I left the company last year after a year with them in a sales role. I had 8 years medical sales experience before going to Applied. For what it's worth here's my contribution to this site for those who are looking at a job here... Negatives 1. They are selling on price. I was told this at a regional meeting by the Zone Director. You're taught in the 3 week training that the products are better clinically, and how to sell those aspects. But, in the field the reps are told to drop prices constantly to stay ahead of the competition. Which there is plenty of. Funny thing is that the surgeons don't really see or care about the small clinical advantages of a lot of the features and benefits that you're taught. "A trocar is a trocar, bring me something more relevant" I heard countless times. I got laughed at for mentioning the removable seal for rapid desufflation. They just pull the trocars out anyway whether it's Applied trocar or the competition. That's just one example. 2. The training is ridiculously long and unnecessary. 3 weeks with a roommate? Really? 3. DSMs seem extremely scared of upper management and tow the line even though they admit a lot of it is BS. Some have been there too long and don't really know or have forgotten what it's like at other companies. So what they think is standard or normal is really not! 4. The company is extremely cheap. No luncheons for surgeons, which makes it very difficult to get any time with one if you're new to a territory. The times of hanging out in the OR waiting for prospects are long gone. Sharing rooms with other reps during training and at regional meetings. This isn't very common at other companies. Cell phone and internet is capped at pretty low reimbursement levels. 5. Commissions are very inconsistent. One QTR you'll do ok and others you'll make nothing. 6. More importantly the morale is very low. Reps feel very vulnerable and most are looking for other jobs. 7. Turnover is extremely high. This should tell you a lot. More than half of my training class in 2013 are gone already. 8. The new energy device is so seriously late to the game! Energy devices have been out for years and Applied isn't offering anything really that different to surgeons. Again they plan to sell on price as they can make it cheaper. It might prove very difficult to get the device into hospitals as they more than likely just invested in energy boxes within the last couple of years and spent lots of money. Why would they change now before getting use out of the original investment? Positives 1. The gel products seem to bring value to some surgeons. 2. The Alexis line is a great idea, but it's not a new product and tough to grow any business in a saturated market. 3. Feels great to work for a company that makes everything here in the US. 4. It's a great start to a medical sales career if you are young an inexperienced. I just wouldn't spend more than a year or two at Applied. Get some experience and leave. You'd be amazed at how other companies operate and the positive morale that can be found elsewhere! Hope that helps!
Thank you for sharing. I can't wait to see how fast Applied can change the adv bi-polar energy market through price.
Don't they only have one handpiece with Voyant? I also hear since it's not bipolar the surgeons still have to use the other energy devices alongside. Any truth to this?
Kudos to Applied medicals brain trust of senior managers who conceived the brilliant idea to develop and market this one trick pony. The Egyptians took more than twenty years to build the pyramids, in comparison Applied medicals uber genius R&D team engineered and built Voyant in a mere eight years time. The pyramids might be one of the seventh wonder of the ancient world but Voyant will forever retain the Wonder Why? mystery of the medical device world. Like the pyramids, the purpose of Voyant's existence will forever confound human imagination and test the depth of its expression. Perhaps Voyant will serve a higher purpose? An ultimate tomb for all the incompetent senior managers and their faithful drudges of friends, family, cousins, extended cousins etc? I for sure hope so.
Read between the lines, they are saying Voyant is crap, a joke, waste, so on and so on, you chose the adjective you like best.
Sorry to know that the posting was beyond your limited comprehension ability. Obviously you must have skipped high school, although its never too late to still go apply for a GED. Good luck and hope it works out for ya.
To comment about Applied being cheap, you never mentioned how they don't even provide the reps with laptops as every sales company I've ever worked for has. They do though expect you to create and maintain multiple unnecessary excel spreadsheets for management which is a very time consuming (mostly impossible) task on the tablets they do provide. Imagine. I got denied trying to expense a cheap portable keyboard to plug into the tablet to make it easier. As a rep I feel just like one of the disposable trocars the company made from scratch and lowered the price on to compete with the big boys only to be thrown away after a 3 hour lap chole by a shitty surgeon. This feeling hasn't changed since day one. I'm also looking to move on like most from my training class. You hit the nail on the head there.
I find it simply amazing of the entitlement mentality. I'm entitled to a laptop. I'm entitled to a keyboard for my company issued ipad. Hey jack, did you notice people aren't using laptops anymore. They're using tablets. If you got a laptop you'd be complaining about how old it is an how Applied is behind the tech curve by making everyone use their own tablets. There's a lot of things I'd like to have to make my job easier. Do I expect Applied to pay for them? No. If I want them, I buy them. And rather than complaining about a trocar used in a 3 hr chole, how about you complain about why you have a shitty surgeon taking 3 hrs to do a 20 minute procedure.
Don't work for Applied anymore but here it goes. Should I be entitled to a laptop or a keyboard for my iPad? Not if you don't make me do anything iPad or laptop related. I have no issue with any company not providing me a laptop so long as they don't expect me to do computer work. Funny how they want me to provide them with a car for my work for them (which they give some reimbursement, but not full), but have an issue providing me a tool to do something they want. Reminds me of the 401k thread. I have no problem with a company providing no match for a 401K, but don't put something in writing regarding a 401K regarding a match and then not honor it.
I worked at this shit hole years ago and I still come here to read all of these threads...The reason.....to see if I had lost my mind. I knew I didn't and this just confirms it. NOTHING BUT NEGATIVE POST. When will this place change? Does your stupid company see the turn around in the field? As far as a lap top...who cares as long as you don't expect me to use one....the other thing is take care of your people in the field and they will take care of you...I currently work at the most micro-managed company in the industry, but guess what? They pay handsomely, GREAT on expenses, great bonus structure for those who produce and awesome benefits. I don't mind a bit that they micro manage me, because they take care of good reps that work hard and produce. Fuck you Applied!!!!
