Hospital Reps in Closed Access Accounts

[Anonymous]

I think the days of having dedicated Pfizer Hospital Reps--especially in accounts with low or no access--is crazy. Why should anyone expect to earn a paycheck for sitting in the hospital's coffee shop hoping to touch base with an Attending or Resident? If you can do your whole job in 4-5 hours a week, but still get paid for working 40 hours a week, please go look for something else to do.

 

[Anonymous]

AGREE

 

[Anonymous]

Stop whining you primary care babies, and focus on polishing your resumes, instead of throwing crap on your way out of the door.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, if your manager is LOUIE BRUNO, then you would know why. This guy is a clown and completely incompetent. Then again, the best manager you could hope for.

 

[Anonymous]

Maybe for some, but some of us are actually trying to grow business. No one says you can't use MOS and/or outside vendors in order to establish smoking cessation clinics, bladder centers, efficient use of spirometry to drive business by meeting customers' needs. We all have daily job requirements. We also have the ability to grow business and customer relationships if the drive is there.

 

[Anonymous]

As a former IHR & Specialty rep (& TSR, DSR, SHR or whatever they call us now), I know certain accounts require a light touch but a consistency WRT relationships with whomever is calling on the decision makers. Having said that, I also understand that the rise of large integrated hospital systems, national accounts, VISNS, etc have left some reps with NOTHING to do in some accounts. You can only play so much golf, and we can't even do that anymore as a legitimate expense. I had an good, friend who was assigned several accounts in Florida that were essentially "no see" ( they were my accounts too). At the time I was in Specialty and my friend was an IHR, so I at least had some office-based docs to keep me busy. My friend could only work 2-3 days a month, tops. He was a great rep, but not worth spending $125k/yr for less than 1 day a week actively engaged with customers.

On the bright side, he became a scratch golfer before Pfizer wised up...

Your "friend" if you really had one, was lazy and incompetent.

 

[Anonymous]

Your "friend" if you really had one, was lazy and incompetent.

No, he was a great rep put in a bad position (he went on to become a specialty DM before leaving the company). Eventually Pfizer realized that we didn't need 8 reps going into every account, and a good IHR could handle more than 3 hospitals. During the 1990s the expansions simply got out of hand. I realize you were probably still in middle school then, but trust me, when a company is flush with cash and expanding rapidly, mistakes are made.

 

[Anonymous]

Reality is Accountable Care Orgainzation requirement in Obamacare is driving the hospital as the center of medicine and driving growth expansion of IMGs purchasing physician groups. Independent physicians will exist no more, amd EMR software will drive the Rx process based upon lab values and evidence-based care plan algorithms, requiring manual override and review for expensive branded medications.

 

[Anonymous]

Reality is Accountable Care Orgainzation requirement in Obamacare is driving the hospital as the center of medicine and driving growth expansion of IMGs purchasing physician groups. Independent physicians will exist no more, amd EMR software will drive the Rx process based upon lab values and evidence-based care plan algorithms, requiring manual override and review for expensive branded medications.

Yes, this is what's coming. What's our role in that scenario?

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, this is what's coming. What's our role in that scenario?

androgen insensitivity syndrome (MAIS) is what it takes to 100 % pfe!

 

[Anonymous]

No, he was a great rep put in a bad position (he went on to become a specialty DM before leaving the company). Eventually Pfizer realized that we didn't need 8 reps going into every account, and a good IHR could handle more than 3 hospitals. During the 1990s the expansions simply got out of hand. I realize you were probably still in middle school then, but trust me, when a company is flush with cash and expanding rapidly, mistakes are made.

No, Pfizer did not eventually realize they didn't need 8 reps going into every account. Pfizer new that before they started pushing 8 reps into every account that it was overkill. Anyone with half a sense would know that. When you have a greedy bunch of incompetents running the show you get whats coming---chaos in the marketplace. Mistakes will and have been made at this company since at least the 90's. Arrogance is what Pfizer's lasting legacy will be.....and that is by the competitors in the market who saw this sham of an operation in the good old days. I know because I was not in middle school, I was in the industry seeing it all unfold before my very eyes. In case PCP is not aware, a specialty hospital rep. does go to the PP offices and always has, even when hospitals had better access. Most in PCP really do not know the total dynamics of a hospital based rep. so they do alot of speculation.

 

[Anonymous]

I had more hospital accounts than most, and there was only so much coffee that I could drink. Ever try wanting to be busy when there is absolutely nothing to do? No matter how much it feels like working, checking voice mail and email more than necessary boarders on OCD...

 

[Anonymous]

Slice it and dice it anyway you want we all know fr bottom to top--- a great fog runs about a 5-10 year cycle and them it ends. The entire industry is in transition. It's been a fun ride. The worse place to be is manager. Period. As for reps? A rep is a rep. You can either sell or not. So start looking.

 

[Anonymous]

I had more hospital accounts than most, and there was only so much coffee that I could drink. Ever try wanting to be busy when there is absolutely nothing to do? No matter how much it feels like working, checking voice mail and email more than necessary boarders on OCD...

Try setting appointments next time. It works. Work smarter.

 

[Anonymous]

No, he was a great rep put in a bad position (he went on to become a specialty DM before leaving the company). Eventually Pfizer realized that we didn't need 8 reps going into every account, and a good IHR could handle more than 3 hospitals. During the 1990s the expansions simply got out of hand. I realize you were probably still in middle school then, but trust me, when a company is flush with cash and expanding rapidly, mistakes are made.

You sir (ma'am) are dead on. In the late 80's early 90's I was a Primary Care and Hospital Rep selling a plethora of products; a new IV antibiotic, injectables to orthro pods, vaccines to peds and anti-infective deals to pharmacies, anti-hypertensive to cardio, products for deems (to this day I'm amazed at my work load). I slaved like a demons and was rewarded handsomely with our impressive results.

As my company grew and then bought out (not once but twice) cash was flowing, people were being hired in record amounts, my work load diminished but my pay kept increasing. Inside I would laugh because none of it made sense to me; I was being honored for working less but the wall street with the "marketing POD mentality" was so vogue and "effective" there was no way to stop that speeding train. However, the established reps knew this trick pony was going to "one day" be played out and that time has now arrived. It's not rocket science but the cycle of life.

So you will see the full circle come around, minimal reps (gasp one per zip code), working harder, making a smaller salary and representing a full product line.

 

[Anonymous]

One thing primary care babies learn, when or if they grow up, into THE specialty business unit is never to mistake efforts for results. Above all else in business it's results that matter. Wall Street and the C-suite doesn't give a rip for flailing at merit less activity.

suggestion: try working on strategic account management selling skills. I know, it's Mensa stuff for the Ivy leagues but if you don't have the EQ or IQ stay a primary care baby and keep crying, whining and defecting your diaper ahead of the next ATS layoff.

Never mistake activity for results.

i just sit in the parking lot and let papaya juice drip on me

 

[Anonymous]

i just sit in the parking lot and let papaya juice drip on me

So, seriously, why are they still here? Now I see they are golden for another year?? If there are 500 reps earning $110 average plus bonuses & benefits, how does the company benefit when they are already BEHIND in their sales quotas?

 

[Anonymous]

I remember a former colleague who was a Hospital Rep with a huge-volume, low access teaching account...he would drive to the parking deck and get a parking ticket (to prove he was there, and for his expense report), then take a long nap in his car, then walk around town nearby the account; bottom line, he didn't get dressed in his suit, took a nap, walked around town, had a nice little lunch with the wife, went shopping, then went home...and that was the day he "worked" that hospital. Making over $100K.

 

[Anonymous]

I remember a former colleague who was a Hospital Rep with a huge-volume, low access teaching account...he would drive to the parking deck and get a parking ticket (to prove he was there, and for his expense report), then take a long nap in his car, then walk around town nearby the account; bottom line, he didn't get dressed in his suit, took a nap, walked around town, had a nice little lunch with the wife, went shopping, then went home...and that was the day he "worked" that hospital. Making over $100K.

Yeah right. Keep dreaming.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah right. Keep dreaming.

Keep dreaming?? This is a nightmare but true!