About Us
Michael J. Hodges is a former fellow pharmacy owner of Physicians Discount Drug and now founder of Success Marketing Rx!
I help independent pharmacy owners attract more new clients, retain and establish lifelong relationships with existing clients and generate referrals that will continually grow net profits and build equity in their pharmacy business.
Hi, I'm Michael J. Hodges, and I'd like to share a bit of my story with you!
I got started in the pharmacy business back in the early 90's, not in retail ownership but on the wholesale and distribution level of weight loss supplements. I had a little niche product called Extra Lean that offered a great niche profit exclusively to independent drug stores and a easy solution to curb appetite, increase metabolism and burn fat for people wanting to lose weight.
Extra Lean was a great success! I offered a 100% no risk guarantee on the product, offered free samples to give away to interested customers, clear acrylic counter display, printed materials, "statement stuffers" and also ran free advertisements in their local newspaper.
Those were the days. I remember getting in my car and driving thoughout North and South Carolina setting up accounts one by one. Then I started running national ads in Drug Topics, Pharmacy Times and exhibiting at Drug Wholesalers shows and the big national NCPA trade show.
It took 15 years to grow to over 2500 drug stores with only three or four products and it generated a lot of profit for all of us. It was a complete win,win,win situation. The stores were making a keystone markup (100%), the customer was losing weight or received a full refund and we were making a good profit as well.
What I learned from all the years of working with pharmacy owners was that the only reason the product sold successfully was because we offered strategic advertising, free samples and effective marketing materials that had the right message and was directed to the right market of people wanting to lose weight. In short, we simply offered people what they wanted.
