Those dreaded ride-alongs

The amazing part is that middle and upper management read cafepharma but continue to do business as usual. They just don’t get it.These idiots at big pharmacy companies have never thought of what could be done to open closed doors. Remember the “value proposal” in the Challenger sales book? How about upper management starts thinking out of the box and present a value proposal to the large clinic systems that have shut the doors to big pharma?? If they can’t provide one or can’t come up with one, please resign and get out of the way!!

 

What you are complaining about didn’t exist when I started 40 years ago. My first year I had either 2 or 3 field rides. Managers were to busy trying to grow the business and didn’t worry about babysitting. Reps did some of the things RBD’S do today. All the data we had came from a company called DDD, and then from your in territory wholesaler, if you had one. No hallway details. You sat down in the physicians office and got to know them personally and they did the same with you. No managed care. The best rep and drug got the business. No lunches. You brought in a box of donuts every now and then. You had meaningful discussions most of the time. Managers often took calls during the day from start to finish. I would say that mine, in the beginning, took 50% of calls on a field ride.

The industry would love to replace reps and DM’S if they could, but they can’t, and they know it. They thought “E Detailing” would be the Holy Grail, but docs thought it was stupid, and it was. We used clinical studies 90% of the time when talking to physicians, from peer reviewed journals. We did journal
clubs, for different specialties, where 1 of the docs would present a study relevant to the specialty. You were considered part of the medical community.

All of the above is gone, and never will return. Soon, the government will mandate some type of control over drug pricing. It needs to be done. Control will become more onerous over the years. Access will be what the government decides it to be. Sales forces will shrink for most companies.

My advice, if you can, become a mid-level, especially a CRNA. They will always have a job as long as they want to work. If you are hell bent on staying in pharma sales, be ready to jump from company to company to survive. Good luck to all of you .

 

What a waste of time these "field rides." All they are is a way to try to have a gotcha moment. Morale is zero. Trust is zero. As one person that recently left, this company makes you a liar. Another said that as long as you see the whites of their eyes, it is a call. There is your reach and frequency in action.

 

Been here for 4 years. Have had 17 field rides total....8 of which were in the last 8 months. Its overkill. My boss undermines me in front of my customers, and it generates chaos. I'm trying to put out fires, and he keeps adding gasoline.

 

Ugh oh. How are your numbers? Which team are you on? RM? Region?

 

If you keep keep going into the same offices, Managers will turn that around on you and say, you are only working in your comfort zone not trying to get into those difficult offices (regardless if they are no-see, they will say think outside the box). They can then work that into your coaching plan, make themselves feel like they are “coaching for success”, at the same time documenting their actions to maintain the illusion of their relevancy. A DBM is nothing more than an overpaid admin. Approve expense reports, monitor call metrics, organize conference calls and POA’s, handle HR issues. But their self-importance is akin to a millenial on Instagram. This structure of rep-manager is 20 years outdated.

 

Do yourself a BIG favor and listen to my story. I understand that not everyone may be as ambitious or want to work as hard as me, but if your willing to put in the work, just keep reading.

I spent 2 years at Otsuka and was making $100K as a 24/25 year old. I got sick of the monotony and decided to claw my way into device and took a $50K pay cut to become an associate under a rep who sold capital equipment for one of the big players. As you may already know, anything more than 2 years in pharma is considered a detriment to your candidacy in MedDev.

It was the best move I ever made. I put my nose to the ground, learned everything I could, identified mentors, and made a name for myself. 5 years later I’m 30 years old, selling one of the most disruptive capital technologies to every stakeholder at both the hospital and system levels. That’s from the surgeon to the C-Suite. I more than quadrupled the money I was making at Otsuka and will look back on this move for the rest of my life as the best thing I ever did for myself, my family, and for the greater good of not leaching on the waste of human potential that pharma perpetuates.

If you’re young you can still make something of yourself. If you stay, you will look back with nothing but regret.

I sincerely hope this helps and while I know people will tear this post apart for various reasons, just think about what it feels like to close a deal that you’ve been working on for 6 months that’s worth $3M. Now think about what it would feel like to make 8% on that. Now build your pipeline and close 4-5 of those annually. Suddenly, math is fun. Good luck OP.

 

It is becoming worse every year. I used to have twenty plus on the milk run. Now...Probably less than ten. Not much we can do but the managers know this and the decent ones basically acknowledge it.They don't want to rock the boat, because fewer offices mean fewer reps, and fewer reps mean fewer DMs....

 

This has become an awful job...There is no sense of accomplishment or job satisfaction anymore being a drug rep. The industry has changed too much every year for the last 25 years, and never for the better. Clueless consultants with their stupid "share of voice" made it worse, and companies paid for these idiots. I bet Z associates never made a sales call on a doctor! And the old times will never come back! A dishwasher or garbage man has more job satisfaction! I am hanging in there for another year, get out of this nonsense and retire!!

 

And there will be a line of people happy to take your job for a lot less money. What an inflexible curmudgeon you have become. You may as well stay home every day for the next year, probably that’s about the amount of impact you’re having in the territory.

 

"A line of people happy to take your job for a lot less money" ....Really???? Is that the reason why, for instance, the Seattle North territory has been open for over a year now with full pay??

And what on earth does "inflexible" have to do with me?? All of us are limited by the rules imposed on us by the company and the accessibility of providers in our territory! I am assuming you are a smart-ass DM...clueless beyond belief!! And your nose is brown as hell!

Now go and create another tracker!

 

Seattle N is vacant because losers like you have provided the evidence (thru your lack of skill and management turnstile that has failed to fire you) that there is no opportunity to impact the territory. You are scum and will not be missed, trust me.

 

Why don't you tell us who you are since you are able to diagnose the N Seattle territory!!! And also tell us what is needed here. We in the Pacific Northwest sure like to know from a wise ass like you!