Questions for Seeing the Bigger Picture in Your Pharmacy

If you were given a 1000 piece puzzle, how long would it take you to put it together? What about if you were given no idea what image you are supposed to have at the end? How much longer would the task take? Would you even be able to finish?

It’s much easier to achieve the right end result when you know what problem you’re trying to solve for. While It’s a simple concept, it often gets overlooked when we’re making purchases. A good price, or a flashy new feature often overwhelm the bigger picture. And when that happens, it’s easy to get lost.

So if you’re making a big purchase, pharmacy point-of-sale or otherwise, here are a few good questions to keep in mind to help you stay on track.

Why? Simple question right? Not always a simple answer. Sure, if you’re buying a new TV, the answer might be “because my old one is broken beyond repair”. When you’re on to more complicated and likely more costly purchases, like technology for your pharmacy, the “Why” could be pages of bullet points. Even if it’s a daunting task, ask the question. Be honest about the answers. They’ll help you with that final picture.

Why Not? Sometimes I feel like Pro and Con lists have gone extinct. They’re essential in school when we’re weighing what college to attend, or prepping for a debate, but how much do we really use them in day to day decisions. However, the flip side of the coin is of equal importance if you’re making a change. So ask the question. “Why Not?”. Not only will this help you defeat any indecision or buyers remorse, but it could help you save time and money if that list of “why’s” was really driven by something besides absolute need.

What are you solving? You’ve got your pro and con list. And you’ve arrived at a decision. But how to know that it’s the right one out of the dozens of paths that might be open to you. The answer can be found in that big picture you have in mind. What problems or concerns are preventing you from finishing the puzzle? Knowing what’s missing will help you understand what you need to find.

These questions can be used for any purchase, big or small. (I might even use them to stick to my shopping list this holiday season). I hope you’ll find them useful for decision making wherever you need it. And if you need more advice when it comes to pharmacy point-of-sale, we’re here to help and advise.