"John McCarthy, AstraZeneca’s Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Operations in the U.S., told the WSJ that this innovative website helped AstraZeneca slash its marketing costs and redirect its sales force to certain prescription drugs which need more scientific discussion, In 2010, AstraZeneca indicated that it planned to eliminate 16% of its workforce by 2014, including thousands of sales positions in Western markets. Projected annual savings from this staff downsizing are projected to total $1.9 billion."
Layoff Chatter? In the media? Absolutely.
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Let's be fair and include this paragraph from the article as well.
“Sales calls to doctors’ offices were still the most powerful tool for driving new prescriptions,” said Wa’el Hashad, German drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH’s Vice President of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Marketing, in the WSJ article".
“Sales calls to doctors’ offices were still the most powerful tool for driving new prescriptions,” said Wa’el Hashad, German drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH’s Vice President of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Marketing, in the WSJ article".
I believe this is true, in those cases where you can actually get time with the doctor to make a true sales call. That is becoming increasingly rare.
Rare? What are you talking about? Not according to cumulative call activity on TSi
This implies a fundamental point. If you are an honest representative and report call activity accurately, you'll be harshly scrutinized and if you keep honestly reporting your calls for long you'll be fired for cause.
AZ cultivates a culture of dishonesty, from the interview to the training to the field activity. And the executives scratch their heads and make excuses while presiding over a decade of fat profits that resulted in utter failure, no new products or potential growth. They cancel shares outstanding while the stock price continues to drift lower. They sucked plenty of cash off the top for themselves and the company owners are left with very little.
You can get off your soap box pal. We all sucked plenty of cash from this bloated, dying cash cow. Are you mad you didn't get as much as others? Welcome to capitalism, welcome to politics, welcome to Astrazenca. Better go use that gas card to fill up your personal vehicle one more time before they shut it off. Don't forget to order dinner for your family while ordering lunch for that office; they'll hold it for you until the end of the day..like they always do. Remember $20K bonus checks every trimester just because nexium got formulary coverage? Remember all the awards when you KNOW DAMN WELL you didn't do anything different? You may have even been a bit surprised because you were slacking off big time that summer yet still won something. I still have a paid for boat and house to show from those days when it was raining money at AZ.
Don't be mad because you settled for table scraps and gas while the head honchos went for stock options and big cash. We all had our shot 10 years ago and anybody that wanted to make it big basically just had to show up and throw up. The thought of having to show up at a desk was too much to bear for many of us so we opted to live out our lazy little lives driving around wasting gas and banging choice gatekeepers. Just thank God that you didn't really have to do any real work for however long you've been a drug rep. I had a blast and I don't regret taking part in one of the longest, most lucrative professional parties in recorded history.
If you are here at AZ after the year 2014 you can feel good about maintaing a job in this industry. By then we will have gotten past the patent cliff, be trim down to bear bones and probably have some products nearing market launch. Until then it is all speculation. Good luck to you. Work hard for 2-3 more years. Fly low
Geez, most likely the best and most accurate post in the history of CP. The major big pharma upsizings of 1997-2001 caused many t think they were entitled to the gravy train forever. Everyone knows most of the incompetent clowns hired during that period couldn't make 20% of what they did at AZ. Now these clowns are getting fired for incompetence so they cry and whine all day on CP. I don't know if it is more sad or more funny.
Rare? What are you talking about? Not according to cumulative call activity on TSi
Half, if not more, of TSi presentations are made in an office waiting room, parks, restaurants, or from a car seat. I was laughing with another rep because we had both made "presentations" from a bathroom stall. I've also seen reps tapping away while detailing Physicians with the screen facing towards themselves. Come to think of it, where are some of the unusual places you have made calls with Touchstone?
You really can't blame anyone. As a poster said, if you remain honest it will surely put you on the radar leading to termination. Unfortunately dishonesty is rewarded. That rep on the podium getting an award might even be the most dishonest.
1) You're the one on a soap box, not me. And you're promoting theft in your rant.
2) I never stole money and apparently you did and think everyone does and that's OK. I take my job seriously and cringe at the reality that AZ requires you to embellish call activity and call quantity to avoid scrutiny.
The point of my post, which you missed, is that the reason AZ is going down the tubes is that the culture is corrupt to the core. You fit right in and I think you're no rep.
I'm not a drug rep? That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Thank you....TOOL.
You sound like a shining example of why offices are shutting off access to reps. Next time you're in an office, take note of how many people scurry to avoid you.