God I hate this job.

Luncheon for 20 at one of my largest internal med practices. I did the good rep thing and confirmed yesterday, head count, suggested caterer, etc. Called a place that they suggested and had order placed. Food came today on time. All is good, so I thought. Waited patiently, made conversation with the staff, even did a few formulary updates while I waited. Did get to see an APRN who is not on my call plan but hey, total office call right? So 1:30 rolls around still no docs. I ask if they are going to be coming in, that I was going to be heading out soon and... wait for it... docs are too far behind to come in. Then to top it off, the office manager comes in to tell me the lunch was unacceptable and that many people did not eat because the rep yesterday had the same sandwiches, there was not enough selection and not enough food. WTF!!!??? This was their suggestion! I spent more time being gracious, apologizing to this entitled, ungrateful office cow than I did talking product. So, and don't judge me since most of you would have done the same, I ran out to Panera. A coffee traveler, half dozen soups, salads and a dozen pastries just to smooth out the "misunderstanding" so I did not screw up access for my counterparts. Again, no targets seen and this is after 3 hours either waiting or running out for more food and just over $300.00 off my budget. What has happened to this industry? What has happened to my self respect?

 

Amen brother!

 

The best thing that could happen to this industry is if " food catering" went away. Maybe the sunshine act and the fact that docs "perks" are being tracked with a monetary value attached to each customer. It's time for all the free food to stop.

 

And that is EXACTLY why I stopped doing lunches. F%$K it! I'm no one's bitch!

 

I wish I could, my DM is big on our "spend." F'ed up that how much money we spend on office cows is a metric we are measured on.

 

And that is why, my good man, I quit this stupid F--ing job that has been reduced to whatever a monkey can maneuver! Lots of GREAT sales jobs out here - beyond PhARMA and they are ripe for picking re: those of us who know how to sell! I hear your pain but please recognize there are WAY BETTER DAYS AHEAD OUTISDE PHARMA CATERING!!!!!!

 

Ok, so help a brother out. What industries pay as well as this? Serious suggestions appreciated. Been in this business so long I have tunnel vision. Thanks.

 

Learn from this experience. The day before your lunch, call in the afternoon to confirm to the office the what they had that day so you don't order the same thing. Ask what the doctors like to eat for lunch. Tell them what you will be ordering( don't let them decide) and there will be no surprises. Tell the docs you must see them briefly to get credit for a call towards the lunch
Get some desserts for the office cows and that will make them happy.

 

Reasonable, but it sounds like that was all done. But, even then, how is that any different than being a caterer?

 

Hell I'm already there - i have taken a personal (chinatown trained) chef to some of my docs )
Not that they cared---"...but we prefer Italian!" FFS

 

There will always be these ungrateful jackasses in offices. WE have trained them to act this way because we grovel, stoop and fetch every time they complain.

My standard response now- "I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the FREE food, information and large volume of samples (or vouchers) I've provided you and your staff. Here's more info for you- the McDonald's down the street will be more than happy to accept your money in exchange for their crappy food and not the (insert meal here) I just brought you." Moving forward, I'll make sure not to include you in the meal planning because I don't want to subject you to the same free meal two times in one week. Thank you for your time, attention and pleasant disposition"

If they kick you out, what did you lose? Are they REALLY blowing the doors off with either product or is this office yet another one that eats your food, tells you how awesome your products are and then writes little to NOTHING? Think about it...

 

Indeed that's my 2014 message

Its Feed for FEE not Feed for FREE!

We shall see how that plays out!

 

I like lunches because I make good money on them. I call it the "Rep Excise Tax"

 

I wish that would work. The Drs. think of reps catering as a benefit for the staff. The docs don't care what you bring in, if they are in a hurry they'd prefer the MA put a boxed lunch in the fridge or a salad, but they'd rather not come in--& I don't want DBMs and SCGs talking about adding value. These HCPs are humping their asses to see their goal#s if pts. My next door neighbor is an office mgr. at a huge family practice. That's the fact, so don't take it too personally.

 

Once you realize that as a representative you have only minimal impact on prescribing decisions it frees you up to not really care about what,were,when or if the office cows feed at the free trough. Luckily Janssen has great products in Invokanna and Xarelto. They don't want to learn about these first in class therapies without lunch? There's plenty of other places that will AND get the bulk of samples. Take back the power. Contrary to what most offices and some reps and managers think our job is not to provide catering to medical offices. I've seen things escalate over my many years in the industry from almost never doing a lunch to who could bring the best lunch to breakfast, snacks, cupcakes, do who could be most imaginative in food delivery.
How did it all start? Lazy reps who couldn't think of anything better to do on the job than provide catering and call it access. It's got to stop. The implementation of the Sunshine act is a good start.

 

I love doing lunches I watch the cows chow down on greasy pizza so exiting!

 

Thought you might all like this. They think they're the crown jewel at JBI, but you can see the idiocy is everywhere, only a guy like this makes 300k a year.

MY RBD has yours beat by a mile. HE is the most innovative and intelligence-orienetated RBD in the country. I took him to grand rounds at a HUGE account that my academic had gave up on and at the end of it he called out the doctors and asked them to gather around him. Knowing he was a heavy hitter at Janssen they did. He said : Doctors, I know the biologic business for IBD is major big, but let me ask you this. If a patient so to speaks "fails" Remicade what does he get?
One doctor jumped right in: He gets Humira, right? My RBD showed how impressed he was with an impressed facial expression. Good, he said. Humira. He looked at me and I could tell by his eyes that he was going somewhere with this. Humira, he said again.
Then he spoke again. Or is it Hoo-My-Rah?
The docs looked quizzical. My RBD jumped ahead of them: Or is it Hew-Meer-ay?
The looked even more incredulous. And so was I, glowing with pride.
Or is it Humm-er-uh?
The doctors were hooked. Then my RBD gave them the ah-ha moment they were looking for. Doctors, your patients have enough problems. Some of them are going to the bathroom so many times a day they can't even remember their OWN names, or if they brought in some extra rolls of toilet paper to the bathroom. How do you expect them to remember the name of a drug like Humira. He paused for a second and then he looked back at me and winked.
Or is the,t he said: Hooooo-um-my-er-aye?
The doctors all nodded in agreement. Some even giggled with the understanding. Doctors, I'm glad you get it. I won't even have to speak it but I WILL. Why confuse a patient with such a confusing drug like Humira when you have a drug that is only pronounced one clear name: Remicade.
And then I couldn't believe what he did. HE CLOSED!
Doctors, when you have a moderate to severe patient come in, and that patient has Crohn's, will you prescribe the only biologic that a patient can pronounce, but that works great?
I then saw an entire room of academic and community and fellow physicians nod their heads at the same time. You bet, they yelled!
I almost made President's club. I probably would of, if my academic had brought my RBD in earlier in the year,. But it's not about awards but teamwork, and my RBD taught me that that very day. We were such a great team. I drove him back to the hotel and he invited my up to his room for a congratulatory bottle of champagne and he gave me a seminar on closing. He is like totally awesome although his wife treats him real lousy. She doesn't get him at all.

 

Everyone wants to blame the "lazy rep" for everything wrong in the new normal of sales. Believe that if it makes you feel better, but it's wrong. Food became an entitlement before we had to provide lunch in the offices. We used to take the docs out to lunch!! Over time the docs had the reps bring lunch in because they got busier and would fall behind leaving the practice. That's how the change began, I worked through the transition. Then carry-out evolved and now the office staff looks at us as caterers. The doctors use us as a perk for their staff to make up for how they treat them. It's bad and getting worse, but where the doctors don't come back I don't schedule lunches.

 

I work for JBI and offices are so used to Remicade being around so long that they won't see me unless I bring lunch or breakfast. So I work a couple of days a week from noon to two or an occasional breakfast (not too early though) and my comp clears 200k. Not bad seeing I only use restaurants that deliver.

 

But I bet you do.