Merck Excellence?

[Anonymous]

Ended when we started hiring cheerleaders who were using Merck as a part time gig to be full time moms! Then we started losing real leaders cause the cheerleaders liked getting banged by men with responsibility and fancy titles! Merck fired all the real leaders for fishing in the company pond when they stocked them with nice fish! Now we have a bunch of testosterone deficient MBA's who get it off looking at an XL spreadsheet or crunching numbers and real field leaders are nonexistent! Jerry Keller saw the handwriting on the wall when the great young leaders Merck had developed were cast aside or given pink slips because of pink slips (with matching panties)! Look at those leading our competitors today and you'll see those that might have lead Merck forward! Then look at what we've put in front of Wall Street in the past ten years..and they wonder why our stock languishes still! Keller and Emmons and Brennen and Warner would not have made the mistakes that have flourished within our organization within the last ten years! All the great research that Peter Kim can muster will not make up for marketing disasters!

You are so correct. You have to be one of us the tenured people who have experienced the rise and fall of MSD. Without sounding sexist and wanting to be PC, there is definitely a shift to all these metrosexual leaders. The "old" leaders like Keller came across as true former sales reps. The current crop came across as patronizing bean counters. For awhile it was like a Excel Wizard competition in my region. All the managers were having a pissing game to show the director who could do macros, hidden cells, password protected formulas, etc. The funny thing was I could hack all their secrets but could not tell them how primitive their encryption and macros were.

The current management is entrenched. They will not go until someone do the same to them as they did to the departed ones. They will hire and promote people alike. It is like incest. They will never bring in people like Keller or Emmons. We will never ever experience that dynamism when our management comes on stage and speak at meetings. We will do the mandated applauding (with your manager standing with us and watching) and listen to drones reading off a teleprompter with zero passion.

 

[Anonymous]

The above is spot on. For the record it is Emmens. He was dynamism extraordinaire.

 

[Anonymous]

The above is spot on. For the record it is Emmens. He was dynamism extraordinaire.

Yes, Matt Emmens. The guy who dared to fly his little plane to a meeting once. He was late due to the weather and we had to wait for him to open the meeting. It was hilarious. Keller may not know you but he shook your hand at meetings like a true former sales rep with that look in his eyes. You can try that with the current crop and either see nothing or that wickedness. Why other industries get female in leadership that are attractive and we get men-looking women in our management? Is that a Merck thing?

 

[Anonymous]

Perhaps it is inevitable as the market has shifted to managed care and PPO and whatever; the influence of reps, no matter how good you are, has diminished.

Access, due to all the share of voice expansion in the past, will never be the same.

Physicians have access to information via, e.g., the internet even in the rural area where physician access was much better because they were isolated.

We don't have as many first in class and/or breakthrough products anymore.

We have the "Vioxx Halo" over us for many years to come.

FDA is making it tough for us. Is it a revenge for Vioxx?

We are more short-term driven. Relationships are nice but immediate sales/results are more important.

General lowering of the quality of Merck sales reps. The experience and high standard still in the tenured reps and valued so much in the past are not considered important enough for the current "what have you done for me" mentality.

The management is not the visionary and dynamic type. Keller can get you stand up and go wild. Now they tell you to stand up and pretend to go wild. The former earned the excitement. The latter says do it or you may be the next to go.

Too many cost-cutting moves hit the reps. Those sitting in cubicles back at the HQ forgot physicians see the local reps as the face of Merck. The reps still drive business to a certain extent. Without sales there will be no job at the HQ. They can stand there and talk to themselves and give each other awards which I assume they actually will.

Inexperienced managers, or lousy managers are now modeling sales calls for reps and rating them. They know their jobs are meaningless and always threatened. As I once worked with a consultant at the HQ once said, Merck system is very different with all the constant rotations and turnovers. People in other industries stay much longer and gain tenure.

 

[Anonymous]

Perhaps it is inevitable as the market has shifted to managed care and PPO and whatever; the influence of reps, no matter how good you are, has diminished.

Access, due to all the share of voice expansion in the past, will never be the same.

Physicians have access to information via, e.g., the internet even in the rural area where physician access was much better because they were isolated.

We don't have as many first in class and/or breakthrough products anymore.

We have the "Vioxx Halo" over us for many years to come.

FDA is making it tough for us. Is it a revenge for Vioxx?

We are more short-term driven. Relationships are nice but immediate sales/results are more important.

General lowering of the quality of Merck sales reps. The experience and high standard still in the tenured reps and valued so much in the past are not considered important enough for the current "what have you done for me" mentality.

The management is not the visionary and dynamic type. Keller can get you stand up and go wild. Now they tell you to stand up and pretend to go wild. The former earned the excitement. The latter says do it or you may be the next to go.

Too many cost-cutting moves hit the reps. Those sitting in cubicles back at the HQ forgot physicians see the local reps as the face of Merck. The reps still drive business to a certain extent. Without sales there will be no job at the HQ. They can stand there and talk to themselves and give each other awards which I assume they actually will.

Inexperienced managers, or lousy managers are now modeling sales calls for reps and rating them. They know their jobs are meaningless and always threatened. As I once worked with a consultant at the HQ once said, Merck system is very different with all the constant rotations and turnovers. People in other industries stay much longer and gain tenure.

very well written post...Merck is like a terminal disease...I would imagine most sales reps here regret joining this company...the managers are taught to behave like thugs...that is their only value and they know it...

 

[Anonymous]

very well written post...Merck is like a terminal disease...I would imagine most sales reps here regret joining this company...the managers are taught to behave like thugs...that is their only value and they know it...

That's what I can't get over about this place. I was hired by one of the greatest managers I've ever had the good fortune to report to. He genuinely cared about his people, treated us ALL fairly, and made us feel like we were on the same team, pulling to achieve similar goals for Merck, and we ALL wanted to do our best for him. FF 12 years to my new female manager and she was the typical ball-busting, gotta prove I'm every bit as good as and better than a male manager. ALL of us hated her. Now it seems like reps are in an adversarial relationship by default with their manager and the company. Instead of supporting me as a rep, I feel like I'm treated as a potential enemy at best and an outright enemy at worst by Merck. I'm always playing defense to stay out of trouble. It is sick.

 

[Anonymous]

Perhaps it is inevitable as the market has shifted to managed care and PPO and whatever; the influence of reps, no matter how good you are, has diminished.

Access, due to all the share of voice expansion in the past, will never be the same.

Physicians have access to information via, e.g., the internet even in the rural area where physician access was much better because they were isolated.

We don't have as many first in class and/or breakthrough products anymore.

We have the "Vioxx Halo" over us for many years to come.

FDA is making it tough for us. Is it a revenge for Vioxx?

We are more short-term driven. Relationships are nice but immediate sales/results are more important.

General lowering of the quality of Merck sales reps. The experience and high standard still in the tenured reps and valued so much in the past are not considered important enough for the current "what have you done for me" mentality.

The management is not the visionary and dynamic type. Keller can get you stand up and go wild. Now they tell you to stand up and pretend to go wild. The former earned the excitement. The latter says do it or you may be the next to go.

Too many cost-cutting moves hit the reps. Those sitting in cubicles back at the HQ forgot physicians see the local reps as the face of Merck. The reps still drive business to a certain extent. Without sales there will be no job at the HQ. They can stand there and talk to themselves and give each other awards which I assume they actually will.

Inexperienced managers, or lousy managers are now modeling sales calls for reps and rating them. They know their jobs are meaningless and always threatened. As I once worked with a consultant at the HQ once said, Merck system is very different with all the constant rotations and turnovers. People in other industries stay much longer and gain tenure.

"Those sitting in cubicles back at the HQ forgot physicians see the local reps as the face of Merck. The reps still drive business to a certain extent. Without sales there will be no job at the HQ.".............good point and yet HQ still think tends to think of reps as the bottom level employees.

 

[Anonymous]

"Those sitting in cubicles back at the HQ forgot physicians see the local reps as the face of Merck. The reps still drive business to a certain extent. Without sales there will be no job at the HQ.".............good point and yet HQ still think tends to think of reps as the bottom level employees.

That's because so many of you Ken and Barbie types tend to act like bottom feeders. That will never enhance your status.

 

[Anonymous]

That's because so many of you Ken and Barbie types tend to act like bottom feeders. That will never enhance your status.

Your distorted view is a big part of the problem. HQ employees have this notion that everyone in the field is some young model wanna-be or some dummie. The truth is these types are less than 10 or 20%. Most of us are older and in the field years. Some have been in other professions, here and outside, and a lots have advanced degree. Not dummies, not mirror gazers and not clueless kids.

 

[Anonymous]

That's because so many of you Ken and Barbie types tend to act like bottom feeders. That will never enhance your status.

I seriously doubt you have been with Merck or in this industry for a long time. There is always a disconnect between the HQ and the field sales. Some HQ people do not see the existence of their jobs depend on the success of the field sales. Or they think direct mail campaigns, journal and TV ads are all we need.

 

[Anonymous]

That's because so many of you Ken and Barbie types tend to act like bottom feeders. That will never enhance your status.

I have been with Merck since the early 80's. I don't exactly see myself as a bottom feeder. I am a decent family man and father and I work hard for my money.

 

[Anonymous]

Been a sales rep for 11 years and came from 5 years of B2B. My success at Merck came from my experience selling copiers and advertising. My opinion is that we need to turnover 60 percent of the sales force and management because they lack the vital skills to sell in 2011. I look at my exec team and most havent sold in 10-15 years, the market has drastically changed. In my region, all our senior execs are S2s instead of S3s. In my humble opinion they should all be S1s. Most of our P1 reps sold a best in class med and dont have the skill sets to sell in a competitive market i.e Dulera. Then you throw in the newer obstacles like limited access, no dinners, etc and it compounds our lack of impact.

The main duty of a CTL should be to improve reps skills around selling our products, understanding the customer, and then figuring out how to sell our products. Most CTLs are Managers, what do it mean by that? They make sure where compliant, expense rpts, field visits, and they fill out PMPs etc. Ask yourself this question, when was the last time my Manager helped me improve my impact in an account? I had 2 managers in my 11 years that knew how to sell and I looked foward in them coming into the field with me to move business.

I would of loved to seen Dick Clark name a successor outside of Merck instead we got Ken Frazier, cannot judge him but we need outside blood in the worst way. Bob Mcmahon was a start, I have some hope with Mark Timney.

 

[Anonymous]

I would of loved to seen Dick Clark name a successor outside of Merck instead we got Ken Frazier, cannot judge him but we need outside blood in the worst way. Bob Mcmahon was a start, I have some hope with Mark Timney.

Be careful what you ask for. Wasn't Ray Gilmartin brought in as someone from outside of Merck? Let me just say I think you have an unbelievably difficult job. You are charged with sales responsibility (I think) but receive very little, if any, sales support by a majority of people who are clueless about sales or developing a high-performing sales force. Suffice to say Merck management is sadly inept in the way it treats you as a "sales" rep.

 

[Anonymous]

Don't like my manager. He is a Little Napoleon and a Little Nazi. Don't care for Merck these days either. But I realize every industry has to lobby. It is a necessary evil. Never drink the koolaid. Got into a lot of troubles because I don't follow rules and play games very well.

Are His initials BG by chance?

 

[Anonymous]

Be careful what you ask for. Wasn't Ray Gilmartin brought in as someone from outside of Merck? Let me just say I think you have an unbelievably difficult job. You are charged with sales responsibility (I think) but receive very little, if any, sales support by a majority of people who are clueless about sales or developing a high-performing sales force. Suffice to say Merck management is sadly inept in the way it treats you as a "sales" rep.

Ray Gilmartin was like a Gerald Ford after Nixon resigned. He was a harmless little fuzz ball that we liked but did not do much, had a vision, nor make critical decisions.

 

[Anonymous]

Brown-nosing, ass-kissing, sucking up, CYA-type Managment which specializes in eliminating any and all individuals who speak their minds and point out corporate deficiencies. Saving their own skin, and serving personal career interests has been, is, and will continue to be the core focus of Merck Management.

 

[Anonymous]

That's what I can't get over about this place. I was hired by one of the greatest managers I've ever had the good fortune to report to. He genuinely cared about his people, treated us ALL fairly, and made us feel like we were on the same team, pulling to achieve similar goals for Merck, and we ALL wanted to do our best for him. FF 12 years to my new female manager and she was the typical ball-busting, gotta prove I'm every bit as good as and better than a male manager. ALL of us hated her. Now it seems like reps are in an adversarial relationship by default with their manager and the company. Instead of supporting me as a rep, I feel like I'm treated as a potential enemy at best and an outright enemy at worst by Merck. I'm always playing defense to stay out of trouble. It is sick.

I had a female boss just like that. Thank you for sharing, I thought I was the most unfortunate person in the whole wide world because I worked so hard for her while she despised and hated me all along. It was a hell hole. Luckily, she ran afoul of a new young boss she had to report to and then left, much to my relief. My view of female boss has changed ever since. I wouldn't settle for one if there is any other viable alternatives. I will be forever on my guard with any female managers. The glass ceiling for female managers? They probably heap it on themselves.

 

[Anonymous]

Ray Gilmartin was like a Gerald Ford after Nixon resigned. He was a harmless little fuzz ball that we liked but did not do much, had a vision, nor make critical decisions.

Are you crazy?!? Gilmartin was the beginning of the end. He brought in Ed Scolnick and his culture of bullying and biased science - advocacy over objectivity - and he begat Peter Kim... the rest reads like the fall of the Roman Empire complete with Nero playing the fiddle while we burn. Sad, sad, sad.

 

[Anonymous]

Are you crazy?!? Gilmartin was the beginning of the end. He brought in Ed Scolnick and his culture of bullying and biased science - advocacy over objectivity - and he begat Peter Kim... the rest reads like the fall of the Roman Empire complete with Nero playing the fiddle while we burn. Sad, sad, sad.

Afraid your mistaken - Scolnick was already in place under Vagelos.

 

[Anonymous]

Afraid your mistaken - Scolnick was already in place under Vagelos.

Correct. As far as I can remember Scolnick became the head of MSDRL when Vagelos was promoted from that position to the head of MSD, the business side.