It's not just in sales. The same is all too true in R&D
the question is why? Is it the stress of the job? Stress of the economy? stress of being layoffs?
I think it's because the proven performers have built bigger salaries and salaries are looked at as an expense by those in management looking at nothing beyond their current P&L statement.
Merck is indeed broken. The question is whether or not it's broken beyond repair. With the current management, I don't think there's a chance of finding success, even with several billion dollars in the bank. It's awful from top to bottom---Frazier is as lost as the CTL right here in this geography.
Merck is finished and will trickle away into obscurity as the products continue to dwindle.
agree with almost everything in your excellent post...Merck will never be obscure though...they have enough money to keep buying companys and technologies to keep them afloat for at least our lifetimes...The world would be a better place I think if Merck would just disapear at this point...what a tragic place to work.
Merck has a great burn rate and relied on the drugs that are going generic to provide that income. Let's face it, 15 years ago Merck kicked some serious butt in the pharma world. There is nothing in the pipeline that will even comes close to the drugs that are leaving Merck. Because Merck now has little intellectual property it will not be a buyout candidate. Smaller companies are now beating Merck to the punch in regards to building products. How the hell that is happening as anyone's guess. Merck upper management know it's in a world of hurt but will not lower it's dividend like it should. I hate to type this but the following will happen:
1. layoff of +/- 23,000 depending on how many people take the very generous package.
2. Regroup in other geo's outside America because the cost structure is so much cheaper than the USA. They will not understand the quality will because a major issue but there is a good chance they could care less when it's discovered anyway.
3 More layoffs and R&D will be primarily in other geo's once they have a strong footprint there along with generics being created in the other geo's.
4. The total number of people will be in the low 50K/high 40k, they might get a pipeline going or have the illusion of a pipeline (Like SP had) and get sold off. All the executive become richer than they are now with their golden parachutes.
5. If that does not happen Merck will implode within itself in 5-7 years and screw all the people with pensions.
My observation is that doctors want rep who are serious, knowledgeable and experienced. Lets face it doctors look down on most reps. In the past reps were medical professionals like RNs, pharmacists, PTs and others. Now too many are have absolutely no medical experience or training beyond a 60 page backgrounder. Cutting the ranks on some of the best qualified should not be in the planning schedule, but I bet it surely is. What an industry we've become.
We used to be peers or studied and trained to be almost close to those we called on. They respected us in being knowledgeable. Not so when all the tenured reps are now gone. I was amused (or saddened) a few years back when I was able to dialog with an internist about disease states over lunch. He said he was surprised. I said that is how we are trained. He said not so with most of the reps he talked to every day. I really think as an industry we screwed ourselves and lower the bar to nothing and customers expect us to be drones repeating the line, "...when you see a patient with (insert diagnosis) would you put him/her on (insert product) and here is your ice cream cake."
My observation is that doctors want rep who are serious, knowledgeable and experienced. Lets face it doctors look down on most reps. In the past reps were medical professionals like RNs, pharmacists, PTs and others. Now too many are have absolutely no medical experence or training beyond a 60 page backgrounder. Cutting the ranks on some of the best qualified should not be in the planning schedule, but I bet it surely is. What an industry we've become.
docs don't want reps anymore b/c they need to be generating income somehow every minute of the day......and we don't help them generate more $$. PLUS, we don't really bring anything new to the table. Most (90% or more) branded drugs have been around for several years now, not much to add to their knowledge.
Its very easy to google an issue should it present itself, the info gathered via Internet more likely to be the straight deal - and not spun by a sales rep concerned over their ranking/bonus opportunity.
I remember the days when we used to go in the back for a cup of coffee with the doc (the office made the coffee, we didn't have to schlep it in from Starbucks.....) and even have a cigarette break with them as well.
Yeah, I'm old.
Your observation must be dated. My observation is that a majority of doctors don't want reps, regardless of training, background, or credentials.
