Objective reasons
Let’s imagine that last month the turnover of the pharmacy amounted to 100 thousand UAH. Next month, of course, the management increased the planned sales figure to UAH 120 thousand, i.e. by 20%. How, armed with this “plan”, began to act pharmacists? No way. Most likely, they will wait until the 24-25th, and if the sales volume is close to 120 thousand hryvnias, they will report on the fulfillment of the plan. And if not?
There are many “objective reasons” in store for this case: there were holidays in January, February is shorter than other months by three working days, and March is again a holiday. People buy gifts, not medicines. It is true that there are no holidays in April, but the dacha season has started! May – you know – half a month of vacation, well, and in June the sales season ended….
The second half of the year is described in much the same way. There is an abyss between the manager’s desire and reality! That is why we have to talk not about plans, but about dreams. After all, it is the dream that one waits for, believes in, but often does nothing to realize it.
So what is a real plan? It is a list of specific actions to achieve a certain goal that should affect the pharmacy’s performance. In this case, our goal is to increase sales by 20%. How can this be achieved?
The marketer will suggest several areas of work:
- search for new customers (increasing the number of customers from XX per month to UU with an average purchase of X);
- increase in the average amount of a check from X to U UAH;
- increase in the number of regular customers.
A separate action plan should be developed for each of these areas.
Finding new customers
To find new customers, you can, for example, “win them over” from your competitors, or invent new services, or introduce a special product into your assortment.
Signs with information about “mind-blowing” discounts will surely attract customers who are used to visiting nearby pharmacies. And advertising a new exclusive service or product, such as elite cosmetics, will attract absolutely new customers, and it is not excluded that from other parts of the city.
You can organize a new sales channel for pharmacy products and services, in particular, to establish cooperation with doctors, sales representatives, as well as with employees of businesses and offices nearby. These are all ways to create a steady stream of additional revenue.
Increase in average check amount
To increase the average amount of the check, firstly, you can expand the assortment with groups of goods of impulse demand. These are hygiene items, chewing gum, cosmetics, etc. And such goods should not just be in the assortment, but should be presented in the sales area in the best possible way, i.e. in the most visible places, for example, near the cash register. Only in this case we should expect an increase in the volume of impulse purchases..
Secondly, you can also increase sales by putting the shelves in order. How? Place the most popular and advertised products in the customers’ field of vision, at eye level. In order to make them visible to the “naked” eye, it is necessary to create color spots from several packages. To enhance the effect, promotional materials for the product provided by the manufacturer can be placed nearby.
But all of these are more or less passive methods. To influence the average amount of a check, you need to take active steps. And here you can’t do without the involvement of the front desk clerk. It is the quality of his advice that directly determines the amount of each check..
Remember that at McDonald’s, when you take an order, you are sure to be offered more ketchup or a pie. This care for the customer has two purposes: first, it shows him attention from the seller, and second, it increases the amount of the average check for the retailer.
Probably, nowan indignant pharmacist will say: “Are you suggesting that I should be engaged in “pushing” goods in?! “No, I suggest solving customer problems comprehensively. What is necessary for this? The pharmacist must shift his/her gaze from the medicine package to the person and want to help him/her.
Then I am sure that what happened to me recently will not happen. I had a consultation with a doctor, and he prescribed me a whole list of medications. Wishing to start my “healing” as soon as possible, I went to the nearest pharmacy located on the territory of the medical and preventive institution. The pharmacist gave me a list of all the packages, without bothering to explain how to take it all (probably, she does not know what pharmaceutical care is). When I got home, I immediately started reading the instructions for each drug. And it turned out that I didn’t have a dropper for nasal drops. But that was just the flowers! It turned out that the main drug, which is responsible for my recovery, should be taken 2 tablets 3-4 times a day. And the pharmacist sold me one package, which contains only 10 tablets. I only have enough for a day and a half, and the course of treatment, according to the instructions, is 8 days!
What is it? Is it unprofessionalism or inattention to the customer? After all, in this case there was no need to work hard or “push” unnecessary goods. I just had to advise the client. And then the next day I wouldn’t have to go to another pharmacy, cursing to myself...
Any marketing activities and managerial ideas of the manager can (and often do) break down due to the banal indifference of the front desk staff. Therefore, the main recipe for increasing sales for a pharmacy is as follows: its employees must learn to respect and help customers. And the result will be an increase in the average check amount.
Increase in the number of regular customers
Everyone realizes that the more loyal customers a pharmacy has, the more confident it is about the future.
In order to increase the number of loyal customers, it is necessary to work simultaneously in several directions.
For example, create so-called added value for customers. This can be a new service or activities to encourage repeat visits (discount cards, promotions, etc.). A loyalty program offering VIP-service to customers who regularly make large purchases justifies itself. And you can start by making consultations in the pharmacy really high-quality, professional, with clarification of the client’s needs and a comprehensive solution to his problems, detailed explanations on the use of drugs.
When a list of actions is developed for each planning area, and then all of them are implemented and monitored, it will be possible to say that you are managing the process, and not “keeping afloat”, subject to external circumstances.
Victoria Kidon specifically for “Mr. Blister.”
