GSK Breo contract

I’ve been contacted about an opening to sell Breo. I’m just wondering what this contract is like? I think Breo is a good product, and probably will be promoted for another year or so. Just hesitant seeing it’s completely run by Syneos. I’ve worked for them once before and it was a total cluster f@uck! Has it gotten any better since the merger? Can anyone working this contract give me some honest insight? Thanks

 

I was approached to sell BREO as well. I met with the hiring manager and was totally shocked. Slick-backed hair, gold chain with a gold watch and black on black outfit. Night job must be a blackjack dealer. I was waiting to get “compt” for my shrimp buffet. Not quite the caliber of company I was looking for. I would be better off as a lot lizard selling used cars!

 

I’ve been selling Breo for the last couple years. Initially as an embedded rep reporting to a GSK manager. I thought that company was crazy. However, since Syneos took over promoting this product, this contract is heavily micromanaged! My new manager wants a WEEKLY routing tracker, top ten Symbicort writer tracker, top ten Breo writer tracker, top 3 managed care tracker with top ten targets for each plan, and a bunch of other bullshit I don’t even want to talk about...it’s totally nuts! After this holiday break, I will be on the job hunt.

 

This is Syneos in the most concisely way ever put. North Jersey scumbags who still think it’s 1997

 

didnt gsk layoff the entire breo sales force like 3 months ago?

 

Yes, but they kept the CSO sales force! Defies the well-established industry practice of laying off contract reps first. In this case, GSK laid-off their own reps and kept the contract reps. But remember, this is the same company that years ago decided to get rid of traditional bonuses based on sales numbers and instead went with MBO's (management-based objectives) to incentivize their sales forces.

 

GSK reps no longer sell Breo. Syneos sells Breo. There were huge cuts to Syneos and minor cuts to GSK in October . All of this is because Advair is going generic. When this happens expect major cuts to GSK and Syneos. Take this job with the understanding that it is short term.

 

i wouldnt touch this contract with a...
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39 and a half foot pole.

 

Unlike working for the manufacturer where it is about numbers, this job is about metrics, calls per day, how many times you synch per day, call before 9 am and one after 4 everyday. Other than that it's a pretty easy gig. You will spend about two weeks out of every month with no samples. Lunch budget is so small one or two lunches a month.

 

Unlike working for the manufacturer where it is about numbers, this job is about metrics, calls per day, how many times you synch per day, call before 9 am and one after 4 everyday. Other than that it's a pretty easy gig. You will spend about two weeks out of every month with no samples. Lunch budget is so small one or two lunches a month.

 

Syneos has not changed - in fact, I think it is even more of a cluster now.

 

My entire team is frustrated with the micromanagement of this contract, it’s a joke. I’ve been applying to a bunch of other positions over the holidays and finally have my first f2f interview next week. Too many former big pharma mangers with nothing better to do except hassle the reps. I hope I can get out of this place ASAP!

 

What do DMs do here, besides have conference calls with RMs?

We’re already doing their job. My team has a Peak analyst, Managed care specialist, and someone who’s basically a sales trainer. I mean, seriously, what do they do...just approve expense reports?

Am I missing something?

 

What do you mean? My manager has been busy all holiday break forwarding emails from sales ops. Starting at 7am this morning he’s already sent us an email and a group text reminding us to synch our iPads. I don’t know what we’d do without him?

 

From the outside looking in it is ABSOLUTELY the biggest flaw of the CSO Model. First your only value proposition to Clients is speed and cost savings, this type of leadership defeats this by driving turnover, per your comments above, period. Next, you are in a metrics business in fact paid of them, so this further defeats the prospect for success by distracting people from hitting them or driving turnover to diminish metric performance, thus driving cost up, basically self defeating your only value propositions. So lets work this out, your Client GSK gives your team a standalone opportunity to promote a product while laying off their direct people 2018. Huge win, now you come into the New Year and out of the gate are completely distracted by non sense that will most likely be success prohibitive for your team and Manager in 2019, your company is paying someone to do this this to boot. To make this worse there is no accountability with Managers in CSO's, so they will let the business or contract crash rather than correct the situation, second biggest flaw of the model. Basically, it comes down to CSO managers not understanding how to manage contract representatives, its a metric business, managed to them, sounds like they wont and you will be destineded to a completely over-engineered assessment process that will hurt the business rather than help, now you know why the average contract is less than two years duration, self inflicted wounds- STUPID.

 

there is a method to the micromanage madness. basically on a contract it pays to have a shit ton of metrics so you have an excuse for anything.

need to fire a rep? fire him for low ipad utilization.
need an excuse for why nrx share fell?
blame it on the call plan attainment dropped 2 points.
need an excuse for why humana medicare scripts are down? blame it on not utilizing the managed care marketing page on ipad.


imo all of these enhanced "metrics" that syneos is now using is just so they always have a way to justify anything. if you measure enough stuff you can alwayd find some data that says what you want it to say.

 

Syneos can’t even get the correct targets in the territories! The new workbook is a complete mess. I’m literally watching this company fumble the ball with this contract.

 

Yep, probably by intention....