By Megan Moyer for our “99 Ways to Make a Positive Difference in Your Pharmacy” blog series
I’ll admit, when I read the title of this post, I thought, “how could a pharmacist meet one new customer each day?” But it doesn’t mean you have to hit the pavement or constantly go to community or networking events, there’s probably a number of visitors to your store — customers — that you’ve never engaged with or don’t know. Ready to be met!
Do you have to remember the name, profession, and family member names of every person that comes through your door? No. Maybe your memory is that sharp, but I’m guessing with everything you need to be on top of, there isn’t a lot of room left to store all of that information, too. If you remember people’s names and greet them with it when they come in, you form a relationship that is hard to break.
Some days you just aren’t going to be able to meet a new customer. It could be some weeks! Don’t consider only quantity, but also quality. For instance, perhaps you have an in-store event that draws new customers into your store and you meet 10 new people. Not only did you meet a number of folks in one afternoon or evening, you also more than likely had quality interactions with them to make sure they got the most out of your event. Relationships = loyalty.
Certainly, there are other events outside your pharmacy you can participate in to meet consumers you might not otherwise reach. Offer healthy nutritional or weight management items at the local Y an afternoon, speak at a clinic that provides weight management, diabetes, or heart health seminars, or partner with a dermatologist to educate patients and offer samples of OTC solutions for common skin conditions.
If you talk to your staff and think about it yourself you can come up with many ideas to meet new customers continuously. Consistently adding to your customer base can bring growth and ongoing success for your store.
Megan is a key contributor to HRG’s public relations efforts and corporate communications as well as client marketing and research needs. Her diverse areas of concentration include collateral, direct marketing, and web content.