First the bad news!
No matter how good your customer service is some of your most loyal
patients will move away. And, the bad news gets even worse. Statistic indicate the people who move into
the vacant house or apartment your customers left are not likely to select you
as their new pharmacy.
Why you
ask? Being unfamiliar with the area they
are most likely to start shopping at the major chain, supermarket or mass
merchant pharmacy that is familiar to them and has a BIG outdoor sign.
And to make matters
even worse one direct mail list provider indicates that more than 30 million
Americans will move this year. And, the
same company, Arvick Direct, Inc., says that most of these moves are people
moving to another county or state. These
people truly are in need of finding a new drug store.
Now for the Good News!
There are a number of companies who specialize in helping you mail
something to these new people and inviting them to visit your pharmacy. These services can typically be purchased at
a modest cost – often for less than a couple bucks per household.
If you aren’t
currently subscribed to one of these services you might want look into both the
cost of each mailing along with the number of people who move each month in
your trade area. Most wholesalers and
buying groups have a program (or two) they recommend and they should be able to
provide you with the average number of movers by zip code. My personal favorite
is a small specialty company in Texas called Welcome New Neighbor.
From talking
with pharmacy owners who are “plugged-in” to a new move-in program I frequently
hear a few common complaints and some great tips.
First the complaints: current customers sometimes come in
with the mailing and say, “why did you mail me this? I have lived here for years.” Or, you get mailings returned to your
pharmacy from the postal service marked, “no such address.”
Mail list
companies try hard to avoid it but mistakes happen when gathering and sorting millions
of change of address, utility hook-ups or driver’s license names from both
public records and privately held documents.
Now for the tips: First, savvy pharmacists tell me that
when confronted with an irate or simply curious customer that received a new
move-in mailing suggest you smile, apologize and explain you subscribe to a
service and have little control over the mailings. Indicate that the service has been helpful in
introducing you to people that have just moved into the community. And, then if the customer is still a bit
miffed offer them a certificate for free greeting card or some other appealing
item appropriate to your pharmacy that will help appease their dismay.
Make sure the
customization part of the service you select allows for all mailings to show
your address in the return address section of the mailing. That way you get to see how many mailings are
undeliverable. A quality service
will reimburse you for all returned mailings.
Pick your zip
codes wisely. It could be you are on the very edge of your pharmacy’s zip code
while most of the customers you want to attract live in an adjacent one. Also,
look to see what kind of natural barriers might negatively affect the success
of your mailing. If things such as
rivers, major highways or other barriers are in the way you will want to select
a zip code that will work better for you.
Experienced
pharmacy owners tell me the most important
item to consider is your offer. It
must appeal to new move-ins and be of such value that they will go out of their
way to find your pharmacy. Rx transfer
coupons in the range of $25 are common.
Free items that appeal to people in need of OTC or HBC’s are also effective;
for example, “Come on in, say hello and select up to $20 worth of our Store
Brand OTC and HBC items to fill-up your medicine cabinet.” I am told a free
1lbs. box of chocolates also works great.
When the new
move-in presents their gift certificate for redemption your staff should be
trained to welcome them and then go the extra mile to insure the new customers
gets a brief overview of what makes your pharmacy great. It is always a good idea for them to get you
so you can come out and say hello.
While they are
in the pharmacy strive to enroll them in your loyalty program and/or invite
them to sign up for your newsletter. If
the gift card they present does not already contain their name and mailing
address you’ll want to try to get that.
And, as always, mail them something in a few days that will remind them
of your pharmacy and encourage them to return whenever they need to purchase a
prescription or other product or service you provide.
New move-ins
need what you have to offer, they just don’t know you are there. Finding a way to reach out to them is a great
way to boost sales and improve profits.
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