Ethicon vs Applied Medical

Quote




Anonymous said:
You know, you're right. That does suck. Years of service and a lousy clock. What the hell are they thinking. And how dare they pair reps up in hotel rooms at trade shows and meetings. What the hell is that all about? Don't they deserve to have their own? And why have a meeting in a stupid place like Burnt Scrotum, New Mexico? My god! Really? How in the hell are you supposed to party after it's done? I'm sure the customer is happy to pay for a more expensive trocar so that you can have your own room at a meeting in Fort Lauderdale where you get your rolex watch for 2 years of service.
Click to expand...

Quite simply, the company culture/management strives to brainwash you into thinking that perks, gratitude, or anything of monetary value related to you or your efforts are BAD. This approach even extends into product pitches..."Doc, why are you using a 5mm clip applier? It's so....EXPENSIVE."

The bottom line is, offering an inexpensive product is fine and beneficial to those facilities that can make it work....but to treat your sales reps with that same type of extreme frugality can really wear people out.

Who really wants to be paired with someone in a room throughout the duration of a sales meeting? And, if you're traveling, wouldn't it be nice to be able to simply select a hotel room near your destination, rather than being forced to check rates at every no-name motel in a 20 mile radius for your accomodations? And forget about entertaining any customers anywhere besides the local Sizzler...which you will be paying for, out of pocket. No one is asking for the penthouse @ The Ritz-Carlton, fully stocked w/ Dom Perignon and strippers....but some creature comforts would certainly be nice, wouldn't you say?

It is not wrong to yearn to be treated well. You work hard, you make the company money...why are you selling yourself short? To act like it's a crime to be treated like a treasured employee, rather than cattle.....I just can't level with you.
 




Nicely put! It should not cost you money to do your job. They lost so many quality reps because they would not do the little things...Reimburse ALL expenses incurred for a month of managing a territory. The culture will never change and Applied will never reach its full potential. Guess what Zone Managers, the grass IS greener on the other side!
 












Ethicon reps get their business becasue of contracts and the threat of raising prices if the account chooses to go elsewhere. Sure, you have trocars that surgeons love but I also have seen surgeons love others as well (covidien.) The only niche product you have is your harmonic which is an expensive electrode. ConMed has been growing market share in many other categories but leaves the trocars to the contracts. Keep selling your contract affiliations and leave the real selling to all other device salesman. I would love to see an Ethicon rep go head to head in the OR with clinical knowledge of any other device company rep. "Hey doc, use our instruments and we will not ramp up all other pricing." What a skill to be able to say that! Jand J is the only reason you are the market leader in SOME products and not because you can sell. You have a few hospitals to cover and that is becasue all you do is push GPO compliance. Don't switch or else is your sales skills.

If anyone has a chance to get in the device business, go for it. You will hone your sales skills at a smaller company rather than being a robot at Ethicon.
 












Anonymous said:
Ethicon reps get their business becasue of contracts and the threat of raising prices if the account chooses to go elsewhere. Sure, you have trocars that surgeons love but I also have seen surgeons love others as well (covidien.) The only niche product you have is your harmonic which is an expensive electrode. ConMed has been growing market share in many other categories but leaves the trocars to the contracts. Keep selling your contract affiliations and leave the real selling to all other device salesman. I would love to see an Ethicon rep go head to head in the OR with clinical knowledge of any other device company rep. "Hey doc, use our instruments and we will not ramp up all other pricing." What a skill to be able to say that! Jand J is the only reason you are the market leader in SOME products and not because you can sell. You have a few hospitals to cover and that is becasue all you do is push GPO compliance. Don't switch or else is your sales skills.

If anyone has a chance to get in the device business, go for it. You will hone your sales skills at a smaller company rather than being a robot at Ethicon.
Click to expand...

Wow, somebody has an axe to grind against the Ethicon companies, don't you? What happened did you lose business to Ethicon or are you a bitter ex-employee? Either way, your post wreaks of sour grapes.
 




Quite the contrary. I have done very well with a smaller company and have gained successful conversions under the radar. I do not need to go up against Ethicon....just be smarter. Which is not hard.

I have been with the same company for 13 years and know the business inside and out. No pampers wearing Ethicon rep can compete!
 




Anonymous said:
You guys do realize that your interacting with an Applied rep? An Applied rep!? Can you imagine what your day entails if you work for Applied? How many times can you tell the same surgeon about a trocar? How many times are you going to talk to someone about hand assist colectomies with a handport? How many times can you talk about your "dry lubricant" in your trocar? That would be like going out in the field and talking about nothing but a linear cutter for weeks on end. At least EES has the opportunity to sell other non commodity products like Contour, Focus, ACE, Echelon or Synergy.

I can't imagine what life would be like just selling a friggin trocar all day. Especially when the market is so oversaturated with Covidien, Conmed, Taut, etc. It is a commodity, nothing more, nothing less.

I think EES reps are more concerned about reprocessing than Applied.
Click to expand...

I AGREE
 








Anonymous said:
Sorry, you've been misinformed. EES is growing it's current sales force with the current SurgRx acquistion.
Click to expand...

This is why Ethicon takes so long to develop anything new. Years of negotiating and lawyers to finalize the take over of another company. Applied just gets in and solves the problem.

Oh, and by the way, Applied has never laid anyone off or downsized. Keep that in mind.
 












Anonymous said:
This is why Ethicon takes so long to develop anything new. Years of negotiating and lawyers to finalize the take over of another company. Applied just gets in and solves the problem.

Oh, and by the way, Applied has never laid anyone off or downsized. Keep that in mind.
Click to expand...

What does your response have anything to do with the original post? The original post stated that EES was downsizing and that is the furthest thing from the truth. Then you go on some tangent about "getting in and solving the problem"?

By the way, we've launched at least 10 products over the last 3 years so to say that it takes us so long to develop anything new is just nonsense.
 








Anonymous said:
By the way, we've launched at least 10 products over the last 3 years so to say that it takes us so long to develop anything new is just nonsense.
Click to expand...

Wow, 10 products over 3 years? That's a lot. You guys are a machine. How in the world do you innovate that fast?? Oh yhea, I know. It's because you don't develop anything. You buy and launch. How hard is it to buy a company that's done all the work, and then launch it's product?

Seriously though, in 3 years, Applied will develop AND launch 10 new products, obsolete them with 10 newer products, then obsolete them again with 10 even newer ones. All the while you are trying to catch up to the original version.

It took you 3 years to develop the Xcel Trocar. 3 years! And you didn't even develop the seal part of it. You bought it from Applied. What's hilarious about this is you even advertise that it took so long.

HAHAHAHAHAHA
 




Anonymous said:
Wow, 10 products over 3 years? That's a lot. You guys are a machine. How in the world do you innovate that fast?? Oh yhea, I know. It's because you don't develop anything. You buy and launch. How hard is it to buy a company that's done all the work, and then launch it's product?

Seriously though, in 3 years, Applied will develop AND launch 10 new products, obsolete them with 10 newer products, then obsolete them again with 10 even newer ones. All the while you are trying to catch up to the original version.

It took you 3 years to develop the Xcel Trocar. 3 years! And you didn't even develop the seal part of it. You bought it from Applied. What's hilarious about this is you even advertise that it took so long.

HAHAHAHAHAHA
Click to expand...

Um sweetie, you failed to read the post correctly, at least 10 products over the last 3 years. The fact of the matter is that you aren't launching 10 new products nor will you launch 10 products, all you are doing is tweaking a trocar line. Congratulations.

Other than Enseal, what products have we recently "bought and launched" as you put it? Just curious.

I guess acquisitions to gain more marketshare in one of the largest areas of growth(energy modalities) in the general surgery/gyn space is a bad idea? You aren't much of a businessman if you think that acquistions are a bad thing.
 




Seems things worked out pretty good when we launched the Realize band.....Keep complaining to the docs that they should not use a 5mm clip applier because they are soo expensive.
 




Top Bottom
Back
Quote