Can someone please ...

Provide some positives about working at Patterson. I’m entering into my second interview and am starting to freak out because up until I saw the posts on this site I was confident that this company offered a legitimate opportunity. Now I’m not so sure. I don’t expect to make 100,000+ in 2 or 3 years necessarily, but I would like to know that if I work hard there will be a decent chance that I can make a career here at Patterson.

Are there any positives to working here?

 

You get out what you put into your job. If you go out and bust your ass, create relationships and start closing sales, you will have the opportunity to have a long career at Patterson. But if you aren't working 8-5, 5 days a week and some Saturdays as needed you won't be able to make enough of an impact to make it past 2 years. They churn and burn new reps because all of the legitimate offices are already locked into whoever their current supplier is. It is almost impossible to convert a happy customer to Patterson because you can't offer lower prices, just "better service". And the only way that happens is if you keep coming to the office with the hope that the competitor rep screws up or leaves.

If you go in knowing you won't make more than $70k for the forseeable future and that is enough for you then it can be a good career. It is just a tough job in this economy.

 

Thanks. Busting my butt is fine as long as their is a real opportunity. I appreciate your feedback.

 

I wish I could paint you a rosy picture of working for Patterson as a rookie rep...but it just is not possible. My experience there was lousy. It was the worst sales job that I have ever had...and Ive been in sales since the late 90s and have done quite well. Accepting that position based on the lies that the branch manager told me in our interviews, was my biggest career mistake to date. This is why I am here posting, and others apparently are doing the same because their posts here echo mine in nearly every way. If I can help some people like you, make a more informed decision based on true info that unfortunately I did not have during my interview process...then I feel better that I can help others.

Its not just about "busting your butt". You will have to work 8-5 every day...but then add in a night or two a week doing events for Cerec, and other presentations with manufacturers reps or alone... also factor in dental society meetings (snooze) that you will be assigned to and forced to work... as a rookie rep, you are controlled by the branch manager and you have no say in these assignments...you do them.

Youd better be darned sure that you want to work for that branch manager because you will be at his/her beck and call and under their thumb for at least the first 3 years....you will need to kiss a-- repeatedly... the 2 branch managers that were at the branch that I worked in during my time, were both clueless arrogant douches, who sat in their little office all day giving orders without having a real feel for what was happening in the field... youd better love that person or it will add to your misery.

The only good thing that I got out of that patterson experience was that training in Minn. was sort of fun because we had a really really great group of other reps and I met some cool people and we had fun as a group....the "training" was rudimentary bunk but the people in our group were great. The CEO came in and told us that most of us would not be there in a couple of years and if we were, hed take us all on a trip anywhere in the world... but to that date, no group had ever won his offer...the churn is so high...and they know it at corporate. You are a number to them, and in your branch. The backbiting and internal issues at my branch were significant and made it very unpleasant to work at... one huge disfunctional "family" ...if you can call it that...and if your branch is anything like mine with the idiots running it...you will hate this job... so be sure that you get to meet everyone before you take that job and are comfortable with them. good luck.

 

In nutshell, Patterson is very decentralized, each branch is run like an unrelated business. That being said, the experiences reported above may in fact be true, but that does not mean that all branches and all managers are as the experiences here. I work for Patterson and all our team members love the branch manager, they all seem to work together nicely, and no one complains much. Branch dependent is the term I hear thrown around.

 

well said! I work for Patterson for over 3 years and I am very pleased with this company and its strong products, especially CEREC! CEREC is THE BEST PRODUCT IN DENTISTRY, anyone who tells you otherwise does so because they cant sell it.

 

This is an good posts. I am approaching two years with PDSI and I'd say this is spot on.

Good post.

 

Came to Patterson from a different industry...have found Patterson to be a wonderful company and love the atmosphere. Branch is great...its pretty simple, if you work you WILL make money..not tons at first but you do make cash...just dont be a doofus but really work to strengthen the customer relationship.
loving it....

 

Any truth that Patterson northeast regional manager was let go yesterday?

 

So glad some of you are happy. Been a rep for several years in DFW area and the new mgr we have is horrible and I've had some bad ones. Stock holders and manufacturer reps seem to be running the place. Anyways, heard he's on his way out so maybe it will get better.

 

This post left out that you need to beg the manager and other reps for accounts. Also, you celebrate when other reps leave hoping to get their accounts. I knew it wasnt for me when I felt happy to hear a rep had either quit, retired or was fired. and I was more concerned about what it might mean for me, than about what had happened to the rep.

 

When you lay down with dogs you wake up with fleas.

Bring a large supply of fleas collars.

 

What are you doing now that you would be satisfied with only making $50-$70k? From my experience, the pay is what drives you and if it isnt there or you start to feel like you are working to hard and being paid way too little, you will burn out. The money that is available for new reps and even reps 3-5 years is not competitive in todays market.

 

$50-$70k is better than zero or what unemployment pays. Plus the promise of making more was there.

 

Lol. "Promise"....... You will see what those "promises" get you. You will be posting back on here with different feedback within 6 months

 

No that is what I was promised when I took the job. I am posting back 3 years later and saying it was all BS