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Business Owner Mindset

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Its gets resurrected and has come and gone over the last 30 years. There's nothing wrong with having a business owner mindset as long as you recognize the business is all about YOU, and not limited to your job at Merck or some Merck territory. If the Merck component of your business has some problem, you have the freedom to take corrective action that is all about benefiting the business of YOU. You have the freedom to fire Merck. With that mindset, you'll be much happier and much more likely to succeed, at whatever business you choose to integrate as a part of YOU.
 




About a decade ago we talked a lot about each territory generated more sales than a typical McDonald's franchise and how we should run it as if it is our own business. But Merck did not mention how much micromanaging the reps have to deal with on a daily basis and how little room for flexibility we have to actually run our own business/franchise.
 




Anonymous said:
About a decade ago we talked a lot about each territory generated more sales than a typical McDonald's franchise and how we should run it as if it is our own business. But Merck did not mention how much micromanaging the reps have to deal with on a daily basis and how little room for flexibility we have to actually run our own business/franchise.
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About a decade ago (2001) we were well into our way down as a company with sales management metric-ing the rep to death. About two decades ago I had a DM who was big into giving his reps free reign to manage their territory like it was their own business. He too, of course, had to have been given free reign by his RD to manage in this manner. We had total responsiblity for results, good or bad, too. Amazingly, our district led the region in PPO for those few years. It was a beautiful thing. Then our DM got a little cocky by taking on additional objective from other districts and we got burned. Less autonomy was granted to our DM and in turn, to his reps. Enter Lipitor and bad management and the rest is the history that we continue to enjoy to this day. It is definitely not such a beautiful thing.
 




You missed one important word that they keep slipping in there. Its "small"-as in "small business mindset." Well, thats great. Because now all we do is think small. Case in point-we just had our rfm budgets cut this past week-significantly. With new competitors, new agents for us to sell(hopefully), declining sales with most all our in-line products, access being limited on a continuing basis, now would be the time to cut our spending. Nice thinking. They want more from us while at the same time they continue to take more and more resources for us to work with. Now, thats what I call thinking small.

With no freebies to give away-things offices now wished we could do-very little rfm dollars for decent discussions over lunch feeding the porky staff members, doctors not wanting to see us even for a minute or so during the day, diminishing sample quantities, and the latest Wall St. Journal article, I think we are toast in a matter of 3 years-5 years tops. When Sunshine act kicks in, we wont have lunches, and they will be able to order samples on-line. Thank you. Bye-bye. Start looking now. Its over.
 




BOM is verbal masturbation. It makes those who are complete morons think they can control their own territories. Pharma is so regulated and managed care dictates everything nowadays. You could take a kid out of grammar school and put him into a territory and he/she would probably do better than the person who has been in this business for more than two years. You can work 24 hours a day and finish dead last or work 1 hour a day and finish in the top ten. This is not sales. It's marketing.
 












You can have no more business owner mindset with this group of micromanaging assholes than you can stick a broom up your ass and fly to Paris! I you owned a business and managed it as screwed up as this one it would be just as screwed up as Merck! If we don't have the dumbest management in America we're running someone else a close second! As the leaders of this industry for years we walked away from our responsibility for a few measly $ from the federal government and now we're whores under complete control of the feds and we've led everyone else in this business to that very spot! No wonder everyone else in the industry hates Merck...we were the 800 lb. gorilla once with the 1/2 ounce set of balls! If you had a business would you hire CTM's as dumb as these? Shit no!
 




One summer my manager went on a long family vacation. I did a simple experiment. I reverted back to how I used to sell 20 years ago. I conducted RFMs with the customers I deemed were important. I broke routing and drove all over to where I should be at. My sales data went sky high for those weeks he was gone. This experiment with n=1 proved to me Merck micromanaging style is stifling to the rep and to business.
 




Throughout the entire management chain (Sales, R&D, Manufacturing, you-name-it), we now are completely dominated by individuals that exhibit two powerful features: They actually do not know enough about what happens at the ground level to make appropriate decisions or to create/direct strategy and; They are completely afraid of telling their own boss 'why you stupid ass, that will never work, what the hell are you thinking' whenever clearly dumb-ass strategies are foisted upon them. So we have the totally blind directing the somewhat less blind mute. Directing them into oblivion. And those with 20/20 vision get surveys.
 




Business owner mindset is a good thing, but running a territory is simple compared to being a real business owner. Mama picks up the bills and gives you money to spend, salary, paid vacation and benefits. Business owners carry it all, go into debt. no bail out, no room for error, no time off, no easy task...
 








Anonymous said:
Business owner mindset is a good thing, but running a territory is simple compared to being a real business owner. Mama picks up the bills and gives you money to spend, salary, paid vacation and benefits. Business owners carry it all, go into debt. no bail out, no room for error, no time off, no easy task...
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My husband is an ex-self-employed psychologist. He had no steady income and no health benefits or 401K. Reimburements are horrible and patients are not dependable to keep appointments. Last year someone retired in a local hospital and he got their staff position. I dont think you can compare being self employed with having a real job in a company. Most people could never survive just freelancing or being self employed like he was. I am so thankful he is on staff in the hospital.
 




Anonymous said:
No serious business owner would tolerate the sort of worthless shit that we spend most of our time (and most of the real owners money) on.
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This is true. No business owner could waste their time on it. Their business would fall apart. No joke. So much worthless, time taking, goop all day long that interferes with the real business.
 




Anonymous said:
Throughout the entire management chain (Sales, R&D, Manufacturing, you-name-it), we now are completely dominated by individuals that exhibit two powerful features: They actually do not know enough about what happens at the ground level to make appropriate decisions or to create/direct strategy and; They are completely afraid of telling their own boss 'why you stupid ass, that will never work, what the hell are you thinking' whenever clearly dumb-ass strategies are foisted upon them. So we have the totally blind directing the somewhat less blind mute. Directing them into oblivion. And those with 20/20 vision get surveys.
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It's worse than you think, the decision makers are not smart enough to know that they do not have expertise in pharma sales. They delude themselves into thinking that the "yes people" they hire have knowledge. Every time I hear that CTLs were consulted or allowed to give input, I cringe. How can people who "sold" long before we had computers have any idea what it is like to "sell". The best kept secret is that following the advise of the trainers and CTLs only occurs during field visits. Using the tactics they learn "detailing" each other will cause you to loose credibility with actual customers and crush your sales.
 




Anonymous said:
BOM is verbal masturbation. It makes those who are complete morons think they can control their own territories. Pharma is so regulated and managed care dictates everything nowadays. You could take a kid out of grammar school and put him into a territory and he/she would probably do better than the person who has been in this business for more than two years. You can work 24 hours a day and finish dead last or work 1 hour a day and finish in the top ten. This is not sales. It's marketing.
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Agree, especially since all you really need to do is make your CTL feel good. If you are liked, that dead last placement does not keep you from "merit" increases and promotions.
 




Anonymous said:
It's worse than you think, the decision makers are not smart enough to know that they do not have expertise in pharma sales. They delude themselves into thinking that the "yes people" they hire have knowledge. Every time I hear that CTLs were consulted or allowed to give input, I cringe. How can people who "sold" long before we had computers have any idea what it is like to "sell". The best kept secret is that following the advise of the trainers and CTLs only occurs during field visits. Using the tactics they learn "detailing" each other will cause you to loose credibility with actual customers and crush your sales.
Click to expand...

I joined Merck as a rep before computer and voice mail. We sold like what a sales rep would do. We gathered info about the big writers by befriending the pharmacists, asked around and collected information. Surprisingly it worked very well. No cell phone. No boxes to check. Just dirty work and a lot of driving and looking for information.
 




Every pharma person,sales,dm,etc. should read The Four-Hour Work Week. I know, we already work 4 hours. Some of the points in this book are a bit outlandish but the gist of the book is how we(as workers)waste so much time working just to look like we're doing something. Our society has been told you should work from 9 to 5. Why? Interesting read.
 




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