Orapharma Contract

I've been looking to break into Dental, and just found out about inVentiv having a contract with Orapharma.

Does anyone know how long this contract is? Are they currently hiring or any plans for expanding? Thanks for the info.

 

Contract is for two years, we began in February. Currently we have four great products. Pros: my inVentiv manager is AMAZING, OraPharma management horrible. Base pay is lousy, I took a $15,000 pay cut from pharmaceuticals, BUT I thought it was worth it to break into the Dental side, as well as gain experience on my resume as an Account Manager instead of just a Pharmaceutical Representative. A quarterly bonus is hard to achieve because the company (OraPharma) changes the rules to obtain bonus sometimes during the actual quarter. Keep checking for job postings they will be there, over half of my team is applying for new jobs because of the bonus plan.....

 

OP here. Thanks for the info; you sound like you know what you're doing. So, are you saying that I can get in here without the Dental experience?

I'm hoping that this could roll over to Orapharma at some point. What are you hearing about that possibility?

 

They laid off 50 percent of sales team today. They were told at 11:30 this morning that YESTERDAY was their last day in the field. Worst contract ever.

 

I just wanted to offer my condolences. The Pharm industry is, as you already know, very brutal and volatile. My advice: get out of the industry. Shareholders run these companies and M&A is the only way to succeed as it takes too long for molecules to progress and subsequently be approved. R&D is dead short of a blockbuster like a cure for cancer or even the Ebola vaccine, lol. However, if you want turn anger into a passion, especially if you were one that was doing well and desire to be in Dental, look into DenMat, Schein or even Benco. My true advice is to be forward thinking and look to an industry that is sustainable and where your day-you-day life isn't spent on wondering if the call you just received is once again right around the corner. Believe me, the ones left, contract or full-time, should be leery of that next email telling us to be on a call the very next day. It's surely coming and each and everyone that has stopped to see that huge black lettering on the wall saying just that are already making other plans. Thank you for all your hard work and taking the time to work hand in hand!

 

Contract or 'Permanent', FLEX or full time, there is no such thing as a permanent job anymore. It doesn't matter if you work at inVentiv or the 'client', sales are sales.

Interesting comment by one of my fellow AMs that was let go, who has been thru this before; she said that contract sales are becoming a bigger and bigger part of the pharma salesforce in general, because its cheaper and more efficient than companies hiring in house salespeople.
Thoughts?

 

There are many reasons to use contract reps. One being that when we are laid off they don't have to pay severance or report layoffs to Wall Street.

 

That Matt Coggin guy seemed like a total douche, eh? This place is kinda lame right now

 

Yes he does. Every time I see an email from him all I can think about is the tv show "Dharma & Greg"

 

Totally does look like Greg! Now I will think that too as I watch him drone on at the NSM

 

To OP:

Avoid this contract at all costs. If you have B2B experience apply at Benco, Patterson or Henry Schein. You would have a much better chance at a successful career in the dental field with one of those companies than coming on board here w/OraPharma. This company doesn't have much life left....

 

Perhaps - but the company still makes money, and the only chance that you have at happiness is if Valeant sells the company to someone else AND MC gets the boot.

Neither will happen, so you might as well look elsewhere for happiness.

 

I had a telephone interview today with Orapharma and just have to wonder why they let go all these InVentiv reps and now looking to hire perm reps? I was told the territory was possibly an expansion territory. There are actually two openings, one for a Specialist and one for an Account Manager. May not get past this initial screening interview, but reading posts on both OraPharma and this board makes me wonder about the strategy for this business unit. My experience is a great fit but I am looking for something long term, not a crazy ride. Any insight would be appreciated. Sorry for all of you that were just seemingly tossed aside. Does not make sense.

 

Avoid this shithole at all costs. It's a ridiculously hard job if you actually decide to work it properly. I'm about to leave soon...I have a permanent position, but saw many good inventiv people get let go. The goals are crazy, and Valeant sucks.

 

These were the most helpful posts i have ever read on CP. Thank you. Sadly other threads are just bs and nasty for some reason. We are all in this together

 

Here is my 2 cents

I worked in Pharma biotech for about 10 years. I started in Big Pharma primary care, went to smaller companies with speciality, then ended at a biotech selling a biologic IV drug. Then in 2008 the bottom fell out of the industry. I could have went back in but I was tired of the roller coaster ride. Out of the 5 companies I worked at, 2 times I was part of a mass layoff. Then in 2009 I was contacted by a distributor dental company. I didn't know anything about dental so I asked a friend that was a recruiter and mentor to me. She said that she thought it was a tuff sale but I would get true B2B experience in disposables, medical device, medical equipment and software. She was correct it rounded out my resume as she anticipated but I went from a salary in the low 90's to one in the 50's. On top of that know more company car, less expenses and comission instead of bonus. Also, dentists are not as astute as MDs, so the conversations were not as clinical. WhaRoadt is cool though is that in dentistry there is better technology.

You divide dental sales into at least 3 categories

1. Dealer companies; Benco, Burkhart, Darby, Henry Schein, Patterson and Pearson. (B2B and B2C)

2. Manufacturing companies; 3M, Dentsply, Voco, Oropharma, etc. and call directly on the doctor's office and influence dealer reps. (B2B)

3. Independent reps; You carry several lines and sell to dealers and dentists

If you go from Pharma to dental you should be able to then goto medical device.

 

I've been in Big pharma for some time. Honestly this is the worst! Crazy high growth expected for a really old product (Arestin). EZ white sucks. OnSet is kind of fun to sell but terribly expensive and drs don't see the promised results. Really low morale amongst the reps. The most demotivating NSM I have ever encountered. Orapharma as a whole is unorganized and rough around the edges. It's like the blind leading the blind! It could be decent experience on a resume, but start looking after a year. Only take this job if you really need it!

 

Yep, that about sums it up. EZ white is the worst one in my opinion.

 

Haha, Matt Coggin just got demoted to marketing. What a douche!

 

I've been with this contract since the start; for me, I think its a breath of fresh air compared to regular pharma. Medical/pharma sales as we knew it is gone, so if you choose to stay in the business, you have to accept the roller coaster ride.

I tried for 4 years to get into dental; an in-law is a Patterson rep in Texas. The goals suck, but I enjoy the relationships that I've built with some customers. Salary could always be better, but a free car, gas card, 401k, benefits are decent. I'm not micro-managed, which was AWFUL in big-pharma. I see my RM once every 2 months.

Orapharma as an organization leaves alot to be desired, but the space is better than primary care sales or many specialty sales, where you are competing against alot more reps for time in the office.

To the poster asking about this contract - any job is what u make of it. Always remember that places like Cafepharma are havens for people to bitch in anonymity about their employer or boss. Some truth exists her, but some BS as well; do your best to talk to as many people as you can internally, and ask dentists about the products. Good luck.