An Open Letter to Dr. Jim

I was with KCI 16 years and recently left.
It killed me to leave a product and company I cared so much for.
I was one of the few "old timers" left.

In the best years KCI treated it's employees like family..... everyone was expected to perform but when times where good everyone was treated well. This was shown in unexpected gifts sent to your home such as new computer bags or shirts. In those days you were able to treat your territory as your own business. You had stock in the business and could be rewarded for your efforts with annual earnings of $145K - $175K depending on how"your" business did.

Your DSM and VPs honored you as an employee and wanted to help you succeed without MICRO MANAGING you. We were flown to meetings with our peers to strategize and discuss new ideas and what was working in other areas instead of the culture now of jamming things down your throat that may (or may not fit) in your area. And obsessive micro-managing from people that don't understand how wonderul our product is in helping PEOPLE.

When Cathy took reigns everything appeared normal for the first 3 months..... Woody was in charge and had a "people and patients first" attitude.... then suddenly he was let go.
Since then it has been a revolving door. I had 3 different VPs and 4 different managers.
Us "old timers" where looked at like we were the problem and these new green horns were here to fix everything.

The years it took KCI to learn, adapt and overcome so many operational and customer- patient issues and concerns were quickly being changed.... and the green horns were here to re-invent the wheel. So each new management team that came in changed things in an effort to save money and be more efficient. These changes affected our business relationships with our customers and patients each time. Customer frustrations would be voiced and we were seen as UNABLE TO ADAPT to the new way. Many customers had stated that if KCI had real competition with a product that worked that they would try it in a heartbeat. Now we see that coming true... Customers liked their local sales people and nurses... but HATE dealing with KCI corporate, the intake process and the lack of patient first attitude that has become the new norm for KCI.

The culture today at KCI is fear and intimidation. Every employee feels that they are "next" and their job is in jeopardy. They are micro-managed to the 10th degree.
Call on an account once but then spend time reporting it, entering it on another report, then correcting your action plan on that acount, then re-doing your quarterly goal sheet on that account..... then you boss rides wih you twice a month....and writes up another plan for you.....C'Mon!!!

With today's culture KCI will not succeed at anything but driving more business into the hands of the competition.... then blame the local team for the lack of business. They need to SERIOUSLY get back to PATIENTS, CUSTOMERS and PEOPLE first!!!

Your local teams are your best assets and front line people... why would you treat them so horribly???? You expect these folks to walk into accounts with a smile on their face when most of them are stressed to the max and fear their soon to be lack of a job????
Replace them with JR sales people??? What is next Medical Assistants instead of RNs??

The KCI board of directors need a wake up call.
Chopping employees, programs or hiring "JR" employees is not a way to build a long term quality company that puts it's patients, customers and employees first. This will lead to a short term P&L statements and a long term disaster for a company that used to be the best it could be and valued everyone.

Dr. Jim as a major shareholder should still care about his former company and it's reputation in the community. Rememeber those early ER days Dr Jim???? We do!!

 

I have been here 5 1/2 years and could not have said this any better.
This letter is spot on.

 

I also agree. I left KCI a couple of years ago when I felt things couldn't get worse...they obviously did! Hopefully, with the economy picking up, the few remaining good employees will find better opportunity elsewhere!

 

Spread the word!! Calling all the "old timers" to LIGHT THIS POST UP with your comments. We need to get back to "patients, customers & people first" - "The Clinical Advantage" - that is what got us to be the standard of care & this new brain trust that is running the company has no clue how that happened.

 

I could not agree more. After 16 years of faithful service to the old KCI. I was cut loose by the new brainless management myself. They could care less and have left it a mere shell of what it used to be.
Thank God there are companies that know an asset when they see one and I and many other former STARS at KCI are now working somewhere else making good money, appreciated and NOT micro-managed every minute of every day.
We used to all have fun and like our jobs and each other. That doesn't exist anymore! We miss the KCI we once knew.

 

I agree with you on the new pharma type micro-managing. A company should give you the TOOLS to do your job and set your QUOTA. Period. they should NEVER tell you how many times to see your customer per month! How would you even know anything about the personalities of my customers from Texas! You morons!

One of those TOOLS is your DM. The DM should understand your territory as much as he or she can, and help you uncover and grow different sources of revenue. That doesn't require a DM to go see customers with you. Actually, a DM should never go see customers with you unless invited. "Ride-alongs" should simply be a sit down down meeting going over target MD's, accounts, etc...

What I'm not sure I agree with you on is the income and the "good ol" days outlook. With medicare reimbursement being slashed last year and now 2011 competitive bidding for medicare, do you think a company can continue to pay it's labor the same amount? You can only let go so many reps in an already relatively small sales force (900).

 

Thank god! To this day customers complain that the worst thing about KCI is doing business with them. We are now slowly making progress. do you remember how many pages and how cluttered and disorganized an Auth form used to be?

The picture you are painting with your rant is not the whole picture, and you are misinforming to prove a point.

 

This is obviously the rant of a female CAM.

1.Nearly all medical device companies have a junior rep program. Considered to be one of the most successful sales training companies, Ethicon has a Jr. program, too.

2.In a bad economy with medicare reimbursement being cut, chopping heads is sometimes what a company needs to do. Not sure if you have read a paper lately, but a lot of companies have been forced to do that.

3. I have seen old school CAMS fired and replaced with new blood. The transition is nealry seemless and in the case I saw, the new CAM is blowing that old school CAMs numbers out of the water! Your accounts will miss you, but you'll be forgotten after the first luncheon brought in by the new CAM.

 

SOUNDS like the past two comments were written by a Dsm or Rvp obviously hired in the past 2-3 years. You cannot understand the original concept of this post.

 

i worked for KCI from 88 to 98 and only once made less than 120K annually

 

Wow..Written by a DM with no clue, or more likely a DM that was a former CAM. The person writing the original post is spot on! I spent 10 yrs building my business and serving my customers. Only to be told after all that success that I was not doing it correctly. Imagine that, always over plan, always at the top of earnings for commissions. And I am not doing it right. Well I left, on my own I might add. And now my former territory doesn't perform. I still get calls from my former clients, begging for help. I steer them to the 800 number and wish them all the best. What a shame. KCI has begun to sell VAC. That is the end of the line my friends. As that model gains steam, they will need significantly less field sales people. Where there were 20, they will only need three. Don't believe me, read a current issue of business week or read the WSJ. This is quite common when a product becomes commoditized.

 

The "new" KCI has forgotten that it was the 'Clinical Advantage' - meaning the clinical people that got them where they are today. As you weed these people out for slick, shiny stepford-like sales people it will become apparent how screwed up the new regime really is.

 

I agree 100% with this post. Also - what are they thinking with these 100+ SCHEDULED appointments/month, calling on many Docs 2 & 3 times per month??? Does corporate really not understand how it works out here? How many times have we heard recently at national meetings from guest physician speakers that seeing reps in physician offices was a thing of the past. More & more offices just do NOT allow reps in - even for lunches.
I have to wonder if this new plan isn't the beginning of the end for some of us - anyone feel a target on their back????

 

Most of us in our district feel like we are next. It doesn't matter where your numbers are.
I am sure we have all seen co-workers let go or written up "needs improvement" regardless of talent, numbers or overall team value. The "I know I am next" feeling is a horrible way to feel regardless of how smart or hard you work each day for the new KCI.

 

It is ruining my life. I can't work like this much longer - looking for something new. But I think that is what the new KCI wants...

 

The incompetence at the RVP level is so poor that it’s outright embarrassing. Why would I or anyone else aspire to becoming a sales manager?

 

Work like what? You drive around and shoot the shit with people all day. You sound like a lazy mother of two

 

The obvious DMs that are bashing ppl posting on this very serious thread are the new KCI. I began this thread as open and honest dialog not to bash employees in any way but to point out (in my opinion) the new management style at KCI.
Unfortunately the style of those comments remind me of some of the management's feeling. Not all management but some. Thank you to most of you that have understood my original message and have added constructive value to my original post.

 

Yeah the workers are here. For those old school KCI ppl who don't know what competition is or even sales for that matter, I bid you farewell. Go find that job where you don't have to do anything with accountability and make 100k+. Probably doesn't really exist in an economy like this.

 

I usually don't talk like this. But, you are a classic, Dumb Fuck. I'm thinking you are fairly new, and probably in middle Mgt. You'll be fun to burn someday.