LISTEN UP AZ Field Sales

This is a done deal. The back and forth bid rejections are just formalities, PFE will see to it that this goes through....remember Ian Read is from the UK. I have family that works for PFE and I was a Pharmacia casualty of war, AZ will not win this, and many AZ salespeople will get cut.

Prepare now. Spruce up your resume, if you wanted to jump to another industry or get into devices now is the time. If you don't mind getting laid off, stay around, get decent numbers and you'll be rewarded with a nice bonus and great severance package.

It's all about taxes, stockholders, and exec bonuses. Not you :(

True. This is all you need to know, dont think for 1 minute that most of you will be safe. Pfizers in trouble and AZ won't be saved, go yourself ready.
 








Pfizer quarterly profit fell -15%. They are as desperate as us but with a lot more cash to buy their way out of it.

They ain't gonna buy their way out of it. They're still in the same boat AZ is in with or without a takeover. It will take years for the compounds AZ has to get to market - if approved. Either way Pfizer losses are going to continue, as will AZ's as it has yet to hit the biggest patent cliff.

Frankly, other than the corporate tax savings, Pfizer is nuts. If they do buy AZ there is no way they cannot glean down to the bone to get what little marrow is there.
 




Former Wyeth rep here. Pfizer announced their plans to buy us in early January 2009. By the time all the countries where both companies did business oked the deal it was October. Wyeth officially became Pfizer on a Friday and the sales force was told to stay home the following Tuesday to get the call on whether you would be let go or not. Like the other posters have said most AZ sales reps will be cut. Only ones where Pfizer needs help in an open territory will they keep an AZ rep. After that over the next couple years they will weed/ force out the rest of the AZ reps. It's sad but true.

I like this post. It's reassuring that our Titanic may last up to. 9 months after the Pfizer iceberg. Pficeberg ? We're not gone immediately, and some will survive. 9 months to hoard cash, pay bills, restructure home finances, etc. either way, this situation is spooky. The uncertainty creates a definition stress and tension. Do your best for us frenchie. Thnx.
 




I like this post. It's reassuring that our Titanic may last up to. 9 months after the Pfizer iceberg. Pficeberg ? We're not gone immediately, and some will survive. 9 months to hoard cash, pay bills, restructure home finances, etc. either way, this situation is spooky. The uncertainty creates a definition stress and tension. Do your best for us frenchie. Thnx.

F.U. Pascal just get the deal done. We all know you're loading your pockets like a bandit.
 








Don't understand all this garbage about being set free...... Trust me, you will be set free for sure. Free to stand in the cheese line. When Pfizer is done with you half of the salesforce will be gone.
 








Don't understand all this garbage about being set free...... Trust me, you will be set free for sure. Free to stand in the cheese line. When Pfizer is done with you half of the salesforce will be gone.

These poor saps don't know what its like out there trying to get a spot at a top 15 pharma company. This "they will be free" will stop right quick when they find out what companies are offering for people with MBAs and 10 years of pharma sales or pharma sales/management.

Unfortunately, they are about to find out.
 




Don't understand all this garbage about being set free...... Trust me, you will be set free for sure. Free to stand in the cheese line. When Pfizer is done with you half of the salesforce will be gone.

If history is your guide... in sales with Wyeth it was 80% gone, with King 90%. It won't be pretty I'm sorry to say. Get out and find a job NOW. The only ones happy during these things are people lucky enough to be eligible to retire and want a package.
 




If history is your guide... in sales with Wyeth it was 80% gone, with King 90%. It won't be pretty I'm sorry to say. Get out and find a job NOW. The only ones happy during these things are people lucky enough to be eligible to retire and want a package.
This is true. The fact is that nobody inside or outside of big Pharma is interested in hiring AZ sales people. They don't want our managers and they don't want our psss. So why in the fuck would Pfizer, who can afford the very best talent, want any of us?
 




These poor saps don't know what its like out there trying to get a spot at a top 15 pharma company. This "they will be free" will stop right quick when they find out what companies are offering for people with MBAs and 10 years of pharma sales or pharma sales/management.

Unfortunately, they are about to find out.

Unfortunately they don't want tenured reps, only those with 2-3 years experience and some companies don't want previous reps, they want sales experience in other fields so they can train them.
 




Unfortunately they don't want tenured reps, only those with 2-3 years experience and some companies don't want previous reps, they want sales experience in other fields so they can train them.

You are partially right. They want younger reps with lower salary requirements, because consultants have been showing that contract reps can bring in revenue just like a senior level rep. They just cost the company much, much less. So companies are switching more and more to contract "model" (with Publicis and InVentiv PAYING BETWEEN 65 AND 75K for senior level reps), or doing what Novo did with the hiring of a few hundred for the new Diabetes Associates position. Get a new army of 26-29 year olds ins in, pay them no more than $60 grand.
 








Assume buyout fails. AZ now standing proud as single company (actually a conglomerate of companies bought/merged over the years). What then? Answer: Show me the MONEY! This is what stockholder (ie. Owners) want to know..gee we turned down PF for big bucks , where's my money then?

AZ Execs will unpack their cardboard boxes (they were planning on big buyout/severances from PF) and be miffed to be stuck with same problems of making more MONEY for shareholders. Easy... announce staffing cuts with majority coming from US (politically easier for HQ)....so as far as field rep outcome won't be much different.
 




These poor saps don't know what its like out there trying to get a spot at a top 15 pharma company. This "they will be free" will stop right quick when they find out what companies are offering for people with MBAs and 10 years of pharma sales or pharma sales/management.

Unfortunately, they are about to find out.

Who wants to hire a 10 year rep with an MBA? It took them 10 years to get to the point where they're unemployed and looking for a primary care role? LOSER.
 




This is true. The fact is that nobody inside or outside of big Pharma is interested in hiring AZ sales people. They don't want our managers and they don't want our psss. So why in the fuck would Pfizer, who can afford the very best talent, want any of us?

The very best talent?! Pfuck, I am soooo tired of hearing how great Pfizer reps are. Have you ever talked to one? They're lobotomized robots that can't put one original thought together. We have some at AZ and management always acts as if they're something special. The only specialty I see is that they are the biggest bunch of ass kissers you could ever meet and their ideas are absolutely wacky! Our district had one and the rest of us were forever telling our DM no to the Pfizer rep suggestions.