Pharmacy sales support services have been an important part of Tamro’s operations for a long time. Sanna Tiainen, pharmacist at Tapiola Pharmacy in Espoo, is pleased with her cooperation with Tamro pharmacy representative Eeva Räisänen. When the pharmacy moved to new premises in 2017, the pharmacy representative was an invaluable help.
− Eeva provided used with very good advice on how to focus and expand, for example, our range of oral care products and cosmetics, Sanna Tiainen says.
Oral care products have long been one of Tapiola Pharmacy’s selling points, and the pharmacy has continued to invest in the products and their presentation at the new premises in the Ainoa shopping centre in Espoo.
− The overall wellbeing of people is an important part of our pharmacy’s operations. We want to sell high-quality, tested products that we can genuinely stand behind. In toothpastes, for example, we pay attention to them not eroding tooth enamel unnecessarily, Tiainen continues.
When the location of the pharmacy changed, its customer base expanded as well.
− The area’s older population still visits us, but following the move, our customers now also include a lot of families with children and business travellers. This new customer base created a new kind of need to develop our non-pharmaceutical product ranges. Tamro supported our development work”, Tiainen continues, Tiainen continues.
Pharmacy representative helps pharmacies with product group management and competence development
Pharmacy representatives are an integral part of Tamro’s operations. Tamro’s six pharmacy representatives and sales field sales manager are partners to all of Finland’s more than 600 main pharmacies and their few hundred branch pharmacies. The representatives help pharmacies succeed and develop their product ranges.
Tamro’s pharmacy representatives present Tamro’s services and novelties in the product ranges represented by Tamro. The representatives’ product portfolio includes, for example, cosmetics and various care products for oral and wound care as well as flu symptoms, among other things.
In addition to presenting products and services, the representatives assist in the implementation of campaigns and train pharmacy personnel with regard to product groups and therapy areas as well. If necessary, they also help with the presentation of products.
The representative is the pharmacy’s contact person to Tamro and also coordinates the necessary support for the pharmacy from the oral care and health product experts of Tamro’s product sales and product group management unit – and sometimes from the experts of brand clients as well.
The pharmacy representatives and pharmacy employees normally meet face-to-face on a regular basis, but during the coronavirus epidemic, remote meeting tools and the telephone have become increasingly used. Training sessions have also been organised as webinars and remote events.
Always up-to-date information about training
Sanna Tiainen commends Tamro’s pharmacy representative for training their personnel in an exemplary manner.
− Our employees should know what ingredients and properties our products contain. I think it’s important for them to receive sufficient training when new products enter our range.
According to Tiainen, pharmacies and supermarkets are partly competing for the same customers on the cosmetics and oral, skin and hair care product market. However, large chains of shops are most often able to buy larger quantities of products.
− We monitor the sales of products closely. We are able to compete with knowledgeable personnel providing a comprehensive service, as well as with high-quality products, Tiainen says.
Product marketing and advertising are important.
− For example, when a new product has been featured a lot on social media and in magazines, we receive a lot of enquiries. We strive to meet our customers’ needs as best we can with our wide range.
How a pharmacy representative helps Tamro’s customers
"I have worked as a Tamro pharmacy representative for about five years – and Tapiola Pharmacy has been one of my customers since the beginning.
Knowledge of the pharmacy environment as well as customer orientation play a major role in the work of a pharmacy representative. We listen carefully to each customer’s wishes.
In addition to expertise, our customers want an active approach and close communication from us. Of course, sales work has changed over the years and decades. Digitalisation has increased the availability of information in both pharmacies and Tamro’s own organisation.
Tapiola Pharmacy has been eager to develop its operations and wants to provide its customers with a comprehensive product range, in addition to good service.”
Eeva Räisänen
Tamro pharmacy representative