Ride along w/ ABL

Discussion in 'Novartis' started by anonymous, Jul 9, 2019 at 10:55 AM.

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  1. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    What is up with this company and the amount of ABL ride alongs? I have never worked for a company that requires so many. Seems like the ABLs work on fear of not being in the field. This has turned into a joke.
     

  2. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    its ridiculous my boss is with me 2 days a month, every month. I swear my offices think I’m on a PIP
     
  3. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    It’s embarrassing. Doctors are asking if our sales are numbers are bad. It makes us looks desperate and pathetic. They assume entresto sales are struggling overall.
     
  4. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    Part of the micromanagement program. The ABLs are the enforcers. HQ knows more about our territories than we do.
     
  5. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

     
  6. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    ABLs are required to do at least 120 ride days; equates to on average 3.5 a week. The good ones realize that being around too much doesn’t really help everyone but have to balance it with their requirements. Reps pick the days the ABL rides with them; the rep then can at least set up a day that may be potentially more productive
     
  7. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    Key word potentially... It's all BS and a waste of time. Everyone knows it's a milk run so why don't the ABLs just play nice and meet for coffee or just show up for a lunch. Let them embelish their reports instead of the nonsense that goes on weekly. Then to top it off they attempt the coaching that no one pays attention to. Bottom line, it's a waste and they could accomplish their goals if they were just savvy but they don't want to be, they want to be a D***s so that's the respect they earn.
     
  8. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    Some managers do this, but it can come back to bite them. Someone is unhappy about goals or believes that someone else is treated better and they decide to complain. Every once in a while, there is truly someone who deserves to be terminated. Those are the ones that like to take everyone else down with them.
     
  9. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    So you're suggesting that a rep may deserve to be fired but an ABL that submits fraudulent reports to maintain his cushy job & favoring certain reps by not actually performing his mandatory field rides is the noble one & the person that exposes that is the disgruntled bad rep? Funny how that works
     
  10. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    No. Only that if a manager does try to show flexibility, it can be used against them. Novartis encourages an environment of narcissism at all levels. They call it accountability and competition. To often, it makes people self -serving and distrustful. This doesn't apply to everyone, but it occurs too often.
     
  11. anonymous

    anonymous Guest


    Mine is out with us every 3 weeks for 2 days. I take him to the same places they think we are partners.
     
  12. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    What a word salad bullshit "Only that if a manager does try to show flexibility"
    WTF does "Flexibility" mean? You mean submitting FRAUDULENT FCR's?
    SMDH
     
  13. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

     
  14. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    I know a good amount of reps that have left or are looking to leave Novartis because of this. Every company has its annoying thing, but most companies have realized 2 people coming into an office every month is crazy. Novartis is behind the times. Can't wait to find a new job.
     
  15. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    dont even know where to start with this one ! First we need less of them ! They don’t approve expense reports, told what to write in field contacts, don’t offer much in the way of strategy other then “you should have a routing, make 8 calls a
    Day, follow the sales model, make sure you are using the right verbiage, oh please feed them breakfast lunch and a snack for the ride home ! All gets expensed , it’s nuts . BUT like us they have unrealistic metrics. Problem
    Is the don’t bring any value. It’s so hard to get into these offices anymore anyway having a tag-a-long makes it even worse and actually hurts access. They stand in the background and you have to say things the way you are supposed to ... like a robot and all the Mds know the game and play along . How about REAL conversation maybe we would get somewhere ! It’s an outdated model . Wanna save some money Novartis ... cut them in 1/2 ... at the very least !
     
  16. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    Leadership is terrible ! You cannot lead by example if there are no examples ! Overpaid, underutilized robots. Checking boxes no strategy bc they are not allowed to think or act ... just following the “leaders” out for themselves .
     
  17. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    Spot on, my manager offers nothing of value yet insists on riding with me for two days every month. Nothing gets done those days, it is a detriment to business. Been a manager so long if the team brings up a concern the answer is often “well I had to use maps and paper when I was a rep.” News flash no one cares. All we want is a business partner not a micromanager.
     
  18. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    yes a business partner ... nailed it. Someone with insight and knowledge and knowledge outside your drug, your geography that can help move your territory forward . Someone with strategy skills, not In it to climb the corporate ladder, Simone given the position bc they have these skills and knowledge ... oh right who am
    I kidding... won’t ever happen. So we will continue to just float along . Probably sink some too. The way we are now we should have a manager like PDI has and just 1 who’s sole job is to manage the PDI side from a people perspective not sales which is completely fine!
     
  19. anonymous

    anonymous Guest


    I've been saying this for some time that an ABL needs to have 20/25 reps under him and be called a coordinator (call them an Area Manager to make them feel good, who cares) just keep them away from mature experienced reps. They should just sit at home and do Admin. work for the Reps. They should work w/ reps based on experience. New Reps 1X month 2 days for the 1st 6 months after that 1X month for 1 day. 2 year, 1X 1 day, 3 year, every other month. 5 years or more 1X per quarter for 1-2 days. I have yet to see an ABL in the past 10 years that has actually offered something of value instead they insist on this bizarre coaching routine when they see the same MDs month in and month out for years it's like the MD is going to say something different on the next call. They coach as if they have some secret sauce in their words mean while our eyes are glazing over. They wonder why they are not respected and people speak bad about the industry it's because middle management ABL/Rms have literally ruined it.
     
  20. anonymous

    anonymous Guest

    AMEN! You nailed it too. I have been saying it too for a long time.