Dumbing yourself down enough to be a Merck rep

[Anonymous]

It is a job, not a career. I just do not like the bragging and fake crap that goes along with dealing with this monster. The reps are not dumb. In my area, they are quite smart.....it is the job that is dumbing everything down, along with crappy management. I know more than my manager, who wants to talk to the customer about anything except product (I am not kidding). Crazy, crazy, crazy days. If they would just let the reps sell and forget about all of the busy work going on, then maybe we could get out and do our job instead of taking tests, having meetings, working on environmental scans, business acumen and all the other crazy things we have to do besides sell.

What you say is the God's honest truth. But look how busy you appear from all the non-selling activities that give and support the jobs of others inside Merck. All part of the ongoing scam that one day will have to end when momma can no longer afford it.

 

[Anonymous]

...edited...
The funniest thing is that I still get letters asking me/my (former) company to help underwrite their medical symposiums - but part of the guidelines established for these symposiums is to prohibit any personnel from the sponsoring companies!!

This also expose the hypocrisy for the hospitals and other organizations that solicit support from you. Drug companies are evil. We don't want you to come near our clinics. But we want your money. We give you business (a shakedown). We'll take your money but you cannot display nor attend our programs. I still remember the president of a non-access hospital asking one of the docs to call me for free samples of Vasotec for personal use. What an ass. Or the specialist that trash drug companies and yet invest in them for profit.

 

[Anonymous]

It is a job, not a career. I just do not like the bragging and fake crap that goes along with dealing with this monster. The reps are not dumb. In my area, they are quite smart.....it is the job that is dumbing everything down, along with crappy management. I know more than my manager, who wants to talk to the customer about anything except product (I am not kidding). Crazy, crazy, crazy days. If they would just let the reps sell and forget about all of the busy work going on, then maybe we could get out and do our job instead of taking tests, having meetings, working on environmental scans, business acumen and all the other crazy things we have to do besides sell.

So true. Reps, especially the tenured ones, are very smart in my area also. But the managers want to coach and mold them. I did an experiment once. My manager went on vacation. I reverted to the old way of selling, breaking routing, dined with the key docs only. My early sales data went straight up. He came back from vacation. I had to do what he said. Sales went flat again and he was pissed.

 

[Anonymous]

So true. Reps, especially the tenured ones, are very smart in my area also. But the managers want to coach and mold them. I did an experiment once. My manager went on vacation. I reverted to the old way of selling, breaking routing, dined with the key docs only. My early sales data went straight up. He came back from vacation. I had to do what he said. Sales went flat again and he was pissed.

His way = fast track to PIP on sales + competencies and out the door.

Your way = fast track to PIP on competencies and out the door.

Tough place to be in...out the door.

 

[Anonymous]

First we hired loser management..lots of folks hired too fast with little IQ and no time in the business...then we started hiring MBA's out of Wharton, Princeton, etc. because they were so smart and we could take a shortcut to good management and we let them work in the field for 6 months and they were managers! They were not on the pot long enough to need toilet paper and bingo they were smarter than those 20+ year tenured reps they were managing ! Then we started hiring cheerleaders and lunch caterers with nice augmentation and nothing between their ears, not all were dummies but now it did not matter! A a meeting in Orlando there was a raucus cheer when it was announced that 50% of the sales force was not women..a tenured (30+) sitting next to me announced under his breath that it was the beginning of the end! In my 32 year career I've rarely met a female rep that I would trade with cash for a middle of the road male rep! Some were great but most were just making a little extra money (with little or no devotion) to put in the kids college fund or to have insurance for 3 kids and a hysterectomy! Great companies are only a good as the best leaders and the average followers...we are in need of both now!

 

[Anonymous]

First we hired loser management..lots of folks hired too fast with little IQ and no time in the business...then we started hiring MBA's out of Wharton, Princeton, etc. because they were so smart and we could take a shortcut to good management and we let them work in the field for 6 months and they were managers! They were not on the pot long enough to need toilet paper and bingo they were smarter than those 20+ year tenured reps they were managing ! Then we started hiring cheerleaders and lunch caterers with nice augmentation and nothing between their ears, not all were dummies but now it did not matter! A a meeting in Orlando there was a raucus cheer when it was announced that 50% of the sales force was not women..a tenured (30+) sitting next to me announced under his breath that it was the beginning of the end! In my 32 year career I've rarely met a female rep that I would trade with cash for a middle of the road male rep! Some were great but most were just making a little extra money (with little or no devotion) to put in the kids college fund or to have insurance for 3 kids and a hysterectomy! Great companies are only a good as the best leaders and the average followers...we are in need of both now!

"...then we started hiring MBA's out of Wharton, Princeton, etc. because they were so smart"..................I've never seen this. Some of the dumbest come from "prestigious" ivy schools. Got money? Family connctions? In a special, easy get in and push em through program? Duh...truth is ivy grads can have absolutely nothing over grads school from no name recognition schools. True in any profession, name can open a door but perfomance rests of the individual. Some of the top any field are from no-name schools here or foreign. Big proportion of plain ol duds and downright disasters are from the halls of ivy as with any school.

 

[Anonymous]

"...then we started hiring MBA's out of Wharton, Princeton, etc. because they were so smart"..................I've never seen this. Some of the dumbest come from "prestigious" ivy schools. Got money? Family connections? In a special, easy get in and push em through program? Duh...truth is ivy grads can have absolutely nothing over grads school from no name recognition schools. True in any profession, name can open a door but performance rests of the individual. Some of the top any field are from no-name schools here or foreign. Big proportion of plain ole duds and downright disasters are from the halls of ivy as with any school.

You and I unfortunately have to accept the fact that Merck HQ is on the East Coast. It is an East Coast company with reps all across the country. To them the inbreeding practice in hiring Wharton MBA's and alike is the normal way in doing business. They see each other as an elite group. They see the quick field sales rotation as a necessary evil. They see each other already in possession of all the talents from above to run an organization. The sales rotation is, well, just a rotation. They see themselves as smarter and above the lowly sales reps.

 

[Anonymous]

"...then we started hiring MBA's out of Wharton, Princeton, etc. because they were so smart"..................I've never seen this. Some of the dumbest come from "prestigious" ivy schools. Got money? Family connctions? In a special, easy get in and push em through program? Duh...truth is ivy grads can have absolutely nothing over grads school from no name recognition schools. True in any profession, name can open a door but perfomance rests of the individual. Some of the top any field are from no-name schools here or foreign. Big proportion of plain ol duds and downright disasters are from the halls of ivy as with any school.

ugh duh...how do u think we got OBAMA?

 

[Anonymous]

One more fine example of how totally ridiculous our job has become. Our death as pharma reps becomes ever more painful with each passing day. We've become the classic elephant in the room that everyone tries to avoid and ignore.

The elephants in the room sometimes want to get out of the room..AKA...get another job. Ain't gonna happen here that easily. Ain't gonna happen when the layoffs come either.

 

[Anonymous]

As a former tenured (20 plus years) rep, I can tell you that access will eventually dry up - it happened to me. It started when independent offices were bought up/out by a local hospital, or became "affiliated" with the local hospital. The hospital then put the "No reps allowed" policy in place. Front office staff were threatened with loss of job if they did not inforce the rule.

The hospital then ordered that all generics be used before any brand name medication, and changed branded meds to generic by accessing electronic medical records. Docs were held accountable for enforcing the generic utilization edict - docs were punished for not following through with the edict through a bonus system - bonus for using generics, no bonus for brand.

And, of course, the hospital banned all "gifts" like breakfast, lunch etc.

The funniest thing is that I still get letters asking me/my (former) company to help underwrite their medical symposiums - but part of the guidelines established for these symposiums is to prohibit any personnel from the sponsoring companies!!
I even attempted to pay the attendees fee to attend the meeting just to hear the presentations and keep myself abreast of medical trends - my check was returned, (my name was recognized!) and told I was not welcome even as a simple attendee!

Actually, I blame the media for painting a picture of pharma like we should NOT have behaved like a business but a nonprofit. Now, most of the big companies will be out of business in the next decade. Your post hits it spot on. I have no access, pharmacists act like assholes, there are no lunches, no hospital access unless you have an appointment, no access to patient areas or surgery and no samples. But boy oh boy do they want our money. This has turned into a very hostile and unattractive working environment, not healthy for anyone in the field on the promotional side. Worse to me, is to hear my doctors get led down the merry path of marketing when it comes to their prescribing choices and not really want to even discuss science. None of them are up to date anymore and most really don't care. Each system is in their own little island. They scream how they follow the guidelines while using everything but and off label to boot, but (of course) they only practice by evidence. The whole job is a total fucking joke and I'm miserable beyond belief. . . If I only could have gotten that SP package and I'm in the stuck age. No one wants to hire me because I'm over fifty. If I had the courage to slit my wrists and just end it, I would. Everyday is endless, gone for 12 hours is the average and now 'flagging'? WTF! Where am I going to squeeze that in, while I'm driving maybe or inbetween the endless, mindless teleconferences? I guess there goes my weekends too. I had one day off, now none. There is absolutely NO life balance and management just keeps shoveling it over us in an effort to MAKE themselves seem valuable. I pray to God, daily to be fired for something. I no longer even care about the package. Life sucks. Period.

 

[Anonymous]

Actually, I blame the media for painting a picture of pharma like we should NOT have behaved like a business but a nonprofit. Now, most of the big companies will be out of business in the next decade. Your post hits it spot on. I have no access, pharmacists act like assholes, there are no lunches, no hospital access unless you have an appointment, no access to patient areas or surgery and no samples. But boy oh boy do they want our money. This has turned into a very hostile and unattractive working environment, not healthy for anyone in the field on the promotional side. Worse to me, is to hear my doctors get led down the merry path of marketing when it comes to their prescribing choices and not really want to even discuss science. None of them are up to date anymore and most really don't care. Each system is in their own little island. They scream how they follow the guidelines while using everything but and off label to boot, but (of course) they only practice by evidence. The whole job is a total fucking joke and I'm miserable beyond belief. . . If I only could have gotten that SP package and I'm in the stuck age. No one wants to hire me because I'm over fifty. If I had the courage to slit my wrists and just end it, I would. Everyday is endless, gone for 12 hours is the average and now 'flagging'? WTF! Where am I going to squeeze that in, while I'm driving maybe or inbetween the endless, mindless teleconferences? I guess there goes my weekends too. I had one day off, now none. There is absolutely NO life balance and management just keeps shoveling it over us in an effort to MAKE themselves seem valuable. I pray to God, daily to be fired for something. I no longer even care about the package. Life sucks. Period.

This is what I don't get. Busier than ever and layoffs pending. Do they really think they will get the same level of dedication, 12 hour days and weekend work from CSOs. Most CSOs are looking for real jobs with livable pay. A CSO job is temporary and a "hardly getting by" income for the majority. Dream on management.

 

[Anonymous]

It really was a very short time ago that a pharma rep job was one of the best corporate jobs in America and if you were a Merck rep you were regarded as the best of the best. Now Merck rep= dead end job? Who could have ever thunk it? Glad I'm out.

 

[Anonymous]

This is what I don't get. Busier than ever and layoffs pending. Do they really think they will get the same level of dedication, 12 hour days and weekend work from CSOs. Most CSOs are looking for real jobs with livable pay. A CSO job is temporary and a "hardly getting by" income for the majority. Dream on management.

They don't care. Your logic requires them to care. They just don't care. They have their layoff numbers to meet.

 

[Anonymous]

It really was a very short time ago that a pharma rep job was one of the best corporate jobs in America and if you were a Merck rep you were regarded as the best of the best. Now Merck rep= dead end job? Who could have ever thunk it? Glad I'm out.

I still remember other reps, once they saw my name badge as "MSD", would walk up and quietly asked if there was a way they could give me resumes to pass along. The hungry and pleading look in their eyes, wanting to join such a prestigious company with great R&D.

 

[Anonymous]

I still remember other reps, once they saw my name badge as "MSD", would walk up and quietly asked if there was a way they could give me resumes to pass along. The hungry and pleading look in their eyes, wanting to join such a prestigious company with great R&D.

I don't recall when CafePharma started, but whenever that was, nobody was posting negatives about Merck. Merck was still the envy of all in the drug biz. I think AZ was getting all the bad posts with what they were doing with their sales force. Little did we know what loomed for Merck....

 

[Anonymous]

I don't recall when CafePharma started, but whenever that was, nobody was posting negatives about Merck. Merck was still the envy of all in the drug biz. I think AZ was getting all the bad posts with what they were doing with their sales force. Little did we know what loomed for Merck....

Well in spite of an empty pipeline, Merck at least seems to have discovered a cure for envy.

 

[Anonymous]

Well in spite of an empty pipeline, Merck at least seems to have discovered a cure for envy.

Did they ever!

 

[Anonymous]

This is what I don't get. Busier than ever and layoffs pending. Do they really think they will get the same level of dedication, 12 hour days and weekend work from CSOs. Most CSOs are looking for real jobs with livable pay. A CSO job is temporary and a "hardly getting by" income for the majority. Dream on management.

Sadly, the American Dream is dead, and CSO jobs won't be temporary...they will become the "new normal"....with many people on the unemployment line. Management knows this. We're living in a completely different world. Pretty scary.

 

[Anonymous]

"If I had the courage to slit my wrists and just end it, I would."

Please don't think this way! Don't let Merck ruin your life. Just go thru the motions, like most of us do. Very few reps at Merck are happy. They are simply here for the money and benefits. Think about how YOU are using Merck (not the other way around). Being over 50, you are so close to being free....just hang in there....you can do it.

 

[Anonymous]

A lot of dummies doing the dummy rep job, rep managers included....but few options in the Obama economy. Unemployment is now near depression levels and whatever jobs out there are lower paying. Who can walk away? If you have a second income, maybe....if you win somewhere big, for sure you walk. Most reps I know are stuck. Older with years are looking for the layoff package, but most others are are trying to figure out what they can do that has real job openings and pays. So many dummies with so little time left before a layoff.

Older reps who have age but not enough time in won't walk. They need more time in and face the worst job prospects of any age group.