How many times did you get caught by a girl scout this season? It’s pretty much impossiblenot to be, right? They camp out at all the places you can’t avoid, like grocery stores and banks. Places where they know if they catch you going in, you’ll grab some cash to alleviate your guilt on the […]
How many times did you get caught by a girl scout this season? It’s pretty much impossible
not to be, right? They camp out at all the places you can’t avoid, like grocery stores and banks. Places where they know if they catch you going in, you’ll grab some cash to alleviate your guilt on the way out. I mean, who can say no to hardworking Girl Scout, out in the cold, trying to raise some money? And if, in return, you get some ridiculously yummy, probably overpriced and definitely high calorie cookies, well that just sweetened the deal.
As much as I may have fallen victim to the cookies this year, I can’t imagine any Girl Scout that I saw clearing a whopping 21,477 boxes of cookies in a single selling season. But one Girl Scout did it. While the video at this link is pretty amusing to watch, we all know that the sales tactics lauded in this video aren’t really what get people to buy anymore. But when she gets a little more serious, she’s quoted in an interview as saying “There’s three ingredients to selling cookies. There’s lots of time, lots of commitment and I have to ask everybody I see.”
I got to wondering if this adolescent girl actually had some good business points when it came to selling so I thought today, in honor of the last box of Girl Scout cookies that is now gone from my kitchen cabinet, I’d break down the girl wonder’s secrets to success to see what we can use and what might fall a bit flat once you take a closer look.
Lots of time- Sorry Girl Scouts, of your three ingredients for Cookie success, this is the one I’d cut down on. Yes, running a business can take a lot of time, especially operating an independent pharmacy. But the real ingredient should probably be spending your time efficiently. Pharmacy technology can help you to streamline processes and decrease wait times for your customers. A good pharmacy POS system provider can help you identify areas where your processes are inefficient and costing you valuable time and money.
Lots of Commitment- None of us are in this industry because it’s the easiest thing we could do. And the most important thing you can do is share that commitment with your staff and with your customers. Check out this article for some ideas on sharing your commitment and passion for what you do to help grow your business.
“Ask Everybody I See” This is where our Girl Scout hits it right on the nose. Only instead of having to ask every passing person to shell out $4.00 for a box of cookies, all you have to do is train your staff to ask the right questions of every customer that walks in your store. First, acknowledge every person that walks into your store. If they look lost or start aimlessly wandering the aisles, don’t wait for them to come to you, go to them and ask them if there’s something you can help them find. At the register, ask them if they found what they needed, or even better, did they check out the sale in the supplement aisle or if they are a member of your customer loyalty program.
While selling cookies is a lot different than the business of running a pharmacy, this girls success is a good reminder that we can look for new ideas anywhere we go and take inspiration from all kinds of sources.
Karen Deckard came to RMS with a background in retail and customers service, and was initially brought on board as a Sales Assistant and managed IIAS certifications for RMS’s pharmacy POS customers. Today, Karen works as a Customer Success Manager, striving to provide independent and institutional pharmacies with the tools and resources they need to succeed in today’s competitive pharmacy market.
There’s no surprise that curbside delivery has been a popular topic over the past couple of weeks. We’ve worked with many pharmacies to get solutions...
The last time you went shopping and received a paper receipt, what did you do with it? Did you carefully fold it, place it in your wallet for storage...
The last time you went shopping and received a paper receipt, what did you do with it? Did you carefully fold it, place it in your wallet for...
