Ethicon vs Applied Medical

[Anonymous]

Anyone have any opinions of working for Applied Medical vs. Ethicon. I just interviewed for an Ethicon position, but I had a recruiter call me Friday about possibly interviewing with Applied Medical this week. They are not on the board. Has or does anyone out there work for them or know anything about their reps, company culture, etc.?

 

[Anonymous]

An Ethicon Rep has a life span from 3 - 5 years, and usually lands a better position when he/she leaves.

An Applied Rep is an "old timer" in about 12 months - the turnover is incredible.

Lose the recruiters name & number that is promoting Applied Medical!

 

[Anonymous]

Run from Applied Medical as fast as you can. It has been a revolving door for years.

 

[Anonymous]

Was told Applied's avg Territory Manger brings home $115,000 - $120,000 is that realistic

 

[Anonymous]

OP,

I also interviewed with Applied and I am totally not sure what to do, I want to take it, but something in my gut is telling me not too....if you find any info please post and I will do the same

Thanks,

Unsure

 

[Anonymous]

not realistic. The good year (1 out of every 3 to 5) may be in that range but the average you will make over 5 years is 70 to 90k.

The turnover comments you read here are accurate. You'd be better off fighting your way into a stronger company, even if you have to start as an assistant. Take a 60 to 80k assistant job for a year and get your 120 to 150k territory after a year or two and you will be much happier and set up better for the long haul.

Applied - 80k x 5 years = 400k

Other - 60k x 1.5 years + 130k x 3.5 years = 545k and you won't be searching for a job.

 

[Anonymous]

Not true.

You could be with the biggest greatest company in the world or the smallest worst company in the world. There are ZERO guarantees you will be around for 6 months. You take the position you need to get in the business and work hard.

I love how people act like once they get in with a company they will be there for 5 years. In Med Device if you are making serious money chances are you have a great territory dollar wise which means each fiscal year you will get a larger nut or they cut your territory and give it to somebody else. You can be number 1 one year and the next be 125 b/c of the growth.

Get in bust your balls and see what happens. A bird in hand...

 

[Anonymous]

To the above poster who said, "follow your gut." If there is one thing that I have learned in life it is to follow your gut. Call it God, call it intuition but 99 out of 100 times I have found it to be correct. In most cases you should follow your gut.

Good Luck!

 

[Anonymous]

Get into medical device however possible...and once you do, bust your ass in the field, network w/ others, and then start looking elsewhere when you feel it is necessary.

There is no loyalty whatsoever, with ANY company. I know that half of the posters on CafePharma feel that they are surgeons because they went to training for 2 weeks and saw a lap chole or two....but face it, we're all sales reps, and in turn, we're all expendable.

Best of luck, don't get bogged down by the bullshit on here.

 

[Anonymous]

Untrue! That used to be the case. I had to leave for personal reasons but the culture at Applied is unlike any other company I've ever worked for. There used to be a lot of turnover. However, the new management is expanding and the pipeline is incredible. If you have an opportunity to get on with Applied, NOW is the time. This company is about to take off. I only wish I could go back. This is the only company that will take care of you IF you work hard. I've seen it personally.

 

[Anonymous]

They have been syaing NOW is the time for the last 7 years!!! Applied is a joke...If they knew how to take care of their reps they would have a decent sales force that would stick around. Their products are good, but it takes them too long to bring these products to an alreadt diluted market. Good luck selling Fios.Good concept that may have caught on 4 years ago!...Yeah, the gel port is great but everything else with the exception of the alexis is a me too product...Just a matter of time before Covideon Buys back all the trocar business they lots to Applied.

 

[Anonymous]

Been with Applied for over a year now. We are going through growing pains but the good thing is we are growing. Trocar market share increases every quarter. It is not easy and you have to work your ass off but if you have the opportunity you should take it. We don't have me too products looking for a niche. We have cutting edge products that many surgeons didn't realize they have the option to use. If you like busting up a monopoly with products that sell themselves, this is a good place. If you like babysitting accounts and relying on administrators scared to death of compliance issues so you don't lose business, I would look elsewhere.

 

[Anonymous]

Been with Applied for over a year now. We are going through growing pains but the good thing is we are growing. Trocar market share increases every quarter. It is not easy and you have to work your ass off but if you have the opportunity you should take it. We don't have me too products looking for a niche. We have cutting edge products that many surgeons didn't realize they have the option to use. If you like busting up a monopoly with products that sell themselves, this is a good place. If you like babysitting accounts and relying on administrators scared to death of compliance issues so you don't lose business, I would look elsewhere.

You don't have any "me too" products? Your trocars are "me too" products. Trocars are a commodity and the only way Applied gets in the door is due to price and price alone. You don't have a clinical argument for your products and your Kii trocars are nothing more than an XCEL wannabe. Applied reps do a wonderful job of making trocars a commodity because they can't win clinically. "What's the big deal doc, it's just a trocar?" I don't know how many times I've heard that quote during your sales pitch.

 

[Anonymous]

How much does EES pay Applied each time an excell trocar is bought. Come on young gun do you really have any idea what you are saying . Granted the excel trocar is by far the best disposable on the market but do you think at your level your little 125 ( maybe) makes a difference when you have %90 percent margin. Oh and your real good when you have a contract .
To the poster get in and learn what it is all about . Your biggest asset to yourself are the relationships you earn not the products you sell.

 

[Anonymous]

Anyone have any opinions of working for Applied Medical vs. Ethicon. I just interviewed for an Ethicon position, but I had a recruiter call me Friday about possibly interviewing with Applied Medical this week. They are not on the board. Has or does anyone out there work for them or know anything about their reps, company culture, etc.?

You have to look at what you are selling, and personally I think it is TOUGH sell. From what I have seen of Applied, they lead with their trocars. I sell against them (not a Ethicon rep) right now and it really is not a quality product. I think docs are opinionated enough about trocars that they will scream when their Step or Xcel disappear from the shelf. Any business you gain, you'll probably loose fast. I'd stay away from a trocar gig altogether.

 

[Anonymous]

How much does EES pay Applied each time an excell trocar is bought. Come on young gun do you really have any idea what you are saying . Granted the excel trocar is by far the best disposable on the market but do you think at your level your little 125 ( maybe) makes a difference when you have %90 percent margin. Oh and your real good when you have a contract .


Ahh the contract argument, if Applied only had the contract...blah..blah..blah. Hmm, you boys are on the Novation contract with a separate carve out trocar agreement and I don't see you taking any of my business there either. The fact of the matter is that for a system conversion, the Applied trocar might get 30% of the biz, mayb 40% but you rarely get a total conversion of a large system. Now that the Novation contract is enforcing compliance for trocars, the hospitals are seeing that maybe the Applied trocar isn't such a money saver after all because now their XCEL trocars that are in the system are going to list. So what do hospitals do? Switch everything back to XCEL because they have a much better chance at making the surgeons happy with an XCEL trocar vs. the Applied trocar. If the rest of the GPOs follow the Novation contract, your business will take a nice shot to the chin.

 

[Anonymous]

This whole argument is territory dependent. In some areas of the country Applied is doing very well. In others they struggle. Before you take a gig with either, it would serve you well to find out what contracts are most prevelent b/c despite what the previous poster said, that makes the biggest difference. Ethicon defintely has the king of the hill advantage over any competitor but over the last sevearl years, Applied has over taken Surgical as #2. Applied's new kii is fast becoming the trocar of choice because of its superior optics, it doesn't smudge the camera, and it doesn't use plastic blades to cut the muscle to gain access. It is still a blade, its just plastic. I have never seen a doctor ask for an excel back after trialing an applied trocar. Most Ethicon reps I know act as though they are entiltled to the trocar business and can't believe that a doc would want to use something else. Most Applied reps I know are so afraid of the compliance officers disguised as materials managers that they don't even pull their trocars out of the bag. For Ethicon trocars are an after thought. For Applied they are the only thought. I am very familiar with both companies but don't work for either. Just do your homework before you sign on the dotted line.

 

[Anonymous]

When you compare product to products, Applied is so much further ahead, it's not even funny.

Take the Xcel. 3 years to design, and it still incorporates Applied's seal technology??? C'mon. In 3 years, Applied will release a seal better than Xcel, improve upon it, then obsolete it because they have an even newer one!

Ethicon can't sell the benefits of their product, so they have to make things up. You Eth reps know what I'm talking about because it's part of your training.

I agree, do your homework, and it'll be crystal clear.

 

[Anonymous]

Nicely put Applied Zone VP...Keep drinking the kool aid!

 

[Anonymous]

How much longer do the poor bastards with options have to wait before Applied goes public to cash them in. That is the only reason people are sticking around. "Right place, right time"..They have been saying that bullshit for the last Eight years and 200+ reps. It's plastic tube! go sell something that will provide a better clinical outcome...Before you bring it up, you can stuff that bullshit defect study up your ass.