted network is a business skill that cannot be overlooked.

The Value of Mentor Relationships

New pharmacy owners benefit from the wealth of knowledge that only comes with years of running a business. Long-time owners benefit from new information and different perspective of a younger generation. Mentorship a two-way street and both parties need to keep a few things in mind to create a mutually beneficial dynamic.

Be Clear. Define and refine your goals, whether you’re writing a call agenda or setting quarterly objectives.
Give As Much As You Get. Bring enthusiasm and energy to your sessions.
Stay Mindful. The advice you give will be taken to heart. If you’re venturing into unknown territory; don’t pretend to be an expert.
Drop the B.S. Embrace candor within your mentorship. Honest feedback leads to real improvement.

Business Skill #4 – Maintain an Innovator’s Mindset

Meet Challenges with Innovation

Identifying areas to innovate should be a regular part of your business strategy. These opportunities can manifest in many ways. The employee that oversees your medication synchronization program may have ideas on how to add more patients to the program. A vendor you work closely with can introduce you to a new technology that changes everything. Keeping an “innovators mindset” is a critical business skill.We are all familiar with the saying,

“If you are the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”

As a business leader, you must see and nurture the value that your network brings to the table. Including your pharmacy team and trusted colleagues in this process will amplify your success.

We can’t buy Aetna; we can’t merge with Target. But if we unite on a few key fronts, you are going to see an entirely different industry, ripe with opportunities. Read our latest white paper that outlines a Strategy for Independent Pharmacy to save itself. For 20 years, Pharmacy Development Services (PDS) has been helping thousands of owners across the country shift their business into high gear. We know firsthand what it takes to keep you operating at the top of your license.

{PDS 2018 Keynote #2} Business is a Team Sport

October 20, 2017/0 Comments/in All, PDS Super Conference, Pharmacy Staff Development/by pdsmarketing

This is a philosophy I share with almost all pharmacy owners whenever we speak about employee performance. Why? While managing people is often labeled as daunting, everyone understands the fundamentals of sports.

From the players on your team to the programs, or plays, you implement on the “court,” the same mindset and skills required to craft the best basketball team can be applied to operating a wildly-success pharmacy business.

**That’s why I’m thrilled to welcome Earvin “Magic” Johnson, one of the greatest athletes of all time, onto the stage at the 2018 PDS Super-Conference this coming February.**

Business is a Team Sport While he was a sensational talent in the 13 years he played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, what was magic about him, and still is to this day, was that he understood how to make his teammates look great. He was the consummate team player and understood that while individuals score points, teams win championships.

In fact, since retiring, he has translated that skill into the business world and has continually invested ownership in many lucrative businesses including movie theaters, urban real estate developments, restaurants, an infrastructure fund, EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, ASPiRE television network, professional sports teams and others. Recently, he was named the President of Basketball Operations of the Los Angeles Lakers.

And that’s exactly what I want him to share at the conference — that business is no different than sports. That if you look at your business as a game you want to win, you will see massive results in your business, bottom line, and, ultimately, your life.

While you should register for the PDS Conference immediately to see Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson and our amazing lineup of speakers, here are a few of my favorite sports and business analogies:

Your front line is your bottom line. The teams with the best players win. Every pharmacy owner wants a superstar team that will generate new business, solve problems and engage with the customers. But the downside is that high-performance people need to be surrounded by other rock stars. The question is… what are you going to accept or tolerate? As businesses evolve, so do the type of employees needed to execute the plan. Just because they were a great employee 15 years ago doesn’t always guarantee they are a high-performer today. You must continually evaluate your team and fill out the ranks with remarkable talent.
Your Culture Is a Defensive Strategy. Just because you sell the exact same products to the exact same people doesn’t mean you’re in the same business. Your pharmacy’s culture – your team’s bond – is the intangible that’s driving competition wild. It’s almost as if they stick their head in and they look and see, “How much merchandise do you have? How is it merchandised? What’s the price?” Nobody considers “Wow, they make you feel welcome here. They’re knowledgeable. They’re trained. They’re personable. They care.” When you focus on fostering a stellar culture within the four walls of your pharmacy, it actually becomes both an offensive and defensive strategy. After all, your competition doesn’t steal your customers, you give them away.
Be Coachable and Work the Playbook. Johnson and his team went to the NBA Finals nine of the 13 years he was on the team. They didn’t get there alone. They had numerous coaches with strategies that led them to countless victories. Not only do you need to have top-notch employees, you also need to work with experts who can look at your business from the outside and provide a roadmap to success, access to ideas and programs, that will turn your ideas into a reality and significantly add to your pharmacy’s bottom line. The amount of time you spend thinking about your business – identifying opportunities, evaluating weakness, etc – versus grinding away at your task list, should be just as much as an athlete practices. However, practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent. Work with an expert who can see you shoot and fine-tune your skills along the way.

Simply shifting your perspective can change your reality. From innovative perspectives, extraordinary networking, data-driving solutions, this three-day event gives you the playbook to make you even more profitable. This is where the superstars of the independent pharmacy industry go year after year to continually improve and learn how to win championships. Our pharmacy programs are the industry’s best-kept secret. Come see for yourself why we are so confident in our ability to change your life and improve the profitability of your pharmacy that we have a conference guarantee. If you don’t see the value of the PDS Super-Conference after the first day, we’ll reimburse your travel up to $500 and give you an additional $300 — no questions asked.

Pharmacy Staff Development