Page 34 - Retail Pharmacy March 2021

32 CPD ACTIVITY FROM PAGE 31 showcases product knowledge and makes the customer feel like the pharmacy staff are their trusted adviser, instead of a salesperson. This is achieved through asking open-ended questions, so that the customer’s response is not limited to ‘yes’ or ‘no’, because then staff have the opportunity to understand the customer’s issue better, how they plan to use the product or how much they’re able to spend. Common open-ended questions in pharmacy are: • How can I help you? • Tell me about your symptoms? • How long have you had the symptoms? • What other medications are you taking? • What have you tried in the past? • How did you find the product I recommended last time? Engaging with the customer using open-ended questions allows you to summarise the symptoms and offer solutions for each. This will allow you to provide a dual-faceted approach to treat (current symptoms) and prevent (future occurrences). People – managing sales Bob Phibbs, also known as the Retail Doctor in the US, identified the following steps to successfully managing a retail sales team: 1. Set the expectation. Your staff’s mindset is an important element before the day even begins. Reviewing key VMS sales notes every day before the pharmacy opens ensures they are front of mind and the team are focused on delivering. 2. Take care in how the staff and the store present themselves. When your pharmacy staff present themselves professionally, your customers will take their recommendations more seriously. 3. Don’t prejudge. When staff try to decide which customers are worth the effort, they are often wrong and lose out on income and the valuable opportunity to relationship build. 4. Staff are there to provide a service. Staff should show customers that they genuinely care about their experience and want to help them. Consistently making small, personalised contact can go a long way towards increasing VMS sales, and the provision of health advice and solutions may be key to differentiating yourself from your competitors. 5. Know the statistics. It pays to understand what the average basket size, quantity of items and nature of purchases are for the store (eg, number of retail items purchased with each prescription), and this is communicated to staff clearly and consistently. 6. Constantly assess performance. Your management staff should be able to review a sale afterwards and say, ‘You could have done this better by ...’ Counsel on how staff can improve their customer solution process and lead by example: a great opportunity is to lead by providing solutions from the dispensary. Commit to performance improvement through KPIs/ongoing performance feedback and training. Role playing is one of the most powerful tools for building a sales team’s skills. Summary To make the most of your VMS category, a new view to customer service is required. The key to this is how staff interact with customers every time: are the staff transactionally offering a product or are they actively seeking to solve the customer’s problem? Meeting the dual goals of customer satisfaction and increased sales in the VMS category takes planning, training, precision of execution and maintenance to ensure success, but if you follow certain retail principles, it is achievable. References 1. forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2018/03/05/customer-experience-vs-customer- service-vs-customer-care/#7f81ce94167a 2. babson.edu/academics/executive-education/babson-insight/strategy-and- innovation/building-competitive-advantage-in-retailing/# Accreditation Number: A2103RP4 (exp. 28/02/2023). This activity has been accredited for 0.5 hours of Group 1 CPD (or 0.5 CPD credit) suitable for inclusion in an individual pharmacist’s CPD plan which can be converted to 0.5 hours of Group 2 CPD (or 1 CPD credit) upon successful completion of relevant assessment activities. 1. The imperative for most pharmacies is to increase the return from front-of-shop sales through: A) Increasing dispensary turnover. B) Increased basket size and average transaction value. C) Rationalising ranges. D) Decreasing the retail footprint. 2. According to Forbes, what is the goal of customer service? A) To serve as many customers as possible. B) To serve customers as quickly as possible. C) To maximise the customer satisfaction experience. D) To minimise interaction. 3. What are the elements of Ring and Tigert’s Retail Pentagon? A) Place and product. B) Price and promotion. C) People. D) A and C. E) A, B and C. 4. What are the three elements of the Retail Triangle? A) Location, convenience and price. B) Systems, logistics, and supply relationships. C) Training, merchandising and appearance. D) None of the above. 5. An example of an open-ended retail question is: A) Would you like some assistance today? B) Tell me about your symptoms. C) What have you tried in the past? D) Do you intend to buy something today? E) B & C. Managing the vitamins, minerals and supplements category 1 CPD CREDIT RETAIL PHARMACY • MAR 2021