Wow – have times changed? During my tenure with Conmed – Electro surgery carried the rest of the divisions and was looked at with envy. The system 5000/2500 was a great product and most of the sales force who worked for the company when it went on the market – knew how to differentiate and sell clinically to the physicians. Top reps made a ton of money… We had some great sales reps: Luke Cowart, Buck Weller, Phil Maher, Tony Ernsberger, Brent Johnson, and many more. I believe all of them have left – not sure.
There was a synergy at that time amongst the sales force. They woke up every day knowing they had great technology and closing IDN’s were possible. I think one of the many reasons of frustration I see on this board is how Dave Murray and can’t remember the other douche bag who wanted the sales force to transition from selling capital to disposables. Shit really hit the fan when they changed the comp plan to push reps to sell disposables when we didn’t even have most of the GPO contracts. Moreover, DM and his band of village idiots couldn’t even close them on a national level.
The only turnover before that period took place was at the regional manager position, because they got screwed more than Jenna Jameson (Sp?) on a night of ecstasy. Most would take that job just to use as a resume builder to move on to another company. Glenn Fricke was a good guy – but investing in that psycho babble Sandler bullshit probably cost him that job; Sandler is great for B-T-B, but how in the fuck are you suppose to sell a medical device without a presentation – submarine, what a joke.
Anyways, instead of focusing on penetrating the disposable accounts – C-level should have concentrated on marketing trends of vessel sealing and that IMO was the beginning of the end. I remember sitting in on a regional meeting and management was laughing at combining a bovie with a vessel sealing device. They said purchasing wasn’t going to spend that kind of money on a bovie. It was a great concept, b/c when most of the surgeons started learning about the advantage of vessel sealing more of them wanted it.
I l eventually left because I started losing major accounts because most of the hospitals wanted to make it easier on the nursing staff and doctors who wanted it in their OR – instead of staff running all over the f’ing hospital looking for the harmonic scalpel or ligasure. Why not just put it in every room, and it would be much more efficient.
Oh well, I had some great times – I’m just glad I left before the apocalypse. Just my two cents…
There was a synergy at that time amongst the sales force. They woke up every day knowing they had great technology and closing IDN’s were possible. I think one of the many reasons of frustration I see on this board is how Dave Murray and can’t remember the other douche bag who wanted the sales force to transition from selling capital to disposables. Shit really hit the fan when they changed the comp plan to push reps to sell disposables when we didn’t even have most of the GPO contracts. Moreover, DM and his band of village idiots couldn’t even close them on a national level.
The only turnover before that period took place was at the regional manager position, because they got screwed more than Jenna Jameson (Sp?) on a night of ecstasy. Most would take that job just to use as a resume builder to move on to another company. Glenn Fricke was a good guy – but investing in that psycho babble Sandler bullshit probably cost him that job; Sandler is great for B-T-B, but how in the fuck are you suppose to sell a medical device without a presentation – submarine, what a joke.
Anyways, instead of focusing on penetrating the disposable accounts – C-level should have concentrated on marketing trends of vessel sealing and that IMO was the beginning of the end. I remember sitting in on a regional meeting and management was laughing at combining a bovie with a vessel sealing device. They said purchasing wasn’t going to spend that kind of money on a bovie. It was a great concept, b/c when most of the surgeons started learning about the advantage of vessel sealing more of them wanted it.
I l eventually left because I started losing major accounts because most of the hospitals wanted to make it easier on the nursing staff and doctors who wanted it in their OR – instead of staff running all over the f’ing hospital looking for the harmonic scalpel or ligasure. Why not just put it in every room, and it would be much more efficient.
Oh well, I had some great times – I’m just glad I left before the apocalypse. Just my two cents…