A day in the life

The alarm sounds off at 8 AM and I swear I hear Sonny and Cher singin' "I got you babe." "Ah crap" I mutter and lounge in bed another 10 minutes. After brushing my teeth and before making coffee I sit down to plug in a call. Most definitely at least between 8:30 and 9 AM. The closer to 8 the better - don't need some armchair quarterback questioning my call calendar. Suit up, eat, feed the animals, and finally out the driveway. It's now about 9:30.

Stop for another cuppa joe and by ten fifteen arrive at the first office destination. Cannot actually see the docs, but they are willing to take a few samples. Great! Nothing like samples to show you are actually at a physical location. Get the screen signed and put in another call. Well, better add a couple more docs just in case. Don't want to end up on any lists and these are after all targeted prescribers.

Have to work with the boss next week and the day's not going too badly call wise, so pass on a few easier to see offices to be sure I have something to do when I drag his hairy butt along. Better make a few phone calls to trade some appointments too.

Hmm, there's this real toughie I don't wanna take him to and it is now about 11 AM and time to stick in another call, so decide to use up that office. Don't need my DSM reaming my asshole as to why this doc ain't agreeing to use our drug for every patient. A couple of dings on your field ride appraisal can kill you for evaluations or tee you up for the next lay off which could be any day now. Better not chance it.

I'm usually good at schmoozing receptionists, but not this one. The surly gatekeeper blurts out; "No we don't need samples. How many of you are there anyway? We just saw someone. We'll call if we need anything." "Yeah yeah same ol' same ol' ya fat cow" I think to myself. I can see the doc down the hallway and that's enough to count coup. I smile and wave, but doc grabs a chart and flits into the next room with a patient. Chalk up another detail, but just to be on the safe side I'll just check a few boxes.

Got a lunch today at noon and call the caterer to be sure it's delivered on time. Good to go. Nothing like a late lunch to piss off an office. Meet the delivery boy on the outside of the office and get an extra pizza to bring the family. What's that my spouse said? Oh yeah, no mushrooms. In the car it goes and then back to the office. Man, for two docs there is a ton a staff. There's also two PA's. The docs don't show for lunch but the PA's do. As I'm tapping away on the screen, they're half listening to me because they're throwing down a rep lunch, and half listening to some family debacle one of the staffers is babbling about. The nurses and MA's continually bawl with laughter which drowns me out and ask for dessert which I didn't get and this brings frowns.

Better check again to make sure that everyone signs in. Half the time I can't read the names although it clearly says print. Gotta make sure the Cola's in line or my ass is grass. A few staffers don't sign in and I grab one of the friendlier nurse regulars who agrees to put in their names and possibly make up a few. They see enough reps to know the score. Some quick math and the numbers add up so good to go. Shit, for a moment almost thought I used an old discontinued form, but on second glance it's ok. Why they constantly change these things I'll never know. Whew, almost forgot the meal receipt too. That sort of thing can cause you hours of agony to correct and put you on a shit list. Well, let's see, plug in the call with the 2 PA's, and oh yeah, the 2 docs and we're outta here. On the way out the door I see the two docs heading down the hall for what appears to be the lunch room.

Those docs are slick bastards.

1:45 and overall it's been a pretty good day, well at least on paper, which management looks at. Any shortfalls will get you in a heapa trouble fast. Gotta another one of those weekly teleconference calls today at 4 PM, so decide to unwind at the local bookstore for a few minutes. The telecon will probably hinge on recent district numbers so it's gonna be painful. The boss will be looking for everyone to stand up and give personal testimonials about how they're gonna bend the trend. He'll brow beat you to make an example in front of the team if he doesn't like the answer but you're gonna hafta do it anyway. We're sure to hear comparative stuff in a threatening tone like, "look how good so-and-so's team is doing, we've got to step up!" I'm looking forward to it like a good poke in the eye. The district asskissers probably faked all their calls today just to have a scrip prepared for the telecon to chalk up extra brownie points. I've gotta remember to jump in and make a few pointers myself. This is stack rank afterall.

At the bookstore I run into another AZ rep. We get bitchin about the state of things and before you know it's 2:15, so a decision is made to head over to Starbucks for coffee. It's getting time for another call so we both take care of that too. Everybody knows the drill. At 3:20 I head for home to jump on the teleconference. It's either that or pull over and call from the car, but who wants to stay out until 5 and fight the rush hour traffic?

Later, feeling drained and demotivated by the teleconference, I stay up late doing what seems to be mostly non essential work, from an actual selling standpoint that is, but if you don't get it done it's the sort of thing that will throw up all kinds of accusations, flags, whistles, lists, well you get the picture.

Tomorrow is groundhog day.

 

Yep. I could not agree more. However, this is LIFE at AZ. A real account job does have this kind of B.S. day. I used to love what I did just a few short years ago, was downsized and came to this shithole company. Everything they do here is backward. Not all companies including some pharma, have this kind of dated targeted, reporting, IT, admin work, forced ranking and overlays. A good institutional job is actually enjoyable. You find time in the evening to study, to learn and accounts appreciate what you bring to the table. AZ reps bring absolutely nothing. This company sucks the life right out of you. Now, I have to say that I'm doing just as above and waiting to get let go daily for some stupid report, sign-in sheet, form, call recorded wrong or whatever. Yes, I am trying to leave but having this POS company on a resume is a kiss of death.

 

I love my job it is like playing Where's Waldo with Stevie Wonder chasing phantom doctors for that invaluable sample signature.

 

Doc's car in the parking lot? Well that counts as a Call.. after all you did drive by in person...the OP summed up exactly what it takes to do this job well.. Just wait for the posts from the guy whose "not stealing from the company, I'm out the door at 7:30 am everyday, always have insightful details with my docs, blah blah blah"

 

So pharma hasn't changed a bit in the 5 years or so I've been a way huh...the same paradox holds true, "make 8 F2F calls, detailing your 2-3 products in full to make sure it counts as a "real" call (like that's existed since the 90s), here's your territory list with half the doctors no longer alive or working, 30% in absolute no see offices (but your DSM insists there is no such thing), with the final 20% being the office EVERY REP FROM EVERY COMPANY calls on to get signatures and use lunch and learn $$....oh and on everyone's milk run list(geez DSM we just seem to have a field ride when ever I'm in my milk run week...strange isn't it?? If you happen to bring up the access issues, typically your DSM will say "know what car your target drives and catch him either early or late"...really..or the best I ever heard was,"Impromptu lunches are the way to move the needle"....ha ha..where is the sales and professional in sales professional...GLORIFIED CATERER/UPS DRIVER WHO LOOKS GOOD IN A SUIT OR SHORT SKIRT should be on all pharma reps biz cards! Everyone works just hard enough to stay employed (4 hours a day), and actually only work full days on DSM field rides...unless your DSM is like 50% of the rest and is actually lazier than you

 

Well it looks like this describes everyones day! Except mine. I actually am able to work far less that the OP, and have been for many years now. I take my incredibly inept/stupid DM to virtually the exact same offices on every field ride. My DM hasn't said a word about it, but I'm not sure if it is because they are so stupid or they just don't care. In fact, my counterpart had just been in the week before and tipped off a decile 1 doc that I would be in soon with our moron DM. The doc was great too!

Guys, I seriously do not know of a single rep that works more than just a few hours per day, every day. My New Year's Resolution was to nail down my Plan B and I am working on it everyday on AZ's dime! Too funny!

 

Then you must fake a hell of a lot of calls. I cannot do it. When you're old, there is a target on your back all the time. Bad news: My call percent sucks. Oh, well, damned if I do and damned if I don't. I also try to do the job they pay me and probably make 3 to 5 F2F a day, but I bust my ass to do it and usually am still doing all the AZ stupid admin shit at 10 at night. No idea how you guys keep up with this. I get a zillion emails with attachment after attachment. It would take me all damn day to read it EVERDAY. Nothing is organized and I've worked for a number of different companies. Tonight is a perfect example: Had to find a bunch of email attachments and training materials, printer would not print (again), downloads took forever, email would not synch, scanner took (kid you not) at least 20 min to scan one document. I still have not recorded my calls with that great 3 pt type that I'm suppose to be read. Oh, and my targets are missing, wrong, dead. . . WTF? Now we have spreadsheets on "action items" on speakers, REMS, BEM training, TS clean-up, STP, Crestor Plans, Compliance, Vendor B.S. It never ends with this company AND I'm still tripping over all the AZ reps that are out there. Does anyone at HQ care what a mess this place is? Last company I worked for everything was on a website with links to ALL materials, training, spreadsheets, reports, compliance and (drum roll) the website was tailored to YOUR specialty so no BS from other teams mixed in or training you should not get sent. We had ONE place to report TOT and (SHOCK) NO call reporting just responsibility for goals, which was pretty much the only tracker we ever saw or our managers ever sent. Compliance tests and policies were on ONE link and pretty damn easy to find. HR had one site for payroll, health/wellness, insurance, financial planning, vacations, etc. Why the Fck do we have two and three places to find, report and record/change this B.S.? For the field, the software we used made any reporting, tracking, viewing, PIRS, or AEs a breeze to view and report. My target lists were cleaned and tailored for me!!!! None of this duplicate garbage or STP firedrills. I hate this place. (My guess is all this shit on email makes a bunch of assholes in HQ feel important and needed, which they are not.) God, this place is a total mess.

 

How refreshing, an honest man (assuming you're a man). If most people were like you the charade of unrealistic call averages would not exist. They may not be unrealistic for all, but for most they are. If you are actually talking with 3 - 5 prescribers day after day you are doing pretty well, but unfortunately the bean counters say that is not good enough, so most of us doctor the calls to save being on the lists, which are studied with a microscope and can often lead to termination or poor reviews (same outcome). Being older you're just what they are hunting for. Please be careful.

As far as the busy work, headaches, and redundancies? Amen brother. Certainly these concerns must show up survey after survey, but apparently the lights are out. How difficult would it be to combine TOT in to a single reporting site for example? It has been on duplicate for years.

 

The cause of all of this micromanagement, red tape and duplication is pure and simple an over abundance of and multiple layers of management all competing in a culture that rewards control and micromanagement and a legal department that controls it all like a deposition. This generate piles of documentation to protect the company. It is out of control micromanagement. Our sales leaders have no concept of what their job should be about. Instead of customer support and developing relationships with key customers, they spend hours generating e mails, voicemails, and spreadsheets. And then their best practices make their way up the chain and come back as demands to duplicate them across the board. More is added and nothing is eliminated and so the pile of worthless bullshit continues to stifle everyone in sales.

 

AstraZeneca had years to get it right. It did not suddenly arrive at the present state of affairs overnight. It got complacent with its cash cows and was mismanaged. It still has over bloated management.

 

Over 100 people in managed markets when the entire department could run with 10 or 12 and not lose a dollar of sales. This is the brightest light shining on the flaws of AZ.
This was created during the empire building years when AZ was flush with cash but the current times demand that this insanity come to a screeching halt.

 

We could also get by with one rep per territory, one DM per 15+ reps, and one regional guy for every 4 or 5 states. But none of that will ever happen because AZ can only do what it has always done. There is no "thinking out of the box" mentality at AZ, and never will be. Pascal will more than likely end up like Dumbass Dave. Nothing changes.

 

I am hoping that you are wrong this time. The challenges we face demand drastic change and anyone who is incapable of making it happen will not be around long. Big cuts are coming and dramatic changes in management roles and structure.

 

Nope, don't think so. We simply do not have the quality of management in place to be visionaries and completely turn AZ on it's head. The current goal of management is the maintenance of the status quo. This is the only way they know. This all they know.

 

Great post OP. Recently retired from AZ. That's what the job was like for the last 10 years. Nice to be out. Good luck to everyone that can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

My experience with these morons is limited to RADs from Florida and Texas and we would celebrate if we didn't have to listen to their bullshit any longer.

 

Great points. When times were good the organization went to excess, enjoying the riches and spoils but not planning sufficiently for the future. For example, a large auditorium furnished with expensive leather seating was constructed at the USBC. The sales organization funded the decadence and existence of layers of management, which in turn heaped increased workloads on subordinates to justify that importance.

Strong management WAS viewed as the key to success, not surprisingly by the managers themselves who would serve to benefit most. This put further emphasis on the power and needs of management as opposed to customers and line staff.

Pascal will need to cut away at those layers if there is to be any success.

 

Same problem all across corporate America as well as in government. Here is my take: Those with the power to change the structure do not have the knowledge or experience to know who or what is really important to keep the boat floating. So, they do nothing. There is an extraordinary amount of pissing in every corner of the guys in middle to make themselves appear very important (and back scratching). I have little faith that anything will change. It is far easier to blame sales and, later, marketing and replace all of us with cheaper models. A merger is always a good way to deflect any focus away from making meaningful improvements to this structure or just allowing the requirements of the merger to make some of those changes. In the end, a few years later, you end up with a company that is really no better off besides a few executives who make millions, a few thousand reps are out of work and everyone has played musical chairs. It makes those left look very busy.

 

There are more than one in these areas so which ones in particular are morons or are you including all of them? I would agree with two for certain.

 

Congrats to the OP. I do not believe you received enough praise for this. Well done. You should have been promoted to management years ago but you probably would have declined it because you have to REALLY immerse yourself in some kool aide drinking bullshit..