Most stupid things reps have had doctors do!

You got it, some reps will wrap their fav docs around their fingers!
Tall tales, fibs and sob stories can get some of them to do plenty!

 

Our district had a few who would do anything for their old rep. More than once innocent reps were harmed when doctors purposely down rated them. Sad to say, two are now gone due to a few doctors willing to do this.

 

Gossip, lying about coworkers, tripping up and harming others professionally are signs of character issues in the individual initiating such actions. It could also be a pathology. It says a lot about our management too when this goes on and is not addressed and rectified. As for doctors, no one would ever want to think that individuals involved with the care of others would ever sink to these lows, but they just individuals like everyone else. Sad state when this can exist in our work lives.

 

The truly sad state is what the pharma rep's job has become and that a single doctor could influence pharma management. Doing pharma sales for a living is a sad state when the job is a virtually meaningless game except for when the rep depends on it for their chief income. It's a second job at best and one that should never have to be taken seriously given it's a meaningless game. It honestly doesn't matter much what the rep does or when the rep works as long as the rep plays the game with their manager. Am I right or am I right?!

 

Of course you are correct.
Which is why you should 1. get out as soon as possible. 2. warn others to NEVER get into this industry.
find a territory/job where you are working for a private company in a protected territory (NO PODS), and you will be on the right track. the important thing is to find a product or service that can compete and has a good reputation. do your homework. talk to a rep with that company and get a feel for what they do.

We know that pharma. is not the way to go. That goes double for big pharma.

 

Any manager worth his or her salary would never be influenced by a single doctor. Especially one who is tight with any reps. Any competent manager gets to the bottom of things before anyone is hurt. It's all about management proficiency and knowing how downright corrupt some people can be. What happened to the falsely maligned rep?

 

I appreciate the essence of your comment. Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical representative's job has become so corrupted such that it becomes difficult to identify the falsely maligned rep from the rep who is guilty, simply as a result of doing their job. When I was a rep, in the course of doing my job to the best of my ability, I violated some policy, rule, or standard EVERY DAY that an antagonistic manager could have taken me to task over and fired me if desired. Fortunately, I had great managers who knew my intentions were in the best interests of the patient, believed in me, counseled me, and supported me as the best managers want to do for their people I believe. I could count on management to back me up as a result. When that environment no longer existed at Merck, by choice, I no longer existed at Merck. That was nearly 15 years ago so I can't begin to imagine what being a rep at Merck is like now.

 

So true. Do any reps truly have job satisfaction. Try this: Take a stop watch with you in the field and start it only when you are actually doing your job...in front of customers. Keep a daily tally of the seconds/minutes you are with customers and post your total next week on CP. I would be shocked if anyone reports more than 5 hours of actual face time (counting lunches) with customers.

The CTLs probably don't have much time to report either when it comes to spending time actually coaching and developing their reps.

Bottom line. Pharma field employees make a lot of money per hour worked.

But when the day is done, how is that job satisfaction thing working out for you?

 

Another story of how the ones who pull the weight get the shaft Typical CTL reign is a farce when managers are ithis tuned out and floating in orbit somewhere. Planet earth to CTL!

 

Job satisfaction and selling pharmaceuticals is an oxymoron. My satisfaction from being a rep came from independence, money, limited interaction with some customers, and the company car. Much of that vanished when the digital age took hold and work independence became much more problematic and scarce with the job. The money was great at first but for seasoned reps, other careers offered comparable to much better compensation plus greater job satisfaction. Of course, company cars became a joke and no big deal compared to what some other sales reps could get, especially outside of pharma sales. I still long for the Baxter days of BMW's and the like. So, regardless of how much actual time one spends in front of customers as a rep, the job remains a game with very little satisfaction. It would have no more satisfaction if the rep spent 20, 30, or 40 hours a week in front of the customer because the job is a game whose only reward is the money for doing it. A trained monkey could play the game just as well.

 

Couldn't have said it any better!

 

Job satisfaction out the window when it was no more fun to sell. Everything being watched. Managers are all tight asses with zero personal skills and staring at the laptop all the time. I enjoyed the money, independence, meeting people, the game in selling and formulary battles, etc. But all the restraints and hypocrisy got to me. The same manager who would penalize me for not hosting enough fake educational drunken programs would preach why we decide to stop based on ethics. No wonder docs laughed at us and called Merck hypocrites.

 

"Job satisfaction out the window when it was no more fun to sell."

You just nailed it on the head.

Perfect description for how most veterans or former reps WITH above average intelligence feel about this industry.

It is not fun, and sales, at its foundation, needs to an exciting endeavor...filled with creativity and business/relationship development. Not in pharma. No creativity allowed. And your relationships are out the window when Mr. Computer tells Mr. Management that it is time to cut back, to appease the shareholders.

Notice the reps/managers that are out there right now? I would say that about 1/3 have below average critical thinking skills. Sure, they might be smart and can carry an intelligent conversation, but they lack the ability to THINK. They are kool aid drinkers and in the grand scheme of life, live meaningless lives and have no impact on anything.

Then you have another 1/3 that are very smart and over achievers. These types tend to move to district and regional management. They really think they are doing good for others and improving the quality of life. They are sincere. But, they just can't admit that this industry is a joke because they are also very lazy and like the good pay vs. easy work day.

But, the worst are the other 1/3 that know they are in a corrupt industry, but do it anyway, because they love the money. Its money over people in their world. I see a lot of these types in the corporate world, and they are the ones to watch out for the most. Unfortnately, these are the ones that are mostly in the leadership positions, because they will do anything to get promoted. These are the Snakes in Suits types.

And then you have the good ones. The choosen. The 1 percent out there in this industry are truly trying to get out, and have had enough of the lying and corruption. These are the ones that come to cafepharma and tell the truth!

 

We seemed to have drifted off topic to the OP..lets put those other comments in our parking lot on the board over there and get back to stupid things you've done for docs...I'll start with simple example..Doc calls before dinner meeting, asks if I can get him a few of those fancy cigars on the way..guy was big speaker (fancy med. school grad) in our area, whored himself out to anybody (and why not!)

 

Ha wrong posting thread!

 

Suck my willy!

 

Got pregnant and made it look like it was my husband's! 5 years so far and he has no clue!

 

How is that something stupid you got a Dr. to do? That is you being an adultress, lying to your husband, and being proud that you have been able to hide it for 5 years. You are the perfect pharmaceutical detail rep.....Merck must be very proud.

 

That's a stretch. It has nothing to do with the profession.

 

A hard-to-see specialist asked her office manager to call and ask if I could buy her a new fax machine. I said no thanks.

Another internist asked if I would contribute to the renovation of his kitchen, complete with espresso and cappuccino machines. I said no thanks but others did.