Disproving the "body snatcher" claims

[Anonymous]

This post was taken from the investorvillage isrg message board. I have long suspected that all the negative posts here were from a few disgruntled individuals. If every single rep is eventually body snatched, then how does the following make sense?

"A few of us on the board had recently been musing about the hiring numbers being reported, and wondering what the net employee add number was.

Near the beginning of the call the other day Gary said "In the quarter, we added 170 people to our team predominantly in our clinical sales force, our manufacturing team and design functions in Q4, bringing our total team to 2,362 employees."

So I went back and looked at the hiring numbers for October, November, and December. They were 77, 71, and 63 respectively for a total of 211, meaning they lost 41 people during the quarter, or 1.7% of their workforce. I don't know much about HR, but that seems reasonable to me as far as retention rates go."

 

[Anonymous]

This post was taken from the investorvillage isrg message board. I have long suspected that all the negative posts here were from a few disgruntled individuals. If every single rep is eventually body snatched, then how does the following make sense?

"A few of us on the board had recently been musing about the hiring numbers being reported, and wondering what the net employee add number was.

Near the beginning of the call the other day Gary said "In the quarter, we added 170 people to our team predominantly in our clinical sales force, our manufacturing team and design functions in Q4, bringing our total team to 2,362 employees."

So I went back and looked at the hiring numbers for October, November, and December. They were 77, 71, and 63 respectively for a total of 211, meaning they lost 41 people during the quarter, or 1.7% of their workforce. I don't know much about HR, but that seems reasonable to me as far as retention rates go."

Silly rabbit! Do bring facts and figures to a gun fight?!

 

[Anonymous]

Please. If you've been at ISI for over 3 years, and have functioned in a sales or training capacity, you're VERY well aware that Body Snatching exists. The executives know it, management knows it, and clearly the Product Managers and HR are aware. It's existed for years, it's part of their culture, and this "dirty secret" tradition won't die anytime soon. It's built in to their "quarterly sales rep cleansing process". Period.

You'd be hard pressed to find a tenured rep (3+ years) that hasn't personally known a CAST member, team mate or friend that hasn't been affected by this brutal tactic. Good, unsuspecting, undeserving people with families have been cut off at the knees year after year. Why? Because they've been told by their CSM/CSD to enter/pull cases into the existing quarter to help hit case/revenue goals. The CSRs take the fall, and the managers skate by without consequences. So sick.

 

[Anonymous]

Not to mention all the money the company saves by not having to pay for stock options that were given when they were hired and bonus options earned for fiscal year performance.

 

[Anonymous]

This post was taken from the investorvillage isrg message board. I have long suspected that all the negative posts here were from a few disgruntled individuals. If every single rep is eventually body snatched, then how does the following make sense?

"A few of us on the board had recently been musing about the hiring numbers being reported, and wondering what the net employee add number was.

Near the beginning of the call the other day Gary said "In the quarter, we added 170 people to our team predominantly in our clinical sales force, our manufacturing team and design functions in Q4, bringing our total team to 2,362 employees."

So I went back and looked at the hiring numbers for October, November, and December. They were 77, 71, and 63 respectively for a total of 211, meaning they lost 41 people during the quarter, or 1.7% of their workforce. I don't know much about HR, but that seems reasonable to me as far as retention rates go."

Thanks for the post Gary. We all know you come on hear to read this and defend the company. I understand it’s your position and something you have to do. I’ll challenge you on the 1.7% attrition rate. This company is losing quality sales reps left and right, some under the infamous “body snatcher claims” others are just quitting because they won’t sacrifice their souls and integrity with surgeons and accounts any longer. We have 3 people left from my CAST class alone. I won’t say the year for fear of “outing” myself. At the WWSM I noticed many people missing from the summer meeting, many fired and several quit for better opportunities. Yes I’m disgruntled but I’ll stay and cover my 2 accounts and train GYNs who do 10 cases a year. On a positive note, I did sell the single port kit to a hospital! Now, if I could only find a general surgeon to use it for choles…..

 

[Anonymous]

If you feel so strongly, then why don't you do a little research instead of wasting time on cafepharma being negative.

Here's what you do: Go find the Q3 conference call. Gary will say how many net adds to the company there were. Then find the hiring numbers for July, August, and September. Add up the three numbers, then subtract the number Gary gave from the hiring total. This will give you the attrition number. Report back to the board with this number. Thanks!

Thanks for the post Gary. We all know you come on hear to read this and defend the company. I understand it’s your position and something you have to do. I’ll challenge you on the 1.7% attrition rate. This company is losing quality sales reps left and right, some under the infamous “body snatcher claims” others are just quitting because they won’t sacrifice their souls and integrity with surgeons and accounts any longer. We have 3 people left from my CAST class alone. I won’t say the year for fear of “outing” myself. At the WWSM I noticed many people missing from the summer meeting, many fired and several quit for better opportunities. Yes I’m disgruntled but I’ll stay and cover my 2 accounts and train GYNs who do 10 cases a year. On a positive note, I did sell the single port kit to a hospital! Now, if I could only find a general surgeon to use it for choles…..

 

[Anonymous]

If you feel so strongly, then why don't you do a little research instead of wasting time on cafepharma being negative.

Here's what you do: Go find the Q3 conference call. Gary will say how many net adds to the company there were. Then find the hiring numbers for July, August, and September. Add up the three numbers, then subtract the number Gary gave from the hiring total. This will give you the attrition number. Report back to the board with this number. Thanks!

And square the result just for fun...

 

[Anonymous]

It really doesn't matter what "the numbers" are. The very fact that so much time and energy is spent on CP discussing and/or analyzing the hiring, firing or resignation stats of reps tells the story of how fucked up this place is.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm glad that analysis of q4 was posted. There's a lot of (or just one or two) negative Nancy's on this board that needed to be put in their place.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm glad that analysis of q4 was posted. There's a lot of (or just one or two) negative Nancy's on this board that needed to be put in their place.

Please. I've hardly been "put in my place". I'm stating a simple fact that "body snatching" exists. If you're working at ISI and don't see it plain as day, then you're not tenured or truly clueless. I couldn't care LESS what the Q4 numbers say. We ALL know "the numbers" are fudged a bit @ ISI! Whether it's the # of cases, counting one procedure as 2, or the proper % increase of robotic adoption, the numbers have been inflated.

CSRs (rarely managers) have been FIRED for it. They're "snatched" and life goes on. So please spare us with who's been "put in their place". So lame.

 

[Anonymous]

Please. I've hardly been "put in my place". I'm stating a simple fact that "body snatching" exists. If you're working at ISI and don't see it plain as day, then you're not tenured or truly clueless. I couldn't care LESS what the Q4 numbers say. We ALL know "the numbers" are fudged a bit @ ISI! Whether it's the # of cases, counting one procedure as 2, or the proper % increase of robotic adoption, the numbers have been inflated.

CSRs (rarely managers) have been FIRED for it. They're "snatched" and life goes on. So please spare us with who's been "put in their place". So lame.

Even the CSMs are not immune, just in a different way. There is hardly a CSM that has been in the role over 3 years. Demoted and then fired. Some are smart enough to leave on their own.

 

[Anonymous]

Child please. You were most certainly put in your place. Someone posted some actual facts, and it brought your house of cards down.

If ISI fudges numbers so abhorrently, then why haven't they gone the way of Tenant Health Care, Enron, and Tyco?

You are one sad sack. So lame.

Please. I've hardly been "put in my place". I'm stating a simple fact that "body snatching" exists. If you're working at ISI and don't see it plain as day, then you're not tenured or truly clueless. I couldn't care LESS what the Q4 numbers say. We ALL know "the numbers" are fudged a bit @ ISI! Whether it's the # of cases, counting one procedure as 2, or the proper % increase of robotic adoption, the numbers have been inflated.

CSRs (rarely managers) have been FIRED for it. They're "snatched" and life goes on. So please spare us with who's been "put in their place". So lame.

 

[Anonymous]

Please. I've hardly been "put in my place". I'm stating a simple fact that "body snatching" exists. If you're working at ISI and don't see it plain as day, then you're not tenured or truly clueless. I couldn't care LESS what the Q4 numbers say. We ALL know "the numbers" are fudged a bit @ ISI! Whether it's the # of cases, counting one procedure as 2, or the proper % increase of robotic adoption, the numbers have been inflated.

CSRs (rarely managers) have been FIRED for it. They're "snatched" and life goes on. So please spare us with who's been "put in their place". So lame.

You'd have to be blind to see that the numbers are not fudged. You definitely see it in-house. Every year when they fall behind with their unrealistic goals, some of the engineers mysteriously disappear right before the holidays. No one in management takes the fall.

 

[Anonymous]

Child please. You were most certainly put in your place. Someone posted some actual facts, and it brought your house of cards down.

If ISI fudges numbers so abhorrently, then why haven't they gone the way of Tenant Health Care, Enron, and Tyco?

You are one sad sack. So lame.

Too funny. Is anyone really being "put in their place" here? It's a KNOWN fact that the CSRs are pushed to the limit to fudge cases. Period. Maybe the executives/managers aren't aware of that, but it happens. Each and every month. Each and every quarter. People get fired for it...and as far as the "house of cards" going down...who knows? Last time I checked NOBODY owns a crystal ball. Time will tell. Live and let live, people! Loosen up! Now go train a GYN that does 3 cases/month! You've got a bucket to hit! In the meantime, try not to get snatched!

 

[Anonymous]

Child please. You were most certainly put in your place. Someone posted some actual facts, and it brought your house of cards down.

If ISI fudges numbers so abhorrently, then why haven't they gone the way of Tenant Health Care, Enron, and Tyco?

You are one sad sack. So lame.

The SEC doesn't require that you report the number of people you hire/fire or the number of procedures you perform. They only care about your balance sheet, your income sheet & your cash flow. It's the only thing they audit along with insider transactions. Those companies cooked their financial books while ISI manipulates the system in the grey zone. They create a fake hype on numerics that aren't auditable to manipulate their stock price. While what they do is shady, it's not illegal (yet).

 

[Anonymous]

The SEC doesn't require that you report the number of people you hire/fire or the number of procedures you perform. They only care about your balance sheet, your income sheet & your cash flow. It's the only thing they audit along with insider transactions. Those companies cooked their financial books while ISI manipulates the system in the grey zone. They create a fake hype on numerics that aren't auditable to manipulate their stock price. While what they do is shady, it's not illegal (yet).

And there you have it! Perfectly articulated and you took the time to even put a bow on it. Many thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

The SEC doesn't require that you report the number of people you hire/fire or the number of procedures you perform. They only care about your balance sheet, your income sheet & your cash flow. It's the only thing they audit along with insider transactions. Those companies cooked their financial books while ISI manipulates the system in the grey zone. They create a fake hype on numerics that aren't auditable to manipulate their stock price. While what they do is shady, it's not illegal (yet).

Haha! Didn't you know "GREY" is the new black? This is so SPOT ON! Their metrics are so phony it's criminal.

 

[Anonymous]

What the SEC does care deeply about is untrue or misleading statements. You can't routinely report untruths and get away with it.

They report the number of procedures performed each quarter. As you pointed out, they also report the balance sheet. If you listen to the calls, they state revenue per procedure. This revenue per procedure hasn't changed all that much over the years, and only varies with initial stocking orders. If they were overstating procedures, then this revenue per procedure number would go down... which is hasn't.

I don't know why you insist on being so negative... maybe you have a short position on the stock, or maybe you were let go. But you have no solid facts to back up your wild accusations.

The SEC doesn't require that you report the number of people you hire/fire or the number of procedures you perform. They only care about your balance sheet, your income sheet & your cash flow. It's the only thing they audit along with insider transactions. Those companies cooked their financial books while ISI manipulates the system in the grey zone. They create a fake hype on numerics that aren't auditable to manipulate their stock price. While what they do is shady, it's not illegal (yet).

 

[Anonymous]

What the SEC does care deeply about is untrue or misleading statements. You can't routinely report untruths and get away with it.

They report the number of procedures performed each quarter. As you pointed out, they also report the balance sheet. If you listen to the calls, they state revenue per procedure. This revenue per procedure hasn't changed all that much over the years, and only varies with initial stocking orders. If they were overstating procedures, then this revenue per procedure number would go down... which is hasn't.

I don't know why you insist on being so negative... maybe you have a short position on the stock, or maybe you were let go. But you have no solid facts to back up your wild accusations.

I'm sorry I hurt your feeling Gary. I see you think you can mislead and confuse people with your 'analysis' above. As I said, profits per procedure isn't audited or can be audited. The SEC isnt an omnipotent organization.

 

[Anonymous]

Lets go ahead and get you a spelling and grammar book. Once that is accomplished please find some actual facts, then report back.

Oh, and why don't you tell us why you are so butthurt as well?

I'm sorry I hurt your feeling Gary. I see you think you can mislead and confuse people with your 'analysis' above. As I said, profits per procedure isn't audited or can be audited. The SEC isnt an omnipotent organization.