Staff who think selling is a dirty word miss the point about what selling in pharmacy really means.

Patient health outcomes are central to pharmacy values, yet many pharmacy staff shy away from “selling” and have a very narrow perception of what it actually means. As a pharmacy assistant, you only begin to help patients and customers when you ask them questions to understand their true needs.

We need to demystify the sales process and take away its negative connotations because you cannot help anyone until you ‘sell’ to them.

Selling in pharmacy is about asking questions and finding out about customers’ needs. The way that it’s done is unique to selling in other competitor retail environments. As an example, if you walk into any Coles and pick up five packets of Panadol, no one will ask you any questions in the aisle or at the check-out. However, in pharmacy it’s a different story. We start the selling process by asking patients questions...

An article released by Reem Borrows on the ‘Top five challenges facing Australian Pharmacy Owners in 2022’ is honest and accurate. It is easy to see challenges looking from the outside in, but when you are in the thick of it, it can be hard to see the ‘mistakes’ taking place, day in and day out – but think of the advantages you could have by taking a moment to look at your business from a new perspective.

Let’s look at challenge number two that Reem outlined:

‘Not identifying profit opportunities’

Let’s double down and look at this concerning new products and category management. It is easy to dismiss new products and sideline category management. You have so many other things to do. Categories seem to be going okay, sales are fine, but could they be better, and what about customer satisfaction? Do you offer unique products, innovative products, and products that help address common healthcare concerns? New products are often...