I bet the number of reps with 30 + years are less than 1% of the total sales force. Have they just retired or were they forced out? It is a very poor commentary for AZ. But I guess that is about as low on their priority list as it can go.
ARE THERE ANY SENIOR REPS AT AZ?
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there all oldy and moldy up here in the northeast
Poor commentary for most organizations in most nations. Plus if you worked 30 + years, retirement would be the norm.
Most of us are staying under the radar, waiting for the pension to hit 100% payout.
55 here was replaced by a younger female. Not much we can do about it
AZ has never really valued senior, experienced reps. Strange company, and a strange industry. Just look around you and the next meeting and count the number of 25 year reps. My guess it will be 0.
There is no doubt that AZ targets older reps. I agree, look around and count the number of reps with gray hair. Less than a handful. Here is another area that AZ exposed their immoral ways. Drs in this country build valued rapport with experienced and "credible" senior reps. What happens during crunch time? Senior reps, due to financial laibility (aka...pensions, 401K withdrawals) are routinely let go. Drs see some young chick who looks great in a tight skirt replacing these reps and realize what pharma cos are doing. Because they don't bring the same value to their offices, Drs slowly start to close their offices to reps, thus the lack of voice for AZ. Perhaps one of yet another lack of leadership examples from today's Senior Leadership. Truly sad. I guess our leaders admire Bain Capital!
There is a saying in HR that only higher ups are allowed to have gray hair.
There have been 3 opt out packages offered in the last 4 years. As each one of those has come along more senior reps have reached a point where they can retire comfortably and the package is a nice incentive to call it a career with AZ.
So, max out your 401 k, get your house paid off, save as much as you can and hope to survive long enough to reach the point where you are a senior rep who can take a package and retire comfortably.
So, max out your 401 k, get your house paid off, save as much as you can and hope to survive long enough to reach the point where you are a senior rep who can take a package and retire comfortably.
Years ago, senior reps were almost revered at Zeneca and other companies. They seldom, if ever were made to role play (except at a table with another rep), and usually played "doctor" during the few role plays that were done. They rode with newer reps and mentored them (nothing like the ridiculous mentoring program AZ now has!). I rode with a senior rep when I started, and was amazed at the rapport he had with the doc and office. The doc wrote because of HIM. In those days, the company strived to keep the territories the same for years so that rapport could be achieved. Today, well that's not the case.
AZ has never understood the value of people. Everyone is dumped in the same bucket. We are the only industry that does this. The idea of treating a 25 year rep the same as a 1 year rep in meetings is not only stupid, but bad business. AZ has never learned this and never will.
Good people are leaving CNS and Hospital all the time, and AZ could care less. What other industry adopts this view?? AZ has missed the mark so many times with their people the past few years. But they simply don't care. What a sad and pathetic organization led by sad and pathetic people.
AZ has never understood the value of people. Everyone is dumped in the same bucket. We are the only industry that does this. The idea of treating a 25 year rep the same as a 1 year rep in meetings is not only stupid, but bad business. AZ has never learned this and never will.
Good people are leaving CNS and Hospital all the time, and AZ could care less. What other industry adopts this view?? AZ has missed the mark so many times with their people the past few years. But they simply don't care. What a sad and pathetic organization led by sad and pathetic people.
Why are senior reps under appreciated, or not appreciated at all? Interesting question. At one time senior reps assisted with training and hiring. First ride alongs were done by senior reps and the input was valued. My guess is that gradually management wanted more span of control. Training was to be initiated by a specific skill set of those indoctrinated into the training program. First interviews were to be done by management, not senior reps. New hires would be funneled down a specific path without the outside influence of a rep.
Senior reps could perhaps even be viewed as a threat to those in power, or reminiscent of a past now gone. Management often view those who decide to stay on as reps as costly career failures.
Gradually it seems that value has turned into a kind of animosity. You often hear that senior reps feel entitled, or do not want to change and are unmoldable. They like their customers too much and don't "push them." Or, they are simply waiting to get out. Given the current level of appreciation I would say that the last statement is most true.
In today's environment of frequent territory changes, metrics, messaging, asset costs, and forced rank, the measurements used to give value to reps is quite different than that used years ago.
So far as AZ's value of it's people:
"They that sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind"
... and you need look no further than the current state of affairs.
Bain Capital? The TZ team is more like an Obama clone: centrally plan, redistribute from those driving those driving business (Sr. reps) and shift to newbies who contribute nothing but will brown nose SSLTs every move, and blame their failure on anything but themselves. Oh yeah, I forgot, the have Joe Biden in their back yard!
And hire college professors and advisors who have never held a real job in their lives to create the strategy and then stand in front of a room using teleprompter to read what someone else has been paid to write for them. Sounds very familiar.
Regarding training AZ may have had little choice. Legal, compliance, and certification took on more stringent guidelines. Consistency was needed to insure that new hires were getting that training. However, would not argue that senior reps have suffered diminished value.
Regarding training AZ may have had little choice. Legal, compliance, and certification took on more stringent guidelines. Consistency was needed to insure that new hires were getting that training. However, would not argue that senior reps have suffered diminished value.
Excellent analysis and all true! I retired with over 30 years. The comment that AZ "lumps" everyone in the same bucket is all so true. Take example role playing, aka "acting". Senior reps always played the role of doctor. Role playing was kept to a bare minimum, because meetings were for learning and expanding your knowledge of disease states. The primary reason for non-stop meeting role playing is the simple fact that they are incapable of coming up with something that's really helpful.
TSi was/is the biggest joke. The TSi usage reports are total BS, and the company knows it, but chooses to look the other way for some strange reason. The idea of just having a conversation and putting away the cartoon like screen, never occurs to them. A computer between you and the doctor is a barrier to connecting to that doctor.
Your last comment, "They that sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind"
... and you need look no further than the current state of affairs," says it all.
TSI is the Customer Solutions of this current leadership team. The people who promoted it and were rewarded for being the innovators are now in VP or higher positions. The company spent millions on it and continue to spend millions more to support it. Of course everyone knows that it is total bullshit and a huge failure but who wants to be the first to admit that the kings baby is really ugly?
And therein lies the biggest problem at AZ. Nobody is willing to tell the truth so the lie is perpetuated and never ends.
All of the leaders who were brave enough to tell the truth or even ask questions that made it difficult for these people to push through their bullshit are gone and all that remain are the bobble head toadies. Yes Mike, I agree with you Mike, you are a genius Mike." And so it goes until the last light bulb burns out.
No single person in the history of this company has done more damage to the sales force, leadership quality and morale than Tilton. And it isn't even a close contest which is saying a lot considering the number of frauds and incompetents working here.