Anyone have info on the CMF division? I received a call from a recruiter and started asking around. Sounds like they just had a commission cut and reps aren't very happy, but that they did just acquire a new product. Any thoughts?
Cut in commission and it's already a 100% commission job with zero expenses. New product is also sold through their Neuro/Spine/ENT division. Not an issue if the CMF rep has better relationships at the hospitals, but I've seen some in-fighting when a NSE rep tries to get the business. Happened with another bone mill device two years ago. Too damn dumb to realize why two different business units should NOT sell the same product. Depends on the territory. If in the South, skip it. Especially if it's GA/MS/LA/FL area.
What's in it for an ASR in this division. There's an opening in my area, thinking of applying for it. I understand ASR positions overall suck, but is there any room for advancement? What's the pay structure like?
Why specifically in the south should you skip it? I'm a biomedical engineering grad with 2.5 years of B2B experience looking to get into medical device sales, and this is the best opportunity I have seen in some time.
The downside with being an ASR at Stryker is you aren't building a name for yourself. You work under a rep so you have no numbers of your own and nothing to build on your resume other than you ran to fedex, restocked sets, and covered the boring cases your rep doesn't want to do. On the positive, they've at least wised up and raised the ASR pay to $60k up from $45k. Still chump change though. Boston Sci pays their Assoc Reps $130k salary with a car and all expenses and a bonus potential of another $5k each quarter. Also on Stryker CMF, they have flooded the US with ASRs and now have created mini territories where even if you go to a full line rep, your target comp is about $100k. Not great comp for the pressures of growing your business in a very small, very niche, very competitive market. It would be a great stepping stone opportunity, but not a place I'd recommend staying very long. There's just too many other great companies out there who are willing to take care of their reps. Not give them a 2% commission reduction, then try to make it ok by loaning them an iPad. And location doesn't matter. It's not just the South. It's the entire US. Go ask Billy down in New Orleans. He's been an ASR for 3 years and is forced to eat at the "Kiddy Dinner" with marketing and all the non quota achievers every year at the National Sales Meeting because only reps get the credit for hitting quota.
So when you cover the boring cases that the full line reps don't want to cover, who gets the credit for that...the asr or the full line rep? Also, is that $60k base or commission. If you aren't hitting a quota so to speak, what are you getting paid off of? The fedexing and restocking, etc?
You get the $60k salary only. No commission. If you stay the year, you get a $5k bonus so your target year end comp is $65k. The rep gets all commission dollars paid for product used. Rep is 100% commission paid on volume at dollar one with no expenses. We give up 1% of our comp to pay for the ASR. Basically, you get a flat salary to do whatever your rep tells you to. If you do well and stick it out, you will earn a territory. The down side is now they are reshaping the territories to be smaller in size and volume to where your target income is significantly less. Good luck
ok, thanks for explaining that. Makes. And that $60-$65k is it right? No bene's like car/gas or phone? I've heard sometimes you're split between 2 reps in the area. Is it with one rep one day, and then the other rep the next day..or you're just running between the two everyday doing whatever they need you to do? What's the typical day like as an ASR in this div?
No phone, gas, laptop but they had been giving $500/mo towards general expenses. For some ASRs, that doesn't even cover the gas for a month, depending on territory size. They try to not have two reps with the same ASR, but it has happened. I think they go back and forth depending on the greatest need...ie bigger case or more important restock. Typical day is you get up, call or txt with your rep and plan the day. That usually consists of running sets to ORs or FedEx and covering cases. Generally, the ASR will cover the slower cases to free up time for the rep to set up new business opportunities. In teaching hospitals, ASRs spend a lot of time building relationships with the residents and watching them struggle to put on archbars. They'll also set up and run a lot of plating and educational workshops. Not too bad of a gig depending on the situation you're coming from. I went from selling copiers at $50k and got my foot in the door to medical device at $60k with a great name to put on my resume after a year. You just have to accept that you are paying your dues being somebody's bitch.
Oh ok. Doesn't sound too bad of a gig. I'm an asr with another company (non-O.R. deal) and its drawing to a close. There's an open CMF asr in my area and I went ahead and applied for it so I wanted to get some kind of understanding on the role because I know it'd be completely different from the role I was in. As far as QOL, whats it like in this division. I've never covered OR before, but in most cases I know they are schedule, but are there times when you have to work weekends and ridiculous hours? Its not a problem at all, I just wanted to know because my previous role was strictly M-F and the hours were'nt crazy. Also, while covering the slow cases that the full line reps arent covering, what's the asr dutiy? To make sure nothing goes wrong and hand the surgeon's whatever is needed? Or just in-servicing? Thanks for your awesome replies bro.
I'm not aware of having any product cross over. CMF eliminated the old TOM Bone Mill and only NSE carries "The Mill." NSE has the Silverglide bi-polar forceps and CMF has some old Leibinger forceps, but we don't really compete with each other. NSE carries Sonopet exclusively so again I am unsure where this supposed "competing" comes from. The only place where I've been faced with competing for the same business is when Stryker Ortho guys try to sell Hydroset to my customers. That's the only product that two divisions carry. As for the question about commission's being cut, no one has a set percentage. Some got no cut, some got as high as 3-4%. Either way, it's shitty to have to sell 30% more this year to barely earn as much as you made the year before. The Medpor acquisition and re-release of the Custom Implant is really putting on a lot of pressure to perform this year. It will either be a hit, or totally blow up in our faces. I can tell you one thing, it doesn't make it easy when you lose Custom Implant business because your docs can't wait 8 weeks for a damn implant.
