There are two forms of internal promotion: point of sale and recommendation.

Point of sale can include a number of things. At the simplest level, this includes an A-board outside the pharmacy, a service directory in the window or easily visible when customers enter the pharmacy, a noticeboard and a practice leaflet. Many till/EPOS systems will allow a customisable message to be printed on receipts and this can be used for brief promotional messages. Leaflets can be attached to bags or handed to patients when they receive their prescription or make a purchase. This allows you to target certain customers with specific services that they might be interested in as well as providing blanket coverage for other services.

When you look at your customers and assess when they use your pharmacy, you will probably find that different patient groups with different missions use your pharmacy at different times of the day. The ability to change your promotional message during the day will target your messages more effectively.

• For an investment of £500, for example, you could install a flat-screen monitor attached to a small computer and run simple presentations, with or without audio, that can be changed through the day to target different people.

The most effective form of internal promotion is personal promotion and recommendations by team members. There are many opportunities for team members to cross-sell services linked to the advice being sought, a product being purchased or a prescription medicine being dispensed. To do this effectively, team members must have confidence in their ability, a good understanding of the services available and the skills to introduce the services effectively.

• A simple model for this is the ‘elevator speech’. This involves stating the issue and linking that to consequences, then providing a solution and describing the benefits that are linked to resolving the consequences.

For example, if a patient is receiving inhalers for asthma and you want to engage the patient with an MUR, a team member might say, “I can see you are using inhalers for asthma. People are often still wheezy during the day and at night when they use them. How do you find them? We can help you use the inhaler most effectively and that will mean you will feel wheezy less often. Would you be interested in spending a few minutes with the pharmacist?”