Zimmer Trauma

Nate in trauma sales that's priceless. He would actually have to work and not be a drunken moron every night of the week. He could get Tracy to show him the ropes, oops that's right Tracy has never sold anything in his life. Wait, get Adam Dutka to go out with him, oops that's right Adam has never sold trauma either. Ok, get Sarah to show......... You get the point.

 

Zimmer has neglected their trauma line to the point of no return. The distributor model never had a trauma focus. They would hire new people for trauma then promoting them to recon without ever establishing a trauma presence. Meanwhile, the Synthes rep had minimal turnover. For a surgeon who takes 3 trauma call days a month, there is no good reason to try anything other than what he is using. Zimmer has never established any niche in trauma. Accumed had clavicle and distal humerus, Stryker had gamma, Depuy had HI, and synthes had everything else and was on the shelf in every hospital. Zig Zigler couldn't sale a zimmer fibular plate. It doesn't matter who they hire, they will never have a respectable presence in trauma.

 

Zimmer starting to discontinue trauma product lines. Some of them are understandable, however the trauma shelf at our office is getting barer. BTW I am the junior version of Zig Ziglar for Zimmer trauma. Had a case this morning (Sunday) and the surgeon used our titanium plate with Stryker screws because our office sent our 4.5mm titanium screws back. Got something out of it this time, but I don't think there will be a "next time" with this surgeon. Very embarrassing.
Of course, if we had 24-48 hrs notice, we could have had the screws there for the case. I was called Sat afternoon. Do the math

 

Hey there Zig! Your territory probably wasn't getting enough turns on the screws to justify keeping them; but were OK on the plates. Besides, you really didn't need those screws because you found an acceptable replacement. The bean counters sitting at their computers in Warsaw look for what inventory could be returned to reduce SG&A on one screen while watching ZMH stock price go up on the other. They're not interested in helping you grow sales...its ALL about earnings per share.

 

To sum up Zimmer Trauma.

They have a nice product portfolio. Pretty much have everything Stryker and Synthes has. Minus Foot and Ankle, clavicle plates, and Hand stuff.

That's not the problem.

Problem 1.

Clueless former GE management goes direct and hires college graduates engineering majors to be sales people.
-can't think quick on their feet and are too arrogant to be around surgeons.
-these guys drop likes flies in a couple years.
-distributorships had this forced upon them and rejected this model

Problem 2.

Zimmer Trauma has not the slightest clue how to run trauma logistically.
Cases are not planned like recon. Everything is last minute and on the fly.
Zimmer cannot support this. Lack of inventory or lack of depth in inventory.
Very risky for recon reps to sell trauma as it could piss of their customers promising a plate that is on back order- so recon doesn't mess with trauma. Call the Synthes rep!

Problem 3.

Being public. Earnings per share rules corporations. As margins decrease in hospitals and medical device tax takes profits, Zimmer cannot afford to let this kill their stock. How? Despite the industry declining are stocks rising?

Simple.

Less inventory, stricter guidelines, and lower commissions. Short term this will win you stock!
Long term this creates higher turnover of labor force and loss of business/customers.
How can Zimmer be so short sighted???

Zimmer Trauma will never be a major player in Trauma until a MAJOR overhaul is done in Warsaw. Will Biomet senior management fix all these problems?

Probably not first thing on their list. They have to worry about joints first. Hospital contracts, sales force, product integration, training, etc etc. damage control .

It's already off to a bad start considering this thing can't even get approved on time.

My advice to Zimmer employees. Duck, watch your back, Polish your resume, invest in yourself, take what you can, and stay patient.

And take those vacation days now

 

absolutely spot on.

 

Its been that way for years, with little change or improvement. Key is to:

-have a dedicated, well trained sales organization that is trauma ONLY focused
-have up to date, innovative products (or at minimum....competitive me-too products)
-have plenty of product on hand, including instruments available and located at key trauma centers
-no, none, never any backorders
-have a group of topnotch field tech experts who can help support and train the salesforce
-have a dedicated, knowledgeable engineering group that can actually innovate
-have an intensive training program for surgeons, residents and fellows. They must get exposure and training on your products. This is key to competing with the AO "cult".

Then, maybe then, you will have a fair chance to be competitive.

 

Those are all correct. And we know that will probably never happen.

 

It could happen. Takes leaders with vision and a commitment to invest in the business.

 

Post #65 says it all.

Zimmer is practically giving away the ZNN for free in my region. Nobody wants it - not the doctors, not the reps. Too much risk and too little reward.

 

Zimmer reps are too lazy to sell trauma. What doesn't help is the commission rate. If it was decent then maybe things will change

 

Trauma inventory management is a lot like dry cleaned clothes. Sterile Tray = Dry Cleaned button up

Everybody has dry-cleaned clothes in their closet, ready to go for when you have to drive up nice for a business event, a date night, a nice night out, etc. I would compare these ready to go dry cleaned shirts to the hospital owned synthes trays always sterile and on the shelf at all your accounts. Its wrapped sterile ready to go when the unexpected fracture comes up.

Ok so sometimes you have wadded up clothes in your laundry basket or corner of your room. And you have a dinner with a doc the next night, so you take time out of your day to go to the dry cleaners the day before and get it all ready to go for your special night. This is like most other trauma companies loaners.You put in your dirty trays the night before the surgery. Typical, common, and acceptable.

Sometimes it's so last minute that you have to FLASH your trays 30 minutes before the case. This is equivalent to throwing your wrinkled button up in the dryer before your dinner with the doc. You won't look 100% good, but the average eye won't notice. Just like the average patient doesn't get infected from Flashed trays.

Ok now we are to the good stuff. ZIMMER TRAUMA.
Zimmer Trauma is equivalent to somebody who has a nice dinner with a doc unexpectedly or expectedly come up the next night. But you have NO NICE CLOTHES. You call a friend, he doesn't have what you are looking for. So you have to go SHOPPING FOR CLOTHES. Once you find out what you need, you then have to get a tailor to hem and size you accordingly. The clocks ticking Tick tock tick tock. You have to wait overnight for them to expedite the hemming processing, and then you get it the next morning and its wrinkled as shit. Tick Tock Tick Tock. So you throw it in the dryer, and try to iron it out. You show up looking pretty good! But you wasted 90% of your previous day and today trying to look good.

Solution? Buy more clothes. ITS THAT SIMPLE

 

You really have too much time on your hands

 

I wonder how much in sales you lost in the time it took you to think this up and post it..

 

Obviously, sales is not a priority for this one!

 

Except the dogs tail is wagged by everyone except Z Corp!!!! And there is Zimmers major issue in a nutshell! Powerful (but not growing) reps dictating to distributers . Powerful distributers dictating to corporate. Z Corp trying to improve ever falling results without addressing the fundamental problem. We are laden with geriatric reps who do nothing!!!!

I am sure someone will point out that the GE folks tried to fix this issue and it didn't work. Lots of guys feel the GE team wrecked everything. But the ship has been heading for an ice berg for years and someone needs to change course.

 

Zimmer Trauma direct sales force being discontinued post merger. We can finally close the book on this dark chapter and failure.

 

Who was the architect and still there???? Moron Tracy

 

I have never met a sales rep on straight commission who has walked away from a sale on purpose. If surgeons believed in the products those fossils you insulted would have made the sale. Stand in surgery and watch the surgeons use the competitor's products and you will know why your trauma sales suck.

 

you guys don't know your own history

Zimmer tried a direct sales force. here are the bullet points

Tracey in charge
Hires approx. 50 sales reps and managers
hiring was done by existing RSD's for the most part
Shadan comes in
1 month of training in Warsaw for reps
Swhartz moves from RSD to Nat Sales Mgr
upon completion of training, reps get come and called to stay at home. Don't make calls
goes on for weeks
Shwartz behind call
reps finally get accounts usually 1 L1 trauma center with no way of breaking in
RSD's fail to communicate (on purpose) to distributors
(Why would we need RSD's if we have a direct trauma sales force?!?)
Corporate realizes they wasted millions
Shadan fired
they pull the plug and wait for the flatline
end of story and they are right back where they started 5 years ago