Anonymous
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Anonymous
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I work for a device division of JNJ. We have hired Innovex (contract) reps in the past when we needed more feet on the street for a specific product. If the full time reps were selling 6-8 lines of product, the Innovex reps would just sell one of those lines. In my experience the Innovex reps were good quality people. Several of them were hired as full time reps after their contract expired.
I'm not sure if contract reps would work in MD&D to totally replace the regular reps. So much of our business is still relationship driven, but with Obamacare and pricing becoming so much more important, the relationships may end.
I used to think my long-term relationships with my customers meant something. Not anymore. Our customers are now getting strict orders from administration not to interface with reps at all. Drug companies are to be avoided at all costs and the hospitals and doctors groups don't want to have their reputations tarnished by having any type of relationship with us. There is no access and the customers I have solid relationships who don't see reps anymore won't even respond to my e-mails because they're afraid of losing their jobs by associating with reps. In this day and age everything is tracked; I can't say I blame them for not wanting to risk their careers because they feel sorry for us. This job of communicating with my customers and promoting my product line has turned into a covert operation where shades of gray are grounds for dismissal, for myself and my customer. Unfortunately most reps I know are desperate to keep their jobs so they resort to shady activities to make their numbers. I'm tired of all the paranoia and faking reports so I look like I'm getting things done in the field. I guess we need to accept the truth that reps just aren't needed anymore.