A realistic view of Applied

Minnie Mouse here giving a friendly reminder that russia has mail order catalogs to replace Mickey Mouse boils and all.

 

Ding ding ding....give that man a cigar! No need to pay any of the trocar sales people (Applied, Covidien, Ethicon etc) 6 figures to implement GPO contracts, do inservices and send defective products back to the respective Q&A departments.

 

I quit this laughing stock of a company a few months ago and I can definitely attest to most of the previous comments i've read on this board. Rather than sling mud at this joke of a company for the dozens of reasons listed (and there are dozens), i'll say this to anyone under the age of 28 (consider it solid career advice): i've been in medical device sales almost my entire professional career and laparoscopy is dying. There really isn't anything new and revolutionary that's changed the way a surgeon does his job in 8-10 yrs. ok, big deal, a balloon added to a trocar to prevent it from falling out because some dumbass surgeon consistently makes his incision too big. Or a 5mm clip applier. WOW! Real game changer there. My favorite is the rumored Energy device Applied has said they were going to release almost 2 yrs ago. Ligasure, Harmonic Scalpel, Thunderbeat, etc have all been tested and proven in the market for YEARS. If you're thinking of joining this small mom & pop outfit, ask yourself, do you REALLY want to joking a company whose sole existence relies on the success of trocars and the products a dr sticks through them? I wouldn't. And I wouldn't advise anyone joining a company that puts minimal thought/money into their R&D either. But what does a veteran like me know?

 

Wow, a veteran. I'm in awe of your experience and appreciate that you're so tenured that you know what's best. I've been here 5+ years and like it. I like the culture and the work environment. So I guess I'm an idiot now huh?

 

I think the manager that wrote the above post should put on the gloves and get in the ring. That would be funny. All the managers here are the biggest nerds i've ever met. Oh wait, there's no fun allowed at Applied. Zone meetings in Po-Dunk towns like Cleveland, OH or Teaneck, NJ. And make sure you bring enough spare change to feed the meter and get yourself a drink from the vending machine because that isnt reimburseable, right Grosshans?

 

Yes. You you are....

 

Wait a minute, so the purpose of zone meetings are to go somewhere for you to have fun? The reason they're in shithole locals is to deter chumps like you from going out and getting fucked up and not focusing on the purpose of the meeting.

How me a company that puts you in first class hotels in Vegas or Atlantic city for the purpose of you having fun.

Oh and about the ring, yhea, I was there. And I killed it. That's why I'm managing dumbasses like you now.

 

This is my first post in this thread so I am not any of the posters above, but your post is what is wrong with this company.

I am a manager now for another company and yes I do want my reps to have fun. Work hard and play hard. The reason I hired most of my reps is I realize they are responsible and know how to prioritize and are able to go someplace fun and realize what should and should not be done and can have fun without it infringing on what needs to be done for work. WE actually did a meeting in Vegas and it went extremely well and stayed right off the strip at the Trump Hotel in Vegas.

Second, your last statement cracks me up. You manage dumbasses now is what you said. That is your fault. I don't manage any dumbasses. If I did I would get rid of them. I don't have one person that works for me that is a dumbass.

So 1 of 3 things (I'll let you pick):

1) You are a terrible manager and cannot assess talent and you keep hiring dumbasses.
2) You are a terrible manager and keep dumbasses around because you have no power to get rid of them.
3) You are a terrible manager and cannot develop talent and continue to manage dumbasses.

 

Spot on sir. DG is only waiting for his stock payout. Everyone knows what kind of incompetant knucklehead he is. His lackey sidekick DM isn't much better. He's got one foot in the grave anyways and won't be around much longer. These 2 ass clowns deserve each other.

 

DG = Dennis Grosshans
DM = ?

 

Dave McElroy. It's surely not the incompetant twit who has a brother that is his boss. That kid couldn't find his way out of a paper bag if you have him a map with step by step directions. Someone tell me how he is still employed here please?

 

Because they pride themselves on keeping the dumbshits so the Hilals and extended family look somewhat smart. Word to the wise careful what you say around them especially the daughter and her cousin in CD, it will make the dinner table conversation, and being she is not the sharpest tool in the shed it gets all changed up. I keep my head down and say very little, just buying time so my resume looks good. Going public would be great get rid of a lot of useless family members

 

They will never go public as then Said will lose some control. Then the losers in the company like DG, TS, JD and others would have to go. It couldnt be their little playground any longer with no accountability. They would actually have to explain their behavior and it couldn't be overlooked. All of us who were duped into purchasing Applied options should have our heads examined.

 

Here's a realistic view coming from someone I know in supply chain very well: trocars, endo devices, etc are going to all fall under "commodity products" within 5-6 yrs if they aren't already. With the recent acquisitions of Medtronic buying Covidien, JNJ being liquid and having cash in the bank, companies like Stryker making strategic acquisitions to fill voids in their offerings, and hospitals preferring to do business with big companies that can save them serious $$$$, Applied will be an after thought before you know it. Sure, you're cheaper than Ethicon up front, but then what? You can't offer jacksh*t long term! I look at Applied like the band nerds in HS that couldn't get a date to the prom. Nobody wants to be associated with you losers

 

Commodity's rule Time Square in New York if you ever vacation you will see that for yourself. Commodity products to me means that there is opportunity to be had when Trocars to many of the surgeons aren't like a commodity. Long term is the cost savings that adds up as time goes by as is the clinical benefits of the Gelport and Gelpoint for the patient upfront; those facts create a market for a smaller private company like Applied. What's the future for reprocessed trocars?

 

What rock did you just crawl out from under? I don't work for a reprocessing company, but I do work for one of the big boys. And if you read my post, I said nothing about your Gel products (which I actually think are good if the glue actually sticks around the seal so you don't lose air). Your company hasn't come to the market with anything new in YEARS (a 5 mm clip applier or Orthopedic Alexis isn't exactly ground-shattering). Since I do not work for your company, I cannot comment on energy, but even then, all those products have been around for years already and nothing is setting you apart. My point was that the big dogs in the hospitals could care less about Applied And everyone's eyes roll into the back of their heads when they hear your name. A trocar is a trocar and a good surgeon should be able to use a straw from McDonald's if he had to. Sorry pal.

 

Use two sticks to make it in Malaysia! If a trocar is a trocar then why are the battles for it so contested and why do surgeons cherish their pick and fight tooth and nail for it? Those battles are proof that in fact the "Big Dogs" do consider Applied Medical real competition. As the "Big Dogs" get bigger through acquisitions it furthers the need for aleash.

Without a shadow of a doubt there has not been issues with the glue on gelports or gelpoint. On the contrary I would contend that the cill is the product with issues in its rigid design and cuff like capacity that limits the surgeons field of action. What new products have the "Big Dogs" released into the market in the past five years?

 

Applied's only appeal was - and still is - price. There is little for the company to offer a customer other than that. You initiated the race to the bottom and, soon, you'll have "won."

 

Your assessment is completely wrong and it leads me to believe that your the platform diver initiating a goal of falling instead of raising the bar of ethical salesmanship selling to the surgeons on clinical features and benefits with cost savings being the motivation for the material management side. Since you admit toward not being a Applied Medical employee then I can understand your negative slant and thinking that Applied wins on price and being negative when that is not the case.

For instance I converted a surgeon who was using a Covidien visiport for optical entry to Applied Kii optical entry, there was no discussion of cost saving and it was over half the cost. The discussion was completely on clinical benefit and the cast presented itself. There are distinct differences in product lines and patents prove that along with clinical features and benefits. If your argument is that its all commodity then price will sell the product however; get in front of a surgeon and they will argue why not all of these are commodity's and that's when your clinical sales training comes into play. Surgeons don't give a shit about price unless they are affected by monetary constraints.

 

Hahahaha! Kudos to you old boy! You converted one doctor. 3-4 stick per case x however many cases that guy does per month/year. I hope he was a heavy volume surgeon because us big boys can't be bothered with chasing cases for $40-60 per case. That doesn't even cover parking for the day in my area. Now get out there and sell some FiOS!!!