Why does this company make it so hard to do your job? We are so distracted with iCall, Cust Hub, arduous business plans, and frequent 3 hours planning meetings where we accomplish nothing. AZ, please remove distractions so that we can execute our business plans and drive some sales.
I think you know the answer to this question. Simple reason. To justify management's jobs. Hey look at what I'm doing to increase sales! Hey look at me...I brought in this consultant and we are going to have a banner year selling xyz product because of this targeting plan. Look at this spreadsheet.....this is really going to make a difference!!! A wise manager I know with this company who retired a few years ago used to say "There are no new ideas in this industry nor this company...everything is recycled under a new name." Get this through your head....we are NOT salespeople. We are kind of marketeers and public relations workers. We "billboard" messages. So all the "busy work" you talk about is a smokescreen. Once you understand this (and I think you do) don't let it bother you. Do whatever they want and give them what they ask for no matter how silly. They want a spreadsheet....ok...get a signature at 8:50Am and then sit in starbucks or panara and get the work done. DO NOT get on the radar screen with late work or bad attitude. Now if you can't live like this...and I know many can't...get out of the industry now. Me...I'm riding this pony until it drops. Have a great weekend.
Well said. 100% true. However field sales people also are part of this facade. How much does a rep influence a prescriber? Take away samples as an influencer. They can be mailed. During an average day in the field how much really does a rep influence a doctor to write a script for the product presented? I don't think that much. As a rep I am as guilty as everyone else cited above. This is all a house of cards. A real manager with balls of steel would have a sales force of maybe 300 people. Each rep would have the entire product line. I doubt sales would be affected. Think of the cost savings. Number of sales people and details per month (a real pack of lies) is important to Wall Street and industry anaylists. Oh wow...look how many "details" AZ made for Brilinta this month! Sales are sure to rise. Let's buy the stock. It's all a house of cards. Unfortunately a House about to fall. Be prepared.
ObamaCare is one step closer to the government running the entire show. They will decide what drugs can be written and how much they are willing to pay for them. So guess what; they are not going to pay for us to run around dropping samples and providing free lunches. Or if they do, they will be government contractors bringing samples and educational materials to the offices.
Pharma got in bed with Obama in an effort to protect itself. AZ sure did if you remember the health care supportive emails. Federal formularies account for a huge part of AZ business. Managed Care went even further in with Obamacare, and it's part of the reason health care is such a mess with high costs and coverage carve outs that many don't need.
Remembrer, the end game for the Progressive aka Liberal Democrats is Single Payer. They want the entire pie and to do that they had to destroy the private insurance industry. The problem they are facing is that they own every complaint from cost to poor care, lousy service, it will all be blamed on the Democrats who voted for this mess without a single Republican vote. Not one. 2014 we take back the Senate and Obama will be a spectator to the dismantling of his destructive policies and regulations. There is a reason why the Word RAT is embedded in DemocRAT. Watch them scurry now to distance themselves from Obama and ObamaCARE.
If you are a CRO of a generics company you make third world dictator salaries. AZ is a branded company, so there is more slop in the trough. Things are changing. There will always be masters of the slop trough so long as there are pigs to be slaughtered.
