The Pharmacy Post

Train Your Team to Cross-Sell

Not every opportunity for new revenue streams in a pharmacy requires a host of new products, standing up expanded services, or partnering with local facilities for new customers (though those are all great things to be doing!). Sometimes, a little product knowledge, a little initiative, and a quick conversation can be just the thing to boost your bottom line. One of the easiest ways to cross-sell in a pharmacy is to know the drugs that cause vitamin deficiencies.

Many commonly dispensed medications cause known vitamin deficiencies, and many patients are unaware that the prescriptions they take can lower their levels of vital nutrients. By letting them know about the effect their prescriptions have, you have an easy sell for over-the-counter supplements that should have a good markup for your business.

Here are a few examples of types of drugs and the deficiencies they cause: Antibiotics lower B vitamins, folate, and vitamin K. Anticoagulants lower vitamin E and vitamin K. Oral contraceptives lower folate, thiamin, and vitamin B6. Antiseizure drugs can lower biotin, folate, vitamin B6, vitamin D, and vitamin K. These are just a few examples, and you can find more listed right here.

It’s important that your staff know the effects drugs have on your customers so they can proactively offer supplements. Teach them to start quick conversations on these subjects so they are comfortable engaging and offering solutions. It may also be helpful to have a quick cheat sheet of commonly dispensed drugs and the supplements they should take with them. With this small bit of information and a quick conversation, you can get your staff cross-selling to a huge swath of your customers without having to raise your costs or spend an inordinate amount of time training. It really is one of the easiest things you can do to boost your bottom line!