Pharmacy View Technology in Pharmacy Business with Scott Carpenter

Companion Selling Crucial for Pharmacies to Maintain Profitability and Customer Loyalty

September 14, 2023

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In this episode of the Pharmacy View Podcast, host Scott Carpenter, EVBC, interviews Carolyn Rimmer, National Training Specialist at Sigma Healthcare. Listen to this episode to discover the secrets to thriving in the evolving world of pharmacy and the critical role of training, even amidst unprecedented challenges.

Carolyn is a seasoned Pharmacy professional with a rich history in the field. Carolyn’s journey began in Community Pharmacy, where they honed their skills over two decades with a well-regarded pharmacy family in Brisbane, Queensland. After starting a family of their own, Carolyn decided to transition from retail Pharmacy into training within the Pharmacy industry. Their love for training and mentoring Pharmacy assistants drove their career shift, leading them to obtain a diploma and eventually join the Queensland Pharmacy Guild. There, they gained valuable insights into compliance and opportunities within the Pharmacy world.

Pharmacy View Podcast · Companion Selling Crucial for Pharmacies to Maintain Profitability and Customer Loyalty

Carolyn emphasizes the critical role of training in the Pharmacy industry, particularly in the context of the challenges brought on by COVID-19. They highlight how the pandemic disrupted traditional companion selling, which involves providing customers not only with the products they need but also valuable lifestyle tips. Due to the constraints of the pandemic, Pharmacies had limited interaction time with customers, resulting in a gap in the training of new Pharmacy professionals. Carolyn suggests that as the industry evolves, focusing on companion selling and upselling will be crucial for Pharmacies to maintain profitability and customer loyalty, especially with changes on the horizon.

Carolyn also discusses the impact of 60-day dispensing on patients and Community Pharmacies. They highlight that while patients on regular medications may benefit from the convenience of less frequent visits, there’s a concern that some patients may misinterpret the option and skip Pharmacy visits entirely. Carolyn emphasizes the vital role of Community Pharmacies as a social link within the community and the importance of maintaining strong connections with patients. They also acknowledge that COVID-19 underscored the essential nature of Pharmacies in the community and the loyalty that patients have towards them, calling for Pharmacies to harness and build upon that loyalty.

Carolyn concludes by stressing the importance of continuous upskilling in the Pharmacy industry, highlighting that trained and upskilled staff lead to solid business, increased profit, customer loyalty, and staff retention. Their insights provide valuable guidance for aspiring Pharmacy professionals and established industry experts, emphasizing the significance of training and adaptability in today’s evolving healthcare landscape.

Topics Covered

Importance of training for Pharmacists
Challenges for Pharmacy training in the post-COVID era
Impact of 60-day dispensing
Ensuring complete solutions for the patients
Certified training in Pharmacy
High demand for experienced Pharmacy professionals
Breaking into a Pharmacy career
How to maximize Pharmacy profits
Types of training in Pharmacy

Key Quotes (Time Stamps)

“How I fell into training was one of my favorite parts of the Pharmacy. I had no greater appreciation and pride than when Pharmacy students and Pharmacy assistants would come through, and I got to train them and see them grow and develop. And I still have that pride in all of them today, watching what they do, and that’s all through training and developing and mentoring in the Pharmacy industry.” (1:46 – 2:05)

“One of the greatest things I took away from that was the opportunity for Pharmacy and Pharmacy assistants. So that’s where then my passion definitely remained and grew, and now, I’ve moved on to be here at Sigma Pharmaceuticals. So, now I get to train our franchise partners and provide them with programs in areas where I think that training may be needed. So, my passion for training is definitely there, but my passion for training in Pharmacy and watching Pharmacists and Pharmacy assistants grow in their career is something I love.” (2:23 – 2:54)

“From the two people in one Pharmacy to 40, I love Community Pharmacy and I really do love meeting all of them.” (4:19 – 4:27)

“And Pharmacy staff, assistants and Pharmacists have fantastic lifestyle knowledge. They always know something that they can add to that. But I think that still has been lost a lot during COVID. And that isn’t anyone’s fault except for probably COVID, because during COVID Pharmacies didn’t have a chance to spend any more than one second with customers. They were getting eyeballed and getting abused. They had to just get them in and get them out.” (5:48 – 6:11)

“So, we need to come back to those basics that have always been taught to us in the history of Pharmacy—is that companion selling, that upselling, making sure every single customer gets the selling solution that they need when they walk in that door and that’s why we’re increasing our product for a stronger business.” (6:42 – 7:00)

“That’s why we are called Community Pharmacy because we are part of the community. We are a social link for the community, and we are really important to our communities.” (8:53 – 9:03)

“I mean, there was a positive to COVID. COVID showed that Pharmacy is amazing. It showed that we are one of the strongest parts of the community. It showed them that we had their support. We were there for them. Pharmacy never went away.” (9:06 – 9:22)

“Even before COVID, before 60-day dispensing, we still should have made sure that as a Pharmacy staff member, whenever somebody leaves our store, they have left with their complete solution.” (10:16 – 10:26)

“It’s never being pushy if you’re being correct and helpful. You’re being pushy when delivering the sales they don’t need, and that’s where a customer identifies that. And that’s why we don’t want to be doing that anyway. We want to offer them sales, products, and knowledge that they need to take away to get to their full solution.” (24:42 – 25:01)

“But if no one ever tells the customer that, they’re never going to know. So, if you’re just giving them a reason why—they need the why, why do I need that product?” (25:22 – 25:30)

“All consumers love something for free. They always LOVE something for free. So, lifestyle advice is one of the greatest things. Even if someone is buying one product, with every product you sell, if you give them some sort of tip along with that, like the time of day to take it, applying something twice instead of three, some sort of lifestyle advice. They walk away with something free, and that makes them feel good. So, they’re going to return because you give them free things. It might be free advice, but in their mind, they got something for free.” (25:34 – 26:05)

“Trained and upskilled staff leads to strong business, which leads to profit. Trained and upskilled staff leads to customer loyalty—super-super important. Trained and upskilled staff leads to staff retention, which is also really important. So, we know that training and upskilling is smart. It’s a smart business, it retains staff, and it makes them feel great. We have stronger increased profit.” (31:53 – 32:18)

Social Media Clips (Time Stamps)

From Pharmacy Counter to Training Career: Carolyn Rimmer’s Inspiring Journey (1:10 – 2:54)
The Future of Pharmacy: Why Training Matters More Than Ever (4:50 – 7:01)
Community Pharmacy Loyalty: Building Stronger Bonds with Patient (8:11 – 9:37)
Patient-Centric Pharmacy: Bringing Back a Time-Tested Skill (9:47- 11: 14)
Pharmacy’s Winning Formula: Certified Training + Expertise (12:28 – 14:18)
Empower Your Pharmacy Career with Continuous Upskilling (14:19 – 15:56)
Golden Nuggets in Pharmacy: The Value of Experience in High Demand (16:20 – 18:02)
Pharmacy Career Jumpstart: Tips for Newcomers (20:26 – 22:07)
Companion Selling Done Right: The Power of ‘Why’ (22:11 – 26:05)
From One Hour to 120 Sales: The Pharmacy Assistant’s Impact (27:23 – 28:27)
Mentoring Magic: The Power of Team Learning in Pharmacy (29:33 – 31:22)