by Erin Michael, MBA, MS, CPhT, PCCA's Director of Outside Sales

In today’s crowded pharmacy world, it is very important to make sure that you stand out. What is it that you do differently? What sets you apart from your competition? Have you defined what your competitive advantages are and how are you using them to promote your practice? Are your patients and practitioners promoting your practice because of the amazing experience they have had with you? As the year-end approaches, it is a perfect time to take an internal look at your business and try to find the answers to these questions.

I was re-reading the book Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard last week, and it reminded me how important it is to make sure every encounter with a potential patient or practitioner is a memorable one. Not only will you gain a loyal customer or colleague, but they will become your “raving fans” and start to do the marketing for you. So, as we move into the time of year where it is typical to thank your patients and your practitioners for their continued loyalty, I would challenge you to ask yourself, what will you do to set yourself apart and take your “raving fans” status to the next level?

I used to ask myself this question every year in the fourth quarter as I started to think about what I was going to do for my patents and practitioners to say “thank you.” I did things like giving candy, fruit baskets, calendars, wine baskets and more. My partner and I included a personal thank-you card with every gift, and we hand-delivered them to prescribers’ offices about one week before Christmas. We even had a holiday open house for our patients to let them know how much they meant to us. Over the years, as competition increased, we started to notice that others were following suit. We were no longer doing something that set us apart. So we decided to give our thank-you during a time that was truly designated as a time for reflection and appreciation. We started giving Thanksgiving appreciation to our patients and practitioners in November. This really was a game changer for us. It was unexpected, and the staff at the prescribers’ offices loved it. Our patients raved about how we took care of them, and we truly appreciated their business. This was what we needed to be different.

Another tactic that worked very well for us was carefully choosing the words we used to express our thanks. It is so easy to say “thank you” when you are ringing up a customer at the register or before you hang up the phone with a practitioner, but have you ever thought of taking your verbal cues to the next level? Using words like “appreciation,” “grateful” and “recognize” in your thank-you messaging will also help to strengthen you overall message. Using these words shows a deeper level of gratitude and truly shows your customers how much you appreciate them. This is a great time of year to revisit your overall customer experience and look at things through a different lens: How can you appreciate your customers today and enhance their experience for a lifetime?

So what will be your game changer? How will you gain additional loyalty from your already “raving fans”? Will it be that celebration you enjoy around New Year’s to thank your supporters and get them excited for things to come? What about delivering a single yellow rose to each mom who works at the practitioners’ offices or who comes into your pharmacy in honor of Mother’s Day? Whatever you do to thank your fans, make sure to be unique. Do something that will be different and be remembered for years to come. Happy Selling!

Erin Michael, MBA, MS, CPhT, PCCA Director of Outside Sales, joined the PCCA staff in July 2006. She has been working in pharmacy for more than 25 years, of which 23 have been in compounding and promoting the practice of pharmacy. She previously worked for an independent pharmacy owner and was the general manager of multiple locations. Erin was instrumental in developing and implementing programs to promote and grow the compounding and traditional parts of that business. She holds an MBA in healthcare administration and an MS in hospitality management. She was recognized as PCCA Technician of the Month in August 1999 and California Pharmacists Association Technician of the Year in 2003.