Why is KCI in a Death Spiral?

It is clear there is no direction but down here. What is needed to save our company?

 

Bye Bye, Bam Bam.

 

Listen, this place has been on the block since before the ink was dry on the P&S.
APAXHOLE and friends are here to disolve the KCI brand into generic history.
Dressings are already for sale on alibaba.
You are already becoming history and more irrelevant every day
They have brought nothing but shame and embarrassment to reign here
Sadly we are not the only ones

 

Answer to your question.
KCI is in a death spiral because as I said in a previous post, the new owners know absolutely nothing about sales. Their bright idea was to fire the working sales reps who produced the most revenue and keep the low performing acute care team to cover these over producers. Real smart. The relationships that are forged on the front lines with docs and gatekeepers is gold. Sure, sales is about product, but with a company that is known to be arrogant and hard to do business with ... the relationship factor is all they have, especially with competition in the marketplace becoming stronger.
So my suggestion is that in the future you don't broadly lay off the best producers and keep the b or c team that is not used to being aggressive as an advocate for the patient or the company. It's too late now as these producers can't be rehired for many reasons. One in particular (I am aware of personally) is that some are clinical and are now KCI's customers and are now the new gate keepers. They are trying the competitors product that they were told was substandard and are not surprised to find that the KCI kool aid they drank was BS. The other NPW products work remarkably well AND most of the competition have a sales staff that is attentive and hungry, without an arrogant and bloated San Antonio to drag them down. I am sorry if some of this hurts as this is not my intention. I have been in sales for over 30 years and know something about it... so I am not speaking out of school. My spouse was in the July layoffs and that is the only reason I take an interest in this company at all. So take it for what it is worth.

 

Not only do the new owners know nothing about sales but that also includes our sales management. Terrible! Would you buy a auto repair shop if you don't know how to change the oil?

 

Well they do know something about buying and selling ompanies, and usually at a profit for their equity investors. Don't think for a second that their #1 goal is brand or customer loyalty, providing jobs or career advancement. Their "goals" are completely than the field's in spite of what buzz words they may use to convince you otherwise. And the 6B price tag is not at all what it seems. This is not my area of expertise but so much of this debt is floated, some even by KCI ??? There is low risk to the owners, that I know. We are for sale period. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but we are for sale. The is not an ounce of altruism in this long term equation. KCsInn anyone?

 

Who would want the turd?

 

Sell it off piece by piece. The parts are worth more than the whole sold separately .
Go with the flow. When you can find a better job, take it. Learn from this experience.

 

Turned a mom and pop company that grew by hard work and innovation into an absolutely horrible place to work,that rips off its customers and does worse to its employees. The people this company has brought in these past 7 years, pathetic, each one is worse than the previous ones. It's no death spiral for these corporate raiders, they leave making millions, squeezing every bit of life out of this company. The employees, now that's another story, systematically firing all older employees, replaced by people that bring nothing to the table. VAC will be sold off eventually and then it will be complete.

 

KCI is so far removed from being a company that is respected within med device industry that it's embarrassing to have it on a resume

 

I agree. We aren't really selling anything. We have 15 year old technology and nothing new. We are just service reps.

 

I don't agree with this 100%, 15 yrs yes, but we still have the best stuff on the market. If you just feel like a service rep and not making new relationships, or trying to make something happen out of nothing then what value are you to the company?

 

WHAT VALUE DOES KCI BRING TO THE MARKET
THAT IS THE QUESTION

 

The value KCI brings in our area is nil. No nurses here anymore. Reps are green and Pharmamostly, not service or patient oriented. There is no education anymore. No rounding on patients, outer territories aren't even called on face to face. Many have gone S&N and some have even purchased all pumps from them. Large KCI accounts are purchasing here too, 10-15 VACs at a time, thus eliminating the need for reps period. Once the fallout settles from the huge revenue hit due to bidding, more layoffs should follow pretty soon. No future here just bidding time until we are sold off.

 

Greg M has no business being in the position he's in. Now I get why JNJ sent him away. Dope!

 

Kinda like Bam-Bam and Hill-rom.

 

One thing is clear the company is going no where and it's only a matter of time before the doors close.

 

A Drunk

 

Far too late to save this company as way too many quality older and experienced managers were let go in the past year or so by Kathy B and Marty who looted the company while not providing employee protections against layoffs to serve their own interests. Just look at what Marty is now doing at the Scooter Store, Inc as new CEO (Chief "Execution" Officer) in NB, Tx. as its the same old story. He will soon be getting another huge bonus after he axes another round of older workers while giving them crap severence with no healthcare benefits like he did at KCI. These gready soles (including Apex Partners) will answer in the end to the maker on how they destroyed loyal hard working employees' families with no warning, little servence, and no healthcare benefits.

 

And the spiral quickens. It has been less than a year since KCI "laid off" their A team. Look now at the people dropping like flies. Either getting fired for not meeting the bloated expectations or quitting because KCI has poor management and is not a good place to work anymore. Numbers are in the toilet and raising quota's isn't going to change that. This is really funny to watch because it is poetic justice for those who went through last July 11th with a nice severance but an uncertainty for the future. If there are lessons that the idiots running the joint should take from this is... Relationships are gold and San Antonio was the problem, not the sales force. Arrogance will get you in the end if you are not top notch.
Spiral on...