Oncology being micromanaged to death

This used to be a great place to work. All the metrics and micromanaging tactics are going a little overboard. I have noticed more new hires with no oncology experience that are gung ho to show us how easy it can be to get into oncology offices. They are pissing off the doctors and staff. Now instead of allowing us to have intelligent conversations with our customers we are encouraged to overwhelm our customers with a 1000 reps coming in right on top of each other delivering canned marketing messages. Not helping our reputation.

 

When employees are inept they are micromanaged.

 

This is a microcosm of what destroyed this industry.

In the 90’s we began to see the tidal wave of information technology and the MBA’s that would interpret this data. The MBA’s infiltrated marketing and it was decided these folks knew how to grow business.

The Pfizer/Merck pod model was in full force, canned detail messaging written by marketing and data interpretation became the law of big pharma.

Revenues grew and companies hired thousands of reps. Physicians pushed back because there were to many reps and they despised the Madison Avenue marketing ploys. Marketing never understood the focus group physicians were telling them what they wanted to hear in exchange for $$$$ they were receiving.
Blinded by the success of new products (not marketing) big pharma doubled down on this foolish behavior and now we are all treading water in this swamp of an industry.

I’ve been here awhile. I remember all the marketing success stores like Juvasync. These guys are an absolute drain on the industry. Oncology is experiencing the transition of this brain trust from PC (or CC—whatever they call it these days). It will only get worse. Everyone knows as soon as Januvia loses patent, that team is gone and all these marketing jewels will turn their full attention to oncology.

 

This is actually a quite sad story. Merck stumbles upon Keytruda gathering dust on the shelf after the purchase of Schering Plough. ( Keytruda was originally owned by Organon). Merck plays their hand beautifully. Clinical trials are well funded and thoughtfully designed. Let us be clear, Roger Perlmutter saved Merck. So here is Merck with a drug every company dreams about owning. What happens now? They slowly destroy the oncology sales model for every rep in the nation. Call reporting is fantasyland. They just want to see activity, metrics, same old primary model. Keep hiring reps. If good reps leave, oh well just another slot to fill. They hire key personnel (Okam directors, marketing leaders) all from internal Merck primary care. What’s wrong with Oncology?? Look around. Then the worst happens. Bruce Cellura. How can anyone be that bad. He does not back or support field sales. He is Horrible. A total fake. Keep it up Merck. The best and brightest reps will leave or have already left. Let’s be straight: no one wants to work at Merck.

 

All good points but Merck always succeeds in spite of itself...With more money than Gawd, it
isn't that hard to do...

Merck can find a way to screw up the best position in the industry...But they will keep on
truckin', making the managers and execs rich along the way...

Everyone else at the company, be damned...

 

Great post. Voice Survey results ream DCOs and above. Kool aid drinkers

 

Bruce made the primary care=oncology kool aid. The DCOs and CTLs have served the kool aid under duress. I don't care how good a drug keytruda is - oncology specialty reps do not want to work in a primary care world created by Bruce. That's why the vets are leaving, but no one cares. Don't complain when you get cannot find experienced oncology reps to fill the many, many vacancies. Wake up and see the vacancies left by veteran reps with many years with Merck. No one with oncology experience will work with this primary care, monthy field visit, multi rep model

 

Amen!

The losses won’t deter them because it’s impossible for the decision makers to argue that its their decisions causing the losses and nobody asks for the opinions of those who left why they left.

The cycle will continue until someone makes the “risky” decision to get new leadership with significant oncology experience from outside the company, maybe from a biotech and then let’s them rebuild the culture.

This is risky because if you try a different way and revenue falls which often happens during change, the new way and new leader gets all the blame.

If you manage every knowable metric and execute every tried and true strategy and the revenue falls, it’s the salesforce, the market, or even Trump who gets the blame.

As a creature of the home office, I see it all of the time.

 

This is exactly what happened to the Vaccine Division. Inept leadership from the likes of Alina Ehrlich and Thomas L. Lyon destroyed Vaccines just how you described. Merck is imploding due to horrible management decisions.

 

You haven't been micromanaged that hard until you have had Thomas L. Lyon III smothering your region like a North Korean dictator. Constant teleconferences, workshops, special projects, several pages of quarterly business plans, and creating an environment where reps are backstabbing each other to stay Lyon's good side.

 

It's difficult to believe what Merck is paying these reps for no access. As we all know the oncology sales model could be cut in half and sales would still increase.

Total comp of $180 with car for being a glorified lunch/starbucks delivery service. It this good for patient care?

Enjoy the party while you still can...

 

It is absurd...no other industry but pharmaceuticals could pay people like this for little to no
work...

the bathrobe brigade is really thriving at Merck...

Unreal...

 

I sure as hell am. Love the hours, LIFE work balance, lack of stress, etc.

 

Merck Oncology allows for a 3 day work week since they are now 3up in a territory, an OSKAM, a Nurse Educator, a Reimbursement Associate, a Reimbursement Manager, a CTL, an OMAD, an HSOMAD, an NAE , a specialist in bio-marker testing, a DCO, a field trainer and a group of marketing talking heads that always want to tag along in the field because they can't stand to be around the leadership morons. Did I get all the stakeholders who want to glad hand all the customers?... Those customers who don't really even want to see one rep..... Oh shit, I forgot Managed Care pajama champions...

 

I am going to begin Monday on the micromanagement of the worthless part timers. PIPs galore terminations assured. Make Merck Great Again!!

 

If you can actually sell and earn your $130 average bases before car and benefits you should consider other opportunities.

 

Are you joking? We sell and earn much more for Merck than we are paid. We are made to feel like we don’t matter, but sales would tank if we weren’t out there doing our jobs. Doctors have other choices for treatment other than our products. We have to share outcomes that show where it is appropriate to use our products, and where it is not. Then we have competition doing the same. If we weren’t out there the doctors will be more likely to go with other products which are appropriate for treatment that they have seen outcome data for.

 

Don't get pompous asshole you do next to nothing while sitting in coffee shops and delis most of the day you contribute absolutely nothing but fuck off what dickwads

 

JM heading up Vaccines division now. Should be leading Oncology. Would be a breath of fresh air and major upgrade to have her at the helm.

 

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