The advice with Telfast support

Postscript - Cover Story, August 2008

Many people are unaware of the differences between the common cold and hayfever. Pharmacy assistants are ideally-placed to put their customers on the right track, with the support of brand leader, Telfast for hayfever solutions.

On a breezy but bright spring day, a regular customer comes in to pick up her script and she also tells the pharmacy assistant she needs something for her cold. She says she just ‘keeps getting them’ and is worried because she’s getting married soon, and wants to feel on topform on her big day.

The customer also stresses she wants something that’s fast-acting, non-drowsy and ‘won’t put her to sleep like some of those cold pills do’. She says she’s still got so much to do before the wedding and ‘needs to keep going’.

The assistant asks the customer if she’s thought about the possibility that it may not be a cold but she could have hayfever, which is also known as allergic rhinitis.

No, says the customer, she’s never thought of that and wants to know how she can tell one from another.

The assistant then explains that, in fact, many people don’t know the difference between the two, and while hayfever affects one-in-five people, she reassures her that it’s treatable with the right product.

Many people are unaware of the differences between the common cold and hayfever. Pharmacy assistants are ideally-placed to put their customers on the right track, with the support of brand leader, Telfast for hayfever solutions. that it’s treatable with the right product.

Both the cold and hayfever are associated with nasal discharge, and sneezing. But, she says with hayfever sneezing is often more frequent, there’s nasal itching and another key sign, is itchy, often sore or red eyes.

Also, a bout of hayfever normally comes on very suddenly, and with a cold there’s usually no nasal itching or itching of the eyes. A cold normally lasts between four-to-seven days, whereas, hayfever will continue as long as the person is exposed to the allergen, or if is left untreated.

Therefore, it is very likely that the customer has not been getting continuous colds — hayfever is far more likely to be the culprit, the assistant says.

They both discuss the various product options. The customer stresses that she wants something that will work quickly, and ‘not make me dopey’. Having been trained on the range of antihistamines to treat hayfever, the assistant recommends Telfast.

The assistant then refers the customer to the pharmacist to discuss any potential side-effects, or interactions. The pharmacist counsels the customer about any other medicines she may be taking, other allergies, and also whether or not she is pregnant.

He also reminds her to follow the directions on the pack and if the symptoms persist come back.

A huge cost

Research shows that hayfever it can also play havoc with your social and love life. One-infour allergy sufferers reported that they avoid outdoor social or sporting events as a result of hayfever. The same numbers say they turn down invitations to visit family and friends because they feel so bad.1

Plus, hayfever can impact on what happens between the sheets. Research found that almost 20% said they had avoided being intimate with their partner due to hayfever.1 Choosing the right product to provide the customer with the best results is critical. The pharmacy assistant recommends Telfast, as its fast and non-drowsy formulation means the customer can get on with the rest of the things she needs to do for her wedding.

Satisfied with the recommendation, the customer agrees to buy Telfast as she’s seen it advertised on television and ‘I trust it and believe it will work’.

She also thanks the staff for helping to resolve her problem of continuous ‘colds’, and also for explaining the difference between a cold and hayfever. If she hears of any other friends complaining of continuous colds, she will tell them to go to their local pharmacy to find out if it is a case of hayfever.

Blooming business

Considering hayfever often requires longterm relief and frequent antihistamine purchases, building an allergy business based on providing health solutions rather than just pushing products, will improve the category’s profitability which can flow onto other parts of pharmacy practice.

One such business is the winner of the Allergy Category in the API Retail Health Excellence Awards — Santos Centre Pharmacy in Sydney’s Summer Hill. It demonstrated how building allergy into a signature category had been good for overall business and grown customer loyalty. Owners Kevin and Sandra Santos say most of their regular customers now have an understanding of the difference between the common cold and hayfever.

‘The support from the Telfast team included staff training and selling skills, such as product knowledge and customer counselling. The Telfast team also provided promotional material, such as information leaflets, which helped us build the business,’ Sandra Santos says.

The number one attribute of their pharmacy she said, was to provide excellent customer service.

‘We provide solutions to a problem rather than just selling a product, ’ Ms Santos added. And championing the allergy category had been good for their overall practice.

‘Customers feel at ease knowing that we had provided a solution for them. By counselling and offering the right treatment, they also learn more about their condition and how to self-manage it when certain symptoms arise’.

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