How dumb/bad are some hospital reps and management?

I will never stop being amazed how BAD some of these reps and managers are!
Reps are running around saying Teflaro price has doubled? Are they sooo bad at sales that they don't understand the the importance of semantics in the sales approach?
Any rep that is so bad that they bluntly tell customers the price has doubled should be fired.
The only people who are concerned about this increase is a few pharmacy buyers and our own management. Some of the direction from robot DM's has been incredbily stupid. Can someone please explain why every prescriber needs to know about our price increase, especially when they have told us for 4 years price doesn't matter to them?
Thank goodness there are a few experienced DM's who actually understand and who have the courage to give their teams viable direction - not the robotic direction coming down from NY and the RD's. Hell, one RD sent a message instructing his reps to hide the real cost and talk in cost per dose - in other words, he directed his team to intentially mislead (note i said mislead, not lie). I am a long time employee - I loved Forest. But wow - management (at least on the hospital side) is so screwed up anymore that I am almost ready to quit. It has become embarrassing at best, and frankly, when I start getting emails directing me to mislead custormers, it feels criminal at worst.

 

Sales may not be for you buddy. I'm very surprised you are a tenured rep. Thank you for reinforcing our negativity towards our joke of a hospital team.

 

Do you realize what an idiot you sound like? You HAVE to be candid with customers or they will never trust you again, never support future abx, block your drug. They care. They all care. You are an idiot. Brand team is full of idiots. My DM is just as frustrated as we are and trusts me to handle this in the best way I know how. The reps that should be fired are people like you. It's all in how you present it. The bottom like is you can paint a turd any way you want, but it's still a turd. People are not happy. Our accounts are flabbergasted. You are annoying. Please post something better and more realistic next time.

 

you really think that IF we don't say it's doubled they won't figure that out? you are a moron. this job is now all about damage control. i agree with the above posters. thank you for throwing your own reps under the bus.

 

Simple solution. Don't address it unless it's brought up. The doctors don't really care unless it's a cash paying patient. Why bring attention to a non-issue. Such girls I swear.

 

If you don't bring it up, you will be seen as shady. You have to be a good rep and address the tough issues, especially with pharmacy. Wouldn't want to be you in a month when top accts ask you why you didn't tell them.

 

I believe the OP was agreeing good DM's allow tenured reps to handle this on a case by case basis, as opposed to a blanket approach of telling everyone the same thing. I don't think we should hide the price increase but I do think there are good ways and bad ways to verbalize it. Walking in saying "we doubled our price" as a conversation starter may not be the best way to communicate this with most pahrmacy directors. I also agree many - not all, but many - doctors won't care

 

Amen! I have never been so embarrassed to be a Forest Rep in my life. We are the laughing stock of Hospital sales. Management is an absolute joke and the Brand team is a bunch of inept fools! Stop with all the BS, lies and the ever changing direction/messaging. Teflaro is actually a good drug, but you have completely killed any potential it had with your stupid strategy.

There are hospital reps quitting left and right & more to come very soon. Just wait & see fools! And people actually wonder why turnover is so high in hospital?

 

While you are wasting time with your panties in a knot, I'm in my accounts increasing my volume. "Btw Dr I left samples for your cash paying patients and for your new patient starts." I will do damage control with price on a per account basis if it ever comes up. Which it prob won't girlies.

 

?????? Wha? You make 0 sense.

also if you think it won't come up, then you need to get your ass out of the air and your head out of the quicksand.

 

Such drama queens. Do you think our accounts are losing sleep over the price increase? If they like you and the product, they will use it. They don't really care.

Mr. Green Jacket

 

Ok sure

 

Ok troll! Hospital reps don't have samples. Try again!

 

I actually think this is true in many accounts. Some accounts use Teflaro emperically and will be concerned about the price. But many use it second line - after generics have been ruled out. By the time they reach for Teflaro they have already decided it's OK to spend $300/day on an antibiotic. Matter of fact, many docs thought they were paying hundreds of dollars per day for Teflaro because they don't care enough to remember the individual prices of each drug. To them, it's either generic ot brand....that's the degree think about price when it comes to in-hospital IV antibiotics.

Please don't rip me - I know some doctors DO know and DO care. Butthe drug is resticted in most hospitals, and in those hospitals most of the doctors who can and do write the drug won't care much at all, and absolutely will not change their prescribing habits due to the increase.

 

Agreed except you all are missing the point...pharmacy controls the purse strings and CPOE.
They are the ones to worry about.

 

Well said. Don't let an insignificant pricing adjustment fester in your minds to the point where you are apologizing in your accounts. Address it on a per account basis. Keep it positive.

Mr. Green Jacket

 

If the new iPhone came out at $400 then in 6 months the price was changed to $800 out of the blue, don't you think that would affect market share?

We are keeping it as positive as possible. I think many of us vent on here in hopes that the unqualified management team might read this. Not that it would do any good.

 

Pharmacy does control the purse strings. And if Teflaro is already a reserved agent in a hospital, they exercise their power by limiting use to specialist and (usually) to patients where a generic is not a viable (or a failed) alternative. In those hospitals by the time Teflaro is an allowable choice they have already accepted the fact they are going to be paying for a branded agent. Nothing will change there. And if they are going to reach for a branded agent, why not still consider Teflaro? It is still going to be 30-55% less than Dapto, depending on the account discount.

Sure pharmacists will bitch because bitching about price is easy to do. They have the moral high ground and will use to remind you they hold the power. But my bet is most hospitals that restrict Teflaro already won't change a thing. Why would they push more busienss to $335 Dapto over $250 Teflaro? And since most hospitals restrict Teflaro, this price change is not a bad business decision.

 

retail mentality! like let's stock the pharmacy shelves with teflaro so we can go to the launch with each rep having an order. remember that?

management is dumber than a box of rocks!

 

dapto has indications for bacteremia and right-sided endocarditis. so what you are saying is that you are promoting teflaro off-label. oh no? that's right....most of the dapto use is for mrsa skin infections!! for sure!