Pharmacy is evolving fast. Patients no longer just walk in, buy medications, and leave. They expect guidance, personalized care, and expert recommendations. Only the pharmacists who understand this will be the ones thriving.
Building from Part 1, where we discussed pharmacy evolution and the pharmacist vs. dispenser mindset, this second part focuses on one vital question:
How can you stand out in your pharmacy or practice—enhancing patient care while driving sustainable revenue?
Go Beyond Dispensing—Educate Every Patient
Don’t just hand over medications—educate your patients.
Instead of just giving out that Omeprazole, explain that it should be taken 30 minutes before meals and that long-term use requires monitoring. Explain that it should be spaced with other medications.
Explain that her consistent stubborn cough may be because of the Lisinopril grandma is using, instead of just giving her Benylin or Menthodex.
Teach patients about drug and food interactions. For example, antibiotics and dairy, grapefruit juice and statins.
When you share this knowledge, not only do you differentiate yourself from untrained sellers, you earn patient trust.
Personalize Recommendations
Pharmacists who connect care with empathy stand out. Offer cheaper but effective medication alternatives for cost-conscious patients.
- Suggest budget-friendly supplements or devices that support prescribed treatments.
- For hypertensive patients, recommend a BP monitor and a low-sodium diet guide.
- For diabetics, recommend glucometers, chromium, or alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) to support glucose balance.
Patients remember the pharmacist who genuinely looks out for their health, not just their wallet.
Leverage Telepharmacy & Social Media
- Don’t be afraid to give out your number. If possible, have a work line that you can turn off at a certain time. Nigerians like to feel like they have Nepotism. Once they have your phone number it’s like “I know the oga“. It gives a feeling of care as well.
- Offer virtual consultations for medication reviews and health counseling. These can be paid sessions.
- Use social media and content creation to educate your audience. Some of the staff can help. If you don’t like visuals, there’s X (Twitter) for written content.
A well-informed audience trusts and buys from you, not from a random “chemist”.
Community Involvement
Conduct free blood pressure checks or diabetes screenings. If you have a practice, it’s much easier. You’d just need one or two canopies for an outdoor space. Pick one random Saturday and do free screenings. It’s exposure and it’s care. The #18,000 you’ll spend for 50 diabetes screenings, you can recuperate with supplements like Alphabetic and Neurobetic, for example.
The free BP screening can help you sell that Nifedipine brand or Cardioace that is almost expiring.
Strategic Partnerships
Partner with health organizations and insurance providers to offer subsidized care. There are many reliable providers like WellaHealth, Reliance, and Axa Mansard. A lot of new HMOs are also coming up and partnering with them can help boost sales.
Furthermore, the HMOs bring repeat customers, providing steady revenue even without direct contact.
Sometimes, when the HMO customers come to pick up, they might get other items on their own. You can then introduce yourself properly and acquire a new customer.
Extra segments like a small supermarket
Be the Pharmacy That Has It All
Add small essentials—pads, cosmetics, noodles, insecticides, biscuits—to create a mini one-stop shop experience. You don’t need a whole mall. The more value you provide, the more likely customers are to return, recommend you, and buy from you.
Patients appreciate convenience, and it subtly boosts your pharmacy’s profitability.
Build Relationships, Not Just Transactions
Your most loyal customers aren’t those who spend the most money, they’re the ones who feel seen, heard, and valued whenever they walk in.
A pharmacy that knows its customers/patients by name, remembers their regular prescriptions, and checks on their wellbeing creates an emotional connection that no discount can compete with.
Simple gestures like:
- Asking how their last medication worked
- Sending a quick text reminder for refills
- Offering to explain their lab results
- Following up on chronic conditions
These small acts of care make your pharmacy more than a business—it becomes a trusted health partner.
Remember, trust doesn’t just retain patients; it multiplies them. People talk about how you make them feel, and that word-of-mouth drives referrals and community goodwill.
But the question remains:
How do you translate all these services into measurable impact and revenue?
That’s where we’ll go next. Stay tuned for Part 3: Monetizing Clinical Services — Turning Care into Sustainable Revenue.
Great read here. Thanks for sharing Pharm.
It’s a pleasure. Thank you for reading 😊
It was an interesting read. Simple, quick and straight to the point. Will be visiting this space a lot more😊