Field Force Question: What's it like in your area?

I have a concern about my future after analyzing my call deck. I am in Primary Care and here are my observations:

Profile of typical "seeable" physician -- Male
-- Over 50
-- Solo practice or "independent" clinic

Profile of typical "no-see" or
"hard-to-see" physician -- Female
-- Under 45
-- Integrated medical group

The concern is that the second profile is the growing trend and the first profile consists of providers who will be retiring within the next 10-15 years. Not feeling good about access trends in primary care and concerned about my career options.

Is this the exception or the rule? What is it like in your area?

 

You're late. You should have already gotten out.

 

In two months the problem will be solved and over.

 

What's the access percentage in your area? Mine is 52%.

 

What is so hard for people to understand about what is happening to this industry? Yes, having limited or no access may reinforce the futility of this job but be honest, even if you had 100% access and could blather on endlessly with any of your docs do you really think that would make any meaningful impact on sales? Please! wake up and get it through your thick skulls that collectively, physicians are but a minor(and rapidly shrinking) factor today in what gets prescribed or what drug a patient ultimately ends up with. This is managed care-clusterfu#k / government overreach 101...a class that everyone should have taken instead of "Customer Centricity" , "The Total Office Call", or some other equally stupid mental masturbatory session rolled out by some Merck marketing nitwit at a district meeting

 

You hit the nail right on the head. Spot on.

 

Merck is squeezing what little access is left with manager/field visits to pressure our customers in seeing them and then providing no new useful information. This is the end game. Squeeze all the acces you can and then when access is less than 25% and its obvious the ROI of the field sales force is non-existent call in "broken arrow" and RIF the sales force en masse replacing them with much cheaper CSO sample droppers. Those that can't see the forest beyond the trees can't see the tail end of the Titanic heading into the ocean. Perhaps you're sipping your brandy in front of the fiddlers at the top of the ship where it's warm and dry.

 

Big pharma will be fine. As we are seeing, the marketing component will change. Patients will continue to use pharmaceuticals but there will be no need for companies to have reps calling on physicians. Not unlike the old days when milk was sold to individuals via the milkman, now everyone goes to the store and there are no more milkmen. Point is, if you are in pharma field sales you probably have 5 years at best. The marketing model is changing and the decision makers and end users see no value in drug reps, only cost.

 

Well this thread takes the prize for most redundant. The last two posts are writing as if they have stumbled across something new. It's all at least a decade old. The analogy is better likened to one of a fuller brush salesman. People actually need milk. ROI is non existent now. Even worse for management who " manage" nothing. The only mystery is why it is taking so long to scrap this useless model. MBA's in all their glory are out of ideas, I guess.

 

That's because they have no use for your " information." My daughter is an internist in her mid thirties. She fits your demographics. She hasn't seen a rep since medical school. I ask her a couple of years ago what she missed about not seeing reps. She replied: " lunch."
And you have to be told what demographic is growing? Get a clue. You are knocking on doors trying to sell fuller brushes door to door in a wal-mart world.

 

This is the rule,, except the male see-ables are over 60 now. I have 50% no-see, 25% partial see, and 25% open access. The trend line is bad. Such is life, and I'm ready for the inevitable.

 

The industry trend in now young. With 1-2 years of any business experience you are good to go for 50-60K. If you're old (yes, a touch of grey is now considered ancient), have 10 years or more in the industry or are heavily endowed with big one's...in the form of awards....you'll now need to go to the back of the line.

It's all about MONEY, and companies want to keep it. Thus, not give it to you. Yea, some hot mamas and stud-boys will still get good gigs but for most it time to look options...

One tidbit. There are still some rep gig out there. Still tough to get. Still need a contact but these gigs are different. You got it....half your pay, no car and skimpy benefits!

Its contract!

This is what it's like in most areas!

 

About 80% no-access. Just hanging out

 

What do the MGAMs do? Access is worse than in repland!

Next, and final step will be tel-e-reps, e-reps and the MGAM doing the mumba out the door.
Those reliable dial-ups...were the national group reps, but they went bye bye...

Our Crystal ball predictor has been saying that in 5 years......it's boom!
No more nuttin' in most offices...

 

simular access to your 80 percent no see ... or possibly over lunch. Others 20% access. Dismal vs just 4 years ago..

 

Over the last 15 years, I've typically seen one doctor per day, maybe two or more if they were part of the practice that I fed that day. Lunches have long been the only reliable way to see the docs, with the exception of a small handful that are easier to access.

In short, this job is the biggest lie in the entire sales world. You don't sell anything. You buy your way in front of a doc or two each day, offer him nothing persuasive, fake another 7 or 8 "calls" that day and then you go home.

It's all a big f--king joke, but I'll keep taking their money as long as they're dumb enough to give it to me. Suckers.

 

My CTL gets it so field visits are pretty flexible but my greatest fear is when the DCO or headquarter VIP comes to town looking for a day in the field. The entire team goes into freakout mode looking for viable calls and hoping for less than 2 hours with whoever is riding with us. It really is sad that we can't put two full days of decent calls together without setting up offices and calling in favors for special appointments. There was a time when we could see 10 docs per day with thorough "textbook" calls without setting up a milk run. Just wait til you get the call from your CTL: " Hey Sally.....Hi, what's up......well I was just calling to see where you are working on Monday.....Sure, I am scheduled to be in town, why do you ask?.......Hey that's great, can you pick up my boss at the airport at 9:00 and get him back to his hotel by 5:00? You know, just show him a typical day....But I don't have any RFMs scheduled!!!!......No worries, just do what you normally do....He's really excited to see how the new messaging is going so just plan to take him on 7-8 calls. I know you will do a great job. Have a great weekend!"

 

All pure bullshit. Doesn't anybody in this business have a pair? Sorry, no freakout mode for this dude. I think this has been our problem all along that the majority of sales types willingly do the fantasy dance with make believe and pretend this pharmaceutical sales game is something it's definitely not, ie a real job. If some ass clown wants to come out and play make believe with me, it aint happening. As if I could give a shit about how many docs I get to "message" with some dufus ride along from the home office......ridiculous. Guess what? I don't get this shit pulled on me. Momma knows it would not be worth the trouble she might face in any attempt to fuck with me to be brutally honest about it. Momma knows I can and would be brutally honest, too. Saw the handwriting on the wall years ago that I needed to play a strong defense if I wanted to survive this gig with any dignity. I've taken my share of hits and have the scars and bruises to show for it but I'll leave without any regrets on how I played the game.

 

You're such a tough guy
You're such an all-star

You said it better than me-all you do is "play the game". That makes you a player, not a worker. Some of us actually thought we would get some satisfaction out of this job. All we get now is crap that goes along with it like ride alongs with managers, visits from home office lemmings and all this other nonsense. The previous poster had it right on. No go and play your games while some if us actually go out and do our job.

 

If your CTL really does "get it" then they will not be dropping a stressful last minute field visit on you from their boss. They will give you several days/weeks notice, if not for your benefit, for theirs. The last thing a CTL wants is for you to look bad because it reflects on them. If you are getting surprise field visits, you are on the short list.