Stop Wasting Your Marketing Budget on Bagels
Bringing Lunch Won’t Make Them Remember You
You’re not a drug rep. You’re a health care provider. You’re a pharmacy owner who cares about your patients, and if you’re showing up to doctors’ offices with boxes of overpriced pastries like you’re pitching the next million-dollar med, we need to talk. In the cover article, we dug into the No. 1 mistake pharmacy owners make when doctor detailing: Overlooking front office staff. If you missed it, go back and read it. Because if you’re skipping over the front desk and trying to beeline to the doctor with a box of doughnuts, you’re not only missing the point, but you’re also making the same expensive mistake so many pharmacy owners do, which leads us to mistake No. 2 … DITCH THE FREE FOOD MYTH. Somewhere along the way, the idea of marketing to doctors got tangled up in the outdated concept that if you bring food, they’ll let you talk to the doc. But you’re not big-time pharma, and you definitely don’t have a $5 billion budget. Feeding entire doctor’s offices can cost hundreds of dollars. Plus, what happens after the bagels are gone? You’re forgotten before the cream cheese hits the trash can. I get it. People want to bring something when they visit. That’s smart! But here’s Mistake No. 2: Bringing the wrong things . FOOD GETS EATEN, BUT USEFUL THINGS STICK. Here’s my take: Bring something practical, something branded, something that reminds them of your pharmacy every time they use it. Think clipboard with your logo, highlighters, sticky notes, hot/cold packs, or even custom OTC items like acetaminophen or ibuprofen. One of the best moves I ever made was slapping our pharmacy info on those jumbo bottles of OTC meds and dropping them off at the office. And guess what? Every time a nurse grabbed a Tylenol for a headache or sore feet, they saw our name. Again. And again. And again. That’s visibility. That’s marketing that works. YOU’RE NOT PHARMA — STOP ACTING LIKE IT. Here’s the deal: When a doctor’s office says, “Sure, we’ll meet with you … just bring lunch,” it’s tempting to play along. But don’t. You’re not a rep from a pharmaceutical giant trying to push a
product. You’re their partner in patient care. So, push back and say something like: “I’m part of the health care team, too. I’m not here to pitch anything. I just want to build a relationship with you and your staff.” And if you’ve already done the groundwork of getting to know the front office staff, 9 times out of 10, you’ll never even hear that request. LET YOUR BRAND DO THE TALKING. If you’re going to spend money on anything, make it count. I recommend checking out Promo Suns (PromoSuns.com) — they’ve got great pricing on customizable, pharmacy-friendly items that actually align with your mission, so you can offer branded products that last. The point is that when you leave something behind, let it tell a story. A box of doughnuts says “free snack.” A branded clipboard says, “This pharmacy is part of your team.” SAVE THE SUGAR FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-candy. A little Valentine’s Day treat or Halloween goodie bag? Sure, go for it. It’s festive. It’s fun. But if you’re showing up with a sugar bomb every week, you’re not being remembered; you’re being tolerated. Consistency matters, but congruence matters more. You want your presence to make sense. You’re a pharmacy. Act like one. THINK BEYOND THE BAGELS. So, next time you’re heading out to visit a doctor’s office, ask yourself: What am I really bringing to the table? Is it something that gets tossed in 20 minutes? Or does it reinforce your value, support their staff, and keep your name in front of them, all without breaking your budget?
Make it meaningful. Make it useful. Make it you.
Next up, we’ll tackle Mistake No. 3: spending money on large ( often ignored ) flyers. Let’s change how independent pharmacies market — and let’s start by ditching the doughnuts.
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