What’s the first thing you do after you attend a pharmacy conference?
Attending conferences allows you to learn new information to help grow your independent community pharmacy and presents an opportunity to network with industry professionals that may add value to your business in the future.
But simply attending the conference is not enough. You have to actually use the notes you take and take advantage of the connections you make to better your pharmacy business once the conference concludes.
Here are three tasks every independent community pharmacy owner should add to their to-do list after attending a conference.
1. Follow-up
One of the most important parts of a conference is networking. And one of the most important parts of networking is finding a way to connect with the people you meet.
It’s not enough to just have a great conversation; you need to follow-up with new contacts once the conference is over in order to reap the benefits.
Make sure to do these follow-up tasks:
- Obtain a business card along with a phone number or other means of contact to ensure you can connect with the people you’ve met once you return home.
- Connect with the people you meet on Facebook or LinkedIn, where you can get to know them better and identify common interests, skill sets and work experience.
- Set reminders for yourself to reach out to each contact you’ve made in the week following the conference to build on these new relationships.
2. Review your notes
Don’t let all the great notes you’ve taken and handouts you’ve received go to waste.
Review your notes as soon as possible post-conference, and choose certain takeaways to focus on that you can apply to your pharmacy business right away.
Your notes will not only help you get value out of attending the conference, but they’ll also allow you to reflect on what you’ve learned and share your newfound knowledge with your team.
For example, maybe you learned about a better way to market your pharmacy on digital platforms that you’d like your employees to begin implementing.
3. Consider recommendations
You’ve probably had the opportunity to share information with others during conferences, and it’s important to take advantage of what you learned.
For example, maybe a speaker you listened to or another professional you engaged in conversation with recommended a certain product or service that could benefit your pharmacy.
Take notes on these recommendations and do your research when you return home. The insights people provide can have a huge pay-off for your pharmacy that you may not have otherwise discovered.
Check out these 10 reasons why you should attend pharmacy conferences.
Looking for a conference to attend?
Start making connections and learn how to take your pharmacy business to the next level at the 2017 Synergy conference, hosted by PBA Health, Pharmacy Providers of Oklahoma (PPOk) and the Oklahoma Pharmacists Association (OPhA). The event will take place June 23-25, 2017 at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo. Register to attend, book your hotel room and learn more at pbahealthconference.com.
