Centurion medical?

[anonymous]

Your math must be off. An $8k commission, 10 cents at a time is 80,000 dressings. You claim CMP would gross $395k, that would be 80k dressings x $5 a dressing. 120K gross is probably more accurate. How did you ever pass that ridiculously hard competency test we took last fall?

That would explain the bank repossessing my Ford Fit...dammit!

 

[anonymous]

That would explain the bank repossessing my Ford Fit...dammit!

Ford Fit? What is that? Do you mean Honda Fit? Failing at simple math and unable to remember the make of a car you probably spent 2 to 4 hours in a day?! Perhaps the competency test isn't a bad idea to weed out the unintelligent at the pre-employment phase.

 

[anonymous]

Ford Fit? What is that? Do you mean Honda Fit? Failing at simple math and unable to remember the make of a car you probably spent 2 to 4 hours in a day?! Perhaps the competency test isn't a bad idea to weed out the unintelligent at the pre-employment phase.

What's funny is having the sales team take a competency test, while management and the RD's continually prove how incompetent they are.

 

[anonymous]

I actually like the company and the people that work here. We have some of the best salespeople I've ever been around, the pay is pretty good if you hang around for a while and we have a lot of freedom (even with the new sales funnel). Our quotas are reasonable and the incentive trip at the end of every year is a great perk. I'm actually posting on here because it is apparent that our management reads this and I think the communication between the field sales and the top of our company can be difficult due to fear of repercussions.
Bottom line is, if we continue on our current trajectory as a company we are in big trouble. Here are a couple of reasons why.
1. We are not a player in the market. We talk so much about the challenger sale and it's components when the real issue is not that we do not know HOW to sell, it is that we cannot get into half of our hospitals to even start the process. I met with my Medline reps recently to talk about kitter opportunities and they are so busy they don't know what opportunity to pursue first. They believe in contracts and working with purchasing and hospital groups to assure themselves of a seat at the table. When I first got hired contracts didn't matter as much as they do now, Novation and Med Assets and even some Premier accounts were pretty loose. If the nurses or docs wanted our product bad enough they could get it, that is not the case anymore and we refuse to acknowledge that.
2. We can't grow our income like we could before. I see philosophically what what we were trying to do with the kitter deal but the problem is it takes away our biggest opportunities for high dollar closes. Sales reps want to make more money. Quattro is not going to do it, the Compass is not going to do it, kitter sales are not going to do it, there is opportunity with the Edwards kits but we all know the issues there. Instrument trays, ok maybe if you get a lac tray at a big account. Single Sterile Shield, not terrible. Our best bet to make money is some random label or instrument tray that we can build a solid margin into. That's no way to grow sales as a company.
3. We have a mix of really high paid old reps making $250-$500k and are stuck here cause they can't get that anywhere else and new hires that jet once they figure out how hard the job is or how hard it is to grow their income now. This model is not sustainable. The reps in the middle of those two age groups should be the future of the company but why would they stick around? More money? (see #2), Management opportunity?(who would want that job, 6 open territories in the south, upper management breathing down your neck about unread emails by your team and new metrics), our new product offerings (the disimpactor). What is the plan? Sales funnel? that's like saying you're going to score more points in a basketball game by changing the way you keep score. Sales expectations? (great idea, more tracking will grow sales).

We need to get on contract, sell to Medline or call it like it is and say that we are content with table scraps in the market, high turnover and low job satisfaction.

 

[anonymous]

I actually like the company and the people that work here. We have some of the best salespeople I've ever been around, the pay is pretty good if you hang around for a while and we have a lot of freedom (even with the new sales funnel). Our quotas are reasonable and the incentive trip at the end of every year is a great perk. I'm actually posting on here because it is apparent that our management reads this and I think the communication between the field sales and the top of our company can be difficult due to fear of repercussions.
Bottom line is, if we continue on our current trajectory as a company we are in big trouble. Here are a couple of reasons why.
1. We are not a player in the market. We talk so much about the challenger sale and it's components when the real issue is not that we do not know HOW to sell, it is that we cannot get into half of our hospitals to even start the process. I met with my Medline reps recently to talk about kitter opportunities and they are so busy they don't know what opportunity to pursue first. They believe in contracts and working with purchasing and hospital groups to assure themselves of a seat at the table. When I first got hired contracts didn't matter as much as they do now, Novation and Med Assets and even some Premier accounts were pretty loose. If the nurses or docs wanted our product bad enough they could get it, that is not the case anymore and we refuse to acknowledge that.
2. We can't grow our income like we could before. I see philosophically what what we were trying to do with the kitter deal but the problem is it takes away our biggest opportunities for high dollar closes. Sales reps want to make more money. Quattro is not going to do it, the Compass is not going to do it, kitter sales are not going to do it, there is opportunity with the Edwards kits but we all know the issues there. Instrument trays, ok maybe if you get a lac tray at a big account. Single Sterile Shield, not terrible. Our best bet to make money is some random label or instrument tray that we can build a solid margin into. That's no way to grow sales as a company.
3. We have a mix of really high paid old reps making $250-$500k and are stuck here cause they can't get that anywhere else and new hires that jet once they figure out how hard the job is or how hard it is to grow their income now. This model is not sustainable. The reps in the middle of those two age groups should be the future of the company but why would they stick around? More money? (see #2), Management opportunity?(who would want that job, 6 open territories in the south, upper management breathing down your neck about unread emails by your team and new metrics), our new product offerings (the disimpactor). What is the plan? Sales funnel? that's like saying you're going to score more points in a basketball game by changing the way you keep score. Sales expectations? (great idea, more tracking will grow sales).

We need to get on contract, sell to Medline or call it like it is and say that we are content with table scraps in the market, high turnover and low job satisfaction.

 

[anonymous]

Great post...If anyone has a question with my sales funnel, sorry boss, I did that last month and that falls under the "historical data" category... sorry, my memory doesn't go back that far...#LovePayingHugeTaxBills said no one ever....

 

[anonymous]

Ok, genius, what I'm getting at is the extreme drop in commission when going through a kitting company that puts our dressing in their kit. No work is done by the rep and, from my understanding, they buy the dressing from us at $2.25/each (PIV). For the matter of the "ridiculously hard" test, I'm not sure you competent to question math if you thought that was difficult. Yes, my math was off, pardon me. It was an exaggeration on the decline of commission when selling to a kitting partner.

 

[anonymous]

I actually like the company and the people that work here. We have some of the best salespeople I've ever been around, the pay is pretty good if you hang around for a while and we have a lot of freedom (even with the new sales funnel). Our quotas are reasonable and the incentive trip at the end of every year is a great perk. I'm actually posting on here because it is apparent that our management reads this and I think the communication between the field sales and the top of our company can be difficult due to fear of repercussions.
Bottom line is, if we continue on our current trajectory as a company we are in big trouble. Here are a couple of reasons why.
1. We are not a player in the market. We talk so much about the challenger sale and it's components when the real issue is not that we do not know HOW to sell, it is that we cannot get into half of our hospitals to even start the process. I met with my Medline reps recently to talk about kitter opportunities and they are so busy they don't know what opportunity to pursue first. They believe in contracts and working with purchasing and hospital groups to assure themselves of a seat at the table. When I first got hired contracts didn't matter as much as they do now, Novation and Med Assets and even some Premier accounts were pretty loose. If the nurses or docs wanted our product bad enough they could get it, that is not the case anymore and we refuse to acknowledge that.
2. We can't grow our income like we could before. I see philosophically what what we were trying to do with the kitter deal but the problem is it takes away our biggest opportunities for high dollar closes. Sales reps want to make more money. Quattro is not going to do it, the Compass is not going to do it, kitter sales are not going to do it, there is opportunity with the Edwards kits but we all know the issues there. Instrument trays, ok maybe if you get a lac tray at a big account. Single Sterile Shield, not terrible. Our best bet to make money is some random label or instrument tray that we can build a solid margin into. That's no way to grow sales as a company.
3. We have a mix of really high paid old reps making $250-$500k and are stuck here cause they can't get that anywhere else and new hires that jet once they figure out how hard the job is or how hard it is to grow their income now. This model is not sustainable. The reps in the middle of those two age groups should be the future of the company but why would they stick around? More money? (see #2), Management opportunity?(who would want that job, 6 open territories in the south, upper management breathing down your neck about unread emails by your team and new metrics), our new product offerings (the disimpactor). What is the plan? Sales funnel? that's like saying you're going to score more points in a basketball game by changing the way you keep score. Sales expectations? (great idea, more tracking will grow sales).

We need to get on contract, sell to Medline or call it like it is and say that we are content with table scraps in the market, high turnover and low job satisfaction.

After reading this post, the first paragraph in particular, I have to guess you are either a "mentor," an RD, or some one in upper management. How long do you have to hang around to make good money? 10 years, 15 years? Remember a couple of years back at the NSMM when Tom said that this is a get rich slow company? Every outside sales job has a lot of freedom, and Centurion is not the exception. You are correct that management reads this, because at another meeting Tom clearly stated that he decided to allow spouses/significant others on the incentive trip, because he read it on this board. How could a company be good where if you speak up there are repercussions?

The company has been in trouble. Maybe not financially, but the moral of the sales force is low. Centurion is not a player in the market, and honestly I'm not sure that they really want to be. Goro and the other decision makers have been content with a 3% market share since Shield hit the market, and they are resistant to doing what they need to in order to be competitive...be on GPO contracts and be price competitive.

Do you really think that a company is serious when some regions have 6-7 positions open at once? Ask the manager in the South region how many openings he has had to fill since he became the RD. Do you think that it would be okay for a rep to lose 6-7 hospitals in a year, every year? Absolutely not, he/she would be ran out of the company.

In my opinion, things will never change. They won't change because management doesn't really want them to change. If they did, they would have been on GPO contracts a long time ago. Instead you get a song and dance about how GPOs are going away and some other BS about how it's good to not be on contract. When the reality is that almost 100% of hospitals belong to a GPO, and they are over 90% compliant to those contracts. So every hospital is wrong? And every other medical company is wrong by being on contract?

If I were you, I'd get out. Trust me, the grass is greener.

 

[anonymous]

Wow!! I can't lie. By luck I found this site. I am a former rep who now works for a competitor. There is no doubt some sadness for the individual reps who are no doubt struggling. You always hate to hear that. At the same time though I have to tell you all that I have a TON of pleasure in reading all of the issues of this flea bag company who has a deserved reputation of screwing the sales reps. I also have to laugh reading how everyone rips Mike Goro and Tom Archipley Jr. Once a douchbebag, always a douchebag!! Some things in life never change. Goro always thought he was God's gift to the world yet the sales people had always done the selling. He must be a good sales person though as he convinced Tom Sr. to keep him in his position and pay him the big bucks. Tom Jr. was fed the silver spoon and no doubt has an undeserved ego. Has he ever told anyone that he could not make it with Centurion/Tri-State the first time? Yep he failed in his job and Dad brought him back again. It's not what you know but who you know. John Bauer, Mike Goro, Tom Archipley Jr. and Sr., etc. They are all cut from the same mold. All for them and they will screw you so fast to protect themselves without caring about you the sales rep. That is their history and you can not argue with facts.

I have heard so many negative things about this company recently but did not do much research per se to see if it was true. Well, the trail of these comments not only confirm everything that I have heard but goes well beyond that. I am sure that the main douchebags upstairs really don't care since all they will concern themselves with is how much money they have in the bank (I see how they still like to remind everyone about that!), but I do believe that their time will come. There are MANY things that people like myself know about their personal background and how they have lived their lives and all I will say is that heaven is not a place that these people will be going. Remember, the ones who preach the loudest are the ones who have the most to hide in their closets.

So, if anyone is looking to work for a company like this, only do so if you are on your last penny and you need a job. If that is the case, do so with your resume out because you want to beat these bastards to the punch to protect yourselves! I will sign off by saying, this company's struggles in the industry gives me goosebumps.

 

[anonymous]

OMG! After I left the last post, I decided to read ALL of the posts instead of just a couple of pages. I can't believe how much that Goro, Bauer, Archipley, etc. really screwed everything up. That much more since I left! Centurion looks like it is going down the toilet! Getting goosebumps again! Still way too overpriced and still no contracts. Nice to see that you A'holes still think you are smarter than evreryone else. All I know is that I get so much pleasure in reading these posts and knowing how often the company that I now work for eats your lunch!!

 

[anonymous]

OMG! After I left the last post, I decided to read ALL of the posts instead of just a couple of pages. I can't believe how much that Goro, Bauer, Archipley, etc. really screwed everything up. That much more since I left! Centurion looks like it is going down the toilet! Getting goosebumps again! Still way too overpriced and still no contracts. Nice to see that you A'holes still think you are smarter than evreryone else. All I know is that I get so much pleasure in reading these posts and knowing how often the company that I now work for eats your lunch!!

WOW! Someones got their panties in a bunch because they couldn't sell and got fired. Listen, just because you can't sell value and had to move over to a competitor to be a price wh#re doesn't mean you get to rant on this page. Tell your problems to your shrink.

Unlike you, I'm just trying to make an honest living over here. Yes, this job is challenging, but I've increased my salary every year, I make a very good living, family / work balance is good and I believe my products truly help people. The job may not be perfect, but it is what you make it. Also, go ask your shrink why you get goosebumps when you see others fail. That is not normal.

S'cuse me, but I'm about to take some more business from my competitor.

 

[anonymous]

So, which of the top dopes are you? Like I said in my orginial post, I feel bad for the reps. Not for the a-holes up top like you. You are getting what you deserve in losing business and more is coming. Get ready!!

 

[Ahole rep that paid dues]

So, which of the top dopes are you? Like I said in my orginial post, I feel bad for the reps. Not for the a-holes up top like you. You are getting what you deserve in losing business and more is coming. Get ready!!

I'm just a rep. An average rep that decided to stick around. I've only been here 5 to 10 years (for the sake of anonymity)

Now, why am I an Ahole? Is it because I took my stripes, hung around for a few years, paid my dues, got a few breaks and now earn well into the 6 figures?

So let me get this straight. When I started, I WASN'T an Ahole because I was a struggling rep. It wasn't until I worked hard, kept increasing my commissions year after year, made a decent living that you then became jealous of, is that when I became an Ahole. Is that right? Is that your logic? You sir, are what is wrong with this country. Mad at people that work hard, make a name for themselves and earn a good wage and then don't share. If that is why I'm an Ahole, then I'm fine with that. Call me an Ahole all you want, I will wear it as a badge of honor. I'm sorry we didn't pave the way for you to make what you wanted while you were here. I know you are mad because Bernie Sanders didn't get elected, and your kids don't make $15 an hour and health insurance at McDonald's. I'm sick of people getting a job and then EXPECT to get paid 6 figures immediately like it's owed to them. I earned my GD money. It was f***ing hard! I wanted to quit, I was jealous of other reps, however that drove me to where I am now. I didn't make excuses about my territory. And you my freind happen to be the proverbial straw that broke the camels back. I am sick of coming on here and seeing little whining b!tches cry about how they couldn't cut it. The reason that I chose commission sales was for the simple fact that I would be rewarded according to how hard I worked. That seemed to pan out for me.

I get it, you got fired, and Bernie Sanders is out, I get it, you're mad. Get over it. Work hard. Grow a pair. In a few years if you stick to it you might make a decent living.

Signed - Ahole rep who worked hard and paid their dues and proud of it!

 

[anonymous]

Wow!! Your making this a political statement? Fine, go do it. You will allienate 50% of the people looking at this site who may want to work for your company. Any smart sales person knows not to bring up things like that to people and make assumptions. Also, in your previous email, you said some sort of sexist statement. You don't even know if I am a male or female do you? That comment was made from someone who works for a company who has NEVER had a female EVER work in a sales upper management position and this company has been around since the 70's! What the hell is wrong with this company to NEVER have a female rep in any such position? A public company would be investigated for something like that! Let's see how any potential female reps feel about that fact!

Let me say this and you better understand it. This is a road that you and your company does not want to go down with a back and forth with someone on a site like this. I know too much about Centurion, it's inner workings and the people. You keep a back and forth with me on this site and I will let it fly!! The more that you get me going, the more that I will get on a roll.

I do not think that you are really a sales rep. Your responses are too "scripted". Look back at past popsts and reps of yours said the same thing about other scripted basic responses. Is this really Goro, Archipley, Bauer, Henke, Myers, etc.? I want you and whoever reads this thread/post to know that I make so much more money than anyone does at Centurion now (which of course you will tell me that you don't believe because only Centurion people supposedly make 100K a year) and I could not be happier. All I have heard from current and former reps on how things have changed and they have certainly not changed for the better. The company is a shell of what it used to be.

So, Mr. Centurion...fair warning. Be smart. Potential and current reps read these types of posts. You continue this and as Mr. Trump said...the gloves are off!!

 

[anonymous]

Well, you did it, you hurt my feelings and made me cry myself to sleep. I think I will resign thanks to you, as you made me realize how awful this company is and come work for you since you make boatloads more money than anyone else at Centurion. You win. What address should I send my resume? And to who's attention?

I'm glad you are happy where you work. I happen to be happy where I work. I'm not buying some of the stuff you're saying. You're not buying some of the stuff I'm saying. I don't see the point of continuing this debate.

I'm signing off. I said my peace, and I think you would also agree with me, that this is a waste of time.

If a potential rep doesn't take a job offer because I referenced Bernie Sanders or "grow a p##r" I sincerely apologize. On the other hand if your skin happens to be that thin, sales may not be for you, not here, not anywhere as a profession in sales is filled with harsh and constant rejection. That is the truth, not trying to be mean, just some helpful advice.

My sincerest apologies that I assumed you were a man. I hope you make it into upper management someday. I agree with you, we need more women like you in leadership roles. Perhaps you can join us and right this ship?

Now, I expect an apology from you assuming that I was one of those Aholes in upper management!

May someday, you and I face one another in battle, head to head, mano a mano, in the sales arena where we do not hide behind this pathetic curtain of anonymity on this childish forum where we boast and brag about whatever we want while not having to corroborate any of it.

Buh-bye,

Signed-
Ahole sales rep that paid his dues - not to be confused with Ahole upper management

 

[anonymous]

Well, you did it, you hurt my feelings and made me cry myself to sleep. I think I will resign thanks to you, as you made me realize how awful this company is and come work for you since you make boatloads more money than anyone else at Centurion. You win. What address should I send my resume? And to who's attention?

On the other hand if your skin happens to be that thin, sales may not be for you, not here, not anywhere as a profession in sales is filled with harsh and constant rejection. That is the truth, not trying to be mean, just some helpful advice.

May someday, you and I face one another in battle, head to head, mano a mano, in the sales arena where we do not hide behind this pathetic curtain of anonymity on this childish forum where we boast and brag about whatever we want while not having to corroborate any of it.


So, OK. I was going to leave this alone but I can't because of some of your comments above. Yes you are right. You and I will not believe what we say to each other and I am OK with that because I know the true facts on my end. If you are not upper management and you are a sales rep, then I give you my respect. Please understand that I have nothing against you personally. You just play for the wrong team in my eyes.

So, first of all, sorry to make you cry. I did not mean too!! In regards to your resume, we don't want it. You may be the best sales rep of all time but we have already had Centurion people work for us and they were not succesful with us. We have also had other people send resumes and reach out to us from Centurion by different routes. These people also include some of the reps that previous posters talked about in this thread who were succesful with Centurion/Tri-State and they either could not take the changes anymore in how the company was doing things and/or how the pay structure had changed or were forced out after many years. Nothing against them personally, but the Centurion way of selling in today's healthcare marketplace just does not work as a whole anymore.

And don't worry about rejection. I have been thru the ringer many times and rejection never bothers me. Just turn the negative into the postive and the end result usually works out. I end my day always with a smile and new money in my pocket due to my hard work so no concerns here thank you.

Finally, maybe we have gone head to head before and maybe we are as we speak. Let me just say that if I have ever taken business away from you, I apologize. It's nothing personal. Like I said earlier, you play for the wrong team. All I know is that of all the times that I have gone head to head vs. Centurion, I have won 98% of the time. And of the ones that I may have lost, I know that I will get that business down the road. I am 100% confident in that. It is not if, it is just when. Just don't try to go down that "price whore" term you used before. It goes way beyond price. We sell quality and service better than anyone else (isn't that what Centurion used to say to validate their high prices?). We also don't work off of contracts either so that will show you that me and my company knows how to sell in a contract driven marketplace. So, if we do go head to head, good luck to you. Just know that more lost business is coming!

 

[anonymous]

Quoted by you:

Well, you did it, you hurt my feelings and made me cry myself to sleep. I think I will resign thanks to you, as you made me realize how awful this company is and come work for you since you make boatloads more money than anyone else at Centurion. You win. What address should I send my resume? And to who's attention?

On the other hand if your skin happens to be that thin, sales may not be for you, not here, not anywhere as a profession in sales is filled with harsh and constant rejection. That is the truth, not trying to be mean, just some helpful advice.

May someday, you and I face one another in battle, head to head, mano a mano, in the sales arena where we do not hide behind this pathetic curtain of anonymity on this childish forum where we boast and brag about whatever we want while not having to corroborate any of it."

My response:

So, OK. I was going to leave this alone but I can't because of some of your comments above. Yes you are right. You and I will not believe what we say to each other and I am OK with that because I know the true facts on my end. If you are not upper management and you are a sales rep, then I give you my respect. Please understand that I have nothing against you personally. You just play for the wrong team in my eyes.

So, first of all, sorry to make you cry. I did not mean too!! In regards to your resume, we don't want it. You may be the best sales rep of all time but we have already had Centurion people work for us and they were not succesful with us. We have also had other people send resumes and reach out to us from Centurion by different routes. These people also include some of the reps that previous posters talked about in this thread who were succesful with Centurion/Tri-State and they either could not take the changes anymore in how the company was doing things and/or how the pay structure had changed or were forced out after many years. Nothing against them personally, but the Centurion way of selling in today's healthcare marketplace just does not work as a whole anymore.

And don't worry about rejection. I have been thru the ringer many times and rejection never bothers me. Just turn the negative into the postive and the end result usually works out. I end my day always with a smile and new money in my pocket due to my hard work so no concerns here thank you.

Finally, maybe we have gone head to head before and maybe we are as we speak. Let me just say that if I have ever taken business away from you, I apologize. It's nothing personal. Like I said earlier, you play for the wrong team. All I know is that of all the times that I have gone head to head vs. Centurion, I have won 98% of the time. And of the ones that I may have lost, I know that I will get that business down the road. I am 100% confident in that. It is not if, it is just when. Just don't try to go down that "price whore" term you used before. It goes way beyond price. We sell quality and service better than anyone else (isn't that what Centurion used to say to validate their high prices?). We also don't work off of contracts either so that will show you that me and my company knows how to sell in a contract driven marketplace. So, if we do go head to head, good luck to you. Just know that more lost business is coming!

 

[anonymous]

Quoted by you:

Well, you did it, you hurt my feelings and made me cry myself to sleep. I think I will resign thanks to you, as you made me realize how awful this company is and come work for you since you make boatloads more money than anyone else at Centurion. You win. What address should I send my resume? And to who's attention?

On the other hand if your skin happens to be that thin, sales may not be for you, not here, not anywhere as a profession in sales is filled with harsh and constant rejection. That is the truth, not trying to be mean, just some helpful advice.

May someday, you and I face one another in battle, head to head, mano a mano, in the sales arena where we do not hide behind this pathetic curtain of anonymity on this childish forum where we boast and brag about whatever we want while not having to corroborate any of it."

My response:

So, OK. I was going to leave this alone but I can't because of some of your comments above. Yes you are right. You and I will not believe what we say to each other and I am OK with that because I know the true facts on my end. If you are not upper management and you are a sales rep, then I give you my respect. Please understand that I have nothing against you personally. You just play for the wrong team in my eyes.

So, first of all, sorry to make you cry. I did not mean too!! In regards to your resume, we don't want it. You may be the best sales rep of all time but we have already had Centurion people work for us and they were not succesful with us. We have also had other people send resumes and reach out to us from Centurion by different routes. These people also include some of the reps that previous posters talked about in this thread who were succesful with Centurion/Tri-State and they either could not take the changes anymore in how the company was doing things and/or how the pay structure had changed or were forced out after many years. Nothing against them personally, but the Centurion way of selling in today's healthcare marketplace just does not work as a whole anymore.

And don't worry about rejection. I have been thru the ringer many times and rejection never bothers me. Just turn the negative into the postive and the end result usually works out. I end my day always with a smile and new money in my pocket due to my hard work so no concerns here thank you.

Finally, maybe we have gone head to head before and maybe we are as we speak. Let me just say that if I have ever taken business away from you, I apologize. It's nothing personal. Like I said earlier, you play for the wrong team. All I know is that of all the times that I have gone head to head vs. Centurion, I have won 98% of the time. And of the ones that I may have lost, I know that I will get that business down the road. I am 100% confident in that. It is not if, it is just when. Just don't try to go down that "price whore" term you used before. It goes way beyond price. We sell quality and service better than anyone else (isn't that what Centurion used to say to validate their high prices?). We also don't work off of contracts either so that will show you that me and my company knows how to sell in a contract driven marketplace. So, if we do go head to head, good luck to you. Just know that more lost business is coming!

So I enjoy a good puzzler, and I can't figure out who the heck you work for.

1. You worked at Centurion, BUT then you state "Centurion people" don't cut it there. Implying 2 or more former reps (not including yourself) have worked at your employer, all failed but you.

2. You take 98% of our business.

3. Not on contract.

4. Make more money than ANYONE ELSE at Centurion.

I've got to tell you, I don't have the foggiest idea who you work for. I mean if you took my business nearly every time I think I would know. The business I do lose is normally contract related, which I get most of that back eventually. If you make more than anyone else here, you're a millionaire, literally, as we have some big top dogs. I mean you've got it made!

Gosh, I'm drawing a blank. Help me out. I won't be able to sleep tonight. I'm not trying to be an ass, (the last post I was sarcastic as hell, I'm serious now) you'd think with all those clues it would be on the tip of every CMP reps tongue.

Like you, I was going to let this go, but dammit, this is going to stump me.

 

[anonymous]

This has to be management. There isn't one sales rep that would defend this company. (10 years ago they all would have taken a bullet for this company)
The hard working reps that that put their dues in have still been burned one way or another by management. Even your reps making the top dog money are only still there because another company would never be able to match their pay.

 

[anonymous]

WOW! Someones got their panties in a bunch because they couldn't sell and got fired. Listen, just because you can't sell value and had to move over to a competitor to be a price wh#re doesn't mean you get to rant on this page. Tell your problems to your shrink.

Unlike you, I'm just trying to make an honest living over here. Yes, this job is challenging, but I've increased my salary every year, I make a very good living, family / work balance is good and I believe my products truly help people. The job may not be perfect, but it is what you make it. Also, go ask your shrink why you get goosebumps when you see others fail. That is not normal.

S'cuse me, but I'm about to take some more business from my competitor.

I agree with the previous poster that there is no way a sales rep wrote this. This is coming from someone in senior management or a regional manager. It fact, it sounds a lot like Tom's "get rich slow" speech from a couple of years ago at the NSMM. Not even the top reps that are making serious money would not defend this company. The company has changed so much over the years, and it hasn't been for the good.

Whoever posted this, I ask you the following:

1. If this is such a great company to work for, then why is the sales force turnover upwards of what 30%. What's the average tenure of a new rep? Less than a year? Ask Henke how his region has been gutted by turnover the last couple of years - it's not only the new reps that are leaving him either.
2. How is it that a company can keep a manager(s) that cannot keep reps? In any other company, don't you think red flags would go up when you have a region of 20 reps and in a couple years you need to fill positions for almost the entire region? In fact some positions have been filled multiple times.
3. If this is such a great company, why is that the main recruiter and the regional managers flat out lie to recruits during the interview process of the reality of the job? Don't believe me - if you bother doing exit interviews notice a recurring theme: reps are told the products are on contract, reps are told they are paid from dollar 1 on everything that is sold in the territory, reps are told about the robust and comprehensive training program, reps are also told how supportive their managers and the home office are. All are dead wrong.
4. Speaking of training, I checked with some of the reps that work for Centurion competitors, and not one of them had a training program where they were told to just look on YouTube or call a bunch of other reps to learn about the products. The training at Centurion is horrible. When I went through it we heard Goro talk more about himself and all of the wonderful things that he has done, than we learned about the focus products. We heard more about how much money all of the managers made and how they put their kids through college without student loans, than we learned about the focus products. You have to love being expected to go out in the field and sell on value from day 1, but your employer expects your customers to train you on the products that you are selling them.
5. What is this family/work balance that you mention? I was told by my manager when I was speaking to him about in-services I had scheduled in December that the expectation is that I am at the hospital on Christmas day and New Year's Eve. I know several reps that had the same experiences. Reps missing their children's birthday parties on the weekends. One year the Super Bowl was being hosted in my hometown and I was planning on going, but the access product manager insisted on coming in making calls on Super Bowl Sunday and that Monday, because other reps wouldn't be out in the field and we could get in front of the customers on a Sunday.
6. To quote Creative Selling by Tom Archipley on page 41, "The Tri-State salesman must find out what he needs and seek help. No one will hold his hand. Anyone and everyone at Tri-State will help a salesman when asked, but it is his duty to enlist the the aid of others if he needs help." This cannot be further from the truth. What Centurion wants is for you to call your peers and ask for advice (but they will never give you a straight answer), your managers never give you a straight answer. I recall one time when a few months prior to my start date, Centurion lost the business in a large system. I asked my manager if he could give me some background on what happened,who the players were, etc. so that I could start working on a strategy to win the business back. This is 2 weeks into my employment, and his response was that I should already know the answers to my questions. I asked him again, when he asked me how it was going at said system, and he told me to go figure it out.
7. My final point is I really love how Centurion's only real defense to anything is that the reps couldn't cut it. They went to become price whores, because they couldn't sell on value. Just curious, but how long have you had a 3% market share on the Shield? I think Goro said since it's launch. How is selling on value working out there? You are getting destroyed in the market by your competition in the dressing market. What drove the decision to let kitters sell your dressing? Is it because your own people couldn't sell it at the price point you have?

There are many other things that I would like to bring up, that I will save for future posts. Enjoy the remainder of your weekend, and I'm a looking forward to the verbal sparring.