Company sounds like a good place/they take care of their people. Obviously this isn't a very "sexy" product but what do you all think? One concern of mine is where this leaves you if you want to leave Coloplast as this is obviously a niche/unique product line/space to be selling in. Can you consider this device or is it purely disposable? Any feedback appreciated as I am considering a position, thanks!
Good questions: Product line is purely disposable, although many reps would like to consider this a device job as that sounds better. Working with WOCN call points can be quite rewarding and knowing you can make a difference in ostomy patients quality of life, can provide you the passion to stick with it. Coloplast Ostomy in the USA is not the leader in that category, but they are becoming very aggressive against ConvaTec and Hollister and especially giving ConvaTec a run for their money. I would never recommend employment at ConvaTec as all their employees are running for the hills. With that said, I still would not consider Coloplast Ostomy, or Coloplast in any division as the place to be. These are generally "me too" commodity products and in the end of the day, hospital systems are mainly concerned with price and you will end up having to accept major price write downs to get and keep the business. Not easy to beat previous years numbers with that game. Some of the newer managers (less than 2 years), in my opinion, are not very aware or very knowledgeable of the ostomy space, so unless you come in with ostomy experience, you will not get much valuable guidance. The base pay is not great, or even good. If you are coming in from Pharma, it is probably a step down, but if you are using it as a brief stepping stone into hospital sales, it could be a good footprint. Just do not stay more than 2 -3 years - tops!
I agree 100% with these comments about working in this industry. I'm a tenured rep with a Coloplast competitor, and commodity sales is 100% accurate. Ostomy is not a growth healthcare sector of the market. In fact, surgeries are flat or slightly down, not going up. Even in the hey days of the 80's and 90's, ostomy procedures only grew in US market 3% a year, 120,000 procedures a year. The 3 major players just beat each other up for a slice of a small piece of pie. Entry level type job.
