HOW TO DO MORE AND BETTER EMPLOYER FLU CLINICS
By Dale Dauten, King Features Columnist
ERIC RIES, founder of the Lean Startup movement, said this about experimentation:
"Everything you do -- every action you take in product development, in marketing, every conversation you have, everything you do-is an experiment.
If you can conceptualize your work as running experiments, you can get radically more done with less effort."
HENRY DUNKLAU, Independent Pharmacist: It's Not Just About Shots
Last year Henry "Hank" Dunklau decided to try an experiment. He would offer flu clinics at businesses near his Nashville pharmacy, Midtown Express Pharmacy. He had three takers. Just three clinics but it went so well that he has set himself a goal to do at least twenty this year. So far, he's recruited six employers and counting.
As for the recruiting, he says, "The hardest part is getting ahold of someone to talk to, and then when you do, you might hear that 'we've already got someone we use' or 'it's up to corporate.'" Still, he perseveres. Why? "When you get to have a conversation, people are pleased to have flu shots come to their office." But, he says, it's not just about the shot s:
"We make a profit on flu shots," he explained, "but that isn't the real benefit...
I realized that the flu shot clinics are a great way to be part of the community and to get our name out. This isn't about giving shots; it's about building relationships."
HERE TO HELP
Meanwhile, for the past two years a group within STC called The All-American Flu-Fighters™ (A2F2™) has been experimenting with how to make employer flu clinics more successful.
Based on millions of flu shots over recent years, the typical participation rate for the average employer flu clinic is 30-35% of employees. The A2F2™ team has developed techniques that double that percentage, to 70%, by turning flu shot clinics into lively teambuilding events.
For this flu season, The All-American Flu Fighters™ program is being offered to employers, primarily via pharmacists. The advantage to pharmacists offering the A2F2™ program is the opportunity to greatly increase the number of shots at any given employer clinic, as well as being part of the positive energy of an enhanced, teambuilding event. Those A2F2™ materials are being offered as a Member Kit... see details at AllAmericanFluFighters.org.
The program also hopes to help pharmacists recruit new employer clinics. In addition to the A2F2™ Member Kit, we have prepared new promotional materials to encourage customers to ASK ABOUT HAVING A CLINIC WHERE THEY WORK. The A2F2™ program includes pads to put on the pharmacy counter that START THE CONVERSATION FOR YOU...
When customers express interest, we have another pad with a form to capture the information necessary to contact and recruit them for a flu shot clinic.
Hank Dunklau will be among the first to put the new materials to work. For him, it's another experiment in serving his customers while creating new relationships.
For more information, go to
AllAmericanFluFighters.org
