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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