Thoughts on Notifying the Staff when Buying a Pharmacy

You have done all your due diligence, you have built your business plan, you have signed the purchase agreement, and you are ready to assume ownership of the pharmacy. Now comes a very important step in the process. How do you inform the staff of the sale?

The best way to inform the staff is to have a meeting the evening before or the morning of the transition date. If the owner has not already informed the staff he should be the one to do so at the meeting. He should let them know that he has appreciated their help throughout the years and wanted to be sure to sell the store to someone who could carry on what he has built. By passing up chain store offers the store can continue to operate. He can tell them that that he understands things won’t be exactly the same but he has taken great care to be sure the store is in good hands. Then he should introduce you.

The first thing you should do is thank the owner for the opportunity and let him know you will do everything you can to take care of his “baby”. Let the staff know that pharmacy is a relationship business and there is no way the owner could have been successful without a great staff. And there is no way you will be successful without the great relationships that the staff has with the patients. That is why it is important that everyone will be given an opportunity to continue in their roles. Emphasize, you need great relationships to be successful not only with the patients but also with you.

However it is also important that you do not box yourself in with false promises. Everyone wants you to say “Don’t worry nothing will change” for no one likes change except a wet baby. You want to be reassuring but you must be honest. It is better to say “I won’t stand here today and say that nothing will change because I want our relationship to be built on honesty and I simply cannot make that promise”. Let them know change may or may not come after you spend the next few weeks learning the business and what and who makes it successful. Tell them you want to meet with each of them individually over the next few days and you will ask them what they like about their jobs and what things would they change if they were the owner. Say “I may or may not agree with you but I promise you I will always listen”.

Finally, reassure them that they are an important part of the business and you need their trust and their help. Try to answer broad questions but stay away from individual issues such as what will me schedule be, are you offering the same benefits, etc. Let them know you will address those issues when you meet with them individually.