Do not waste time here!

As an Ethicon rep who wasted some time here I want this to get as many views as possible...

Ethicon offers the lowest compensation in all of medical device. The comp is below pharmaceutical sales at the moment and I would consider Ethicon a “Light medical device sales role”

STR's starting at 40k

ASR's 50k

ESR, BT's, Biosurgery, OSR's 55k-70k

TAL's 75k-90k

Ethicon reps are NOT pain "Commission" with Ethicon it is called "Variable Compensation" it is NOT paid out monthly like most companies. It is paid out quarterly and it is based on hitting a primary and 2 strategic sales categories with goals beyond the stratosphere. You will not exceed quota unless you land a large conversion and even if the contracts break in your favor you will be capped at 140% to plan.

Do not listen to any recruiters that tell you that you will be paid commission. It is variable compensation and paid quarterly. Most recruiters will tell you 140K plus, this is not the case... you are having a GREAT year at Ethicon if you break 80k.

VAST Majority of reps last year did not recieve a single dollar of "Variable Compensation"

This means you should only plan to earn whatever your base salary is.

Company cars are tracked with a device and you are still charged 100 dollars a paycheck to drive a garbage Chevy equinox. Gas, insurance, easy pass, and maintenance is all paid for which is nice, but believe me people, a company car is not worth the pay cut to work here.

Company phone is tracked but paid for.

Ethicon hired mathematicians to create the most complicated compensation plan imaginable that managers cannot explain. It’s literally 30 pages long.

There is very little upside to working here.

Thinking about joining us?

Ask me anything and I will give you the best answer I can below...

 

Agree with most of this post. There are some older tenured reps getting base salaries around 135k but as you point out no commission. I also believe it is important to mention that if you want all of the commission you earned, you better better kiss your managers ass or at least be on their good side because their rating of you when it comes to the "How" part of your commissions, it allows them to allocate more commissions to reps who didn't earn it and take away from those who may have. This part of the commissions is completely subjective and solely based on their discretion. If your manager is trying to get you promoted, your odds are better to get this payout. If you are a really good and tenured rep who wants to stay in their territory, you will never get an Exceeds on this portion.

 

Damn this post is so true and sad at the same time. I’m hanging by a thread working for 2 conversions. I basically know that I will have to leave in 2 years because of the way they calculate our numbers. If I hit my number I’ll have limited room to grow in the future. If I don’t hit the number I won’t make squat, so I’ll be out sooner.

 

You are absolutely right about the subjective component of our "Variable Compensation". #mycompany needs to be more transparent about the fact that the majority of the field sales organization will only earn base this year. Really sad stuff. The Field Sales Organization is not valued or respected at all here.

 

STFU you whiny pissant. You are privileged to work for J&J.

 

This is the best example of the Ethicon culture.

 

I hate Ethicon's culture. No one has a clue how to sell. We're not needed in the OR at all and no one will admit it and everyone brags about how much they work and about these "clinical" convos they're having with docs and everyone knows they're lying. If they are really having those types of convos, their doctors hate them. You are an Ethicon sales rep. Don't argue with a doctor about how to use a strip of surgicel you idiots.

I wish someone would have the balls to change the selling culture. We could get a lot more accomplished.

Also the fact that it's basically impossible to fire anyone means that we have retained the worst of the worst salespeople. The good ones leave to make more money because Ethicon's comp plan is just plain stupid. They also purposely take away comp for great products because they can't get their shit together internally and make sure we actually HAVE SUPPLY OF A PRODUCT. They have no intention of giving us the tools to make our variable compensation. I actually think they don't want to grow. Not sure why, but it truly seems this way.

Sales sucks at Ethicon if you're a good salesperson and is the absolute BEST if you suck at sales.

 

How do you expect to make a great salesman out of the terrible ones you hire?

 

Don’t forget... sales reps earn a commission, Ethicon Reps don’t. Ethicon reps went from earning commission to earning variable comp several years ago so leadership could change the amount they pay out as they see fit instead of being locked into paying what reps earned via commissions.

 

Wait, I thought Applied was the lowest? That's what everyone whines about on the Applied board.

 

I was an ASR and was at 80k but only stuck it out for a year and a half. Hated the culture and chasing around cases for 20 dollar barbed suture (sadly, serious). Was a good resume builder but that's it. Do not miss any of it!

 

congrats for getting out, you are the most highly paid ASR I’ve heard of. Probably a good negotiator. I totally agree, great resume builder for someone looking to get into a real device role. Best of luck in your new role!!

 

I would consider Applied to be supplies or maybe just commodity. Although you are right they technically sell "medical devices", yes even a trocar with a balloon on it is considered a device by the FDA.

Although this was likely a sad attempt at a troll post I will explain, Applied is absolute entry level very very low compensation as well. Applied salaries on average are definitely lower than Ethicon and Covidien, but sadly they are getting close. The benefits at Ethicon or Covidien will definitely beat Applied.

If you have any other questions I will answer!

 

Base for a TAL... Is it seriously between 75-90? And with all of the hospitals in the area contracted with Ethicon, is it realistic to make 180-200? is the base negotiable? Thanks. These posts are a serious eye-opener. I appreciate the candor. The recruiter may be full of sheet.

 

Is there a lot of turnover? The rep I know never works. Seems like a good gig.

 

Applied does sell "medical devices". Their gel is a device and the GelPort is actually much better than Dextrus. But that's pretty much where they stop. The rest of their products are knock-off's or me too products that they sell based on two things. Low prices and the fact their owner went and cried before Congress that JnJ and Medtronic bullied him out of the market so they are on GPO's.

Their salaries are very low as you mentioned and have been stagnant for the past couple of years. Their comp plan looks good but when you realize that they slash their margins in order to sell their "medical devices" at a lower price you realize that the reps aren't making too much. But they hire 23 year olds fresh out of college who think it's great. The benefits are probably lower than what an Enterprise car rep gets.

Not to get on here and trash anyone, but Ethicon reps have it so much better than Applied reps. Right now, your number one job as an Applied rep is to go around and get surgeons to sign an interest for to use their knock-off LigaSure that maybe 10 hospitals in the entire country use and it's been out for 3 years. Oh and you don't get compensated for the signature forms. When you are pissed at how Ethicon operates just remember you could be going around to clinics all day begging for signatures.

 

As a TAL you will start at 75k max base. You are also expected to lead the energy rep, stapling rep, and Biosurgery rep in your territory without having any true authority. You will be responsible for energy, suture, stapling, and biosurgery. You will also be responsible for any Associate Sales Reps day to day activities. Those recruiters are ABSOLUTELY full of scat. I don’t know a single TAL who is happy or made over 130K last year in my entire region.

 

I have worked as a TAL, Profed Ed, and was an RSS and still have friends that are TALs and the story is still the same - if you just won a contract from a GPO in your territory, and will be flipping business from a competitor you will make money (no where in the 200’s ever - more like 150-160)

Work life balance is good because TALs truly do not work hard.

Reality is Ethicon will only promote one of the minion reps to a TAL so the postings are just for political reasons.

Future is robotics and has been for a while that’s why Alex Gorsky just bought a robotic company now they are looking to hire all the reject Intuitive reps, bright future ha ha ha.

Hope morale improves someday at Ethicon.