Dear Forest Labs,
I've felt this way for a long time, but I've tried to keep my peace with you. Working under the illusion that if I were to keep working like a good boy I could help change the culture at Forest from within. I always knew I didn't fit in among you... Any one with eyes can tell we're nothing alike. But I like so much what the organization and occupation could be, that I continued hoping against all evidence that there was a niche for me.
Now that the manager I work for has sent me messages telling me (in polite terms) to fuck off and that he and Forest Labs will be making my day to day efforts a nightmare from here on out until my eventual demise. Telling me that the fact that the Dr's, nurses, and receptionists love me is a mark of dishonor in his eyes. Telling me that the fact that I've given my heart and soul to educating the Dr's who prescribe my drugs and helping the patients who take them for years doesn't mean shit to him. Telling me that I could never sell to the expectations that he had for his reps, even though he's mentioned it several times in the past how happy he was with my efforts and results.
Well, maybe now that I have nothing left to lose, it's time to tell you exactly what I think.
I used to say that I had a love/hate relationship with Forest Labs... But being with your company for too long has turned it into a hate/hate relationship. Your crime is unforgivable.
Pharmaceutical sales at Forest would and could a place where one can grow both professionally and personally. A job that where one can acquire the tools to turn problems into solutions. It could be a place where much can be accomplished with the proper approach and mentality. Where the focus isn't on what I have to say as the rep, but what the doctor and patient needs help with. To quote the late, great ZigZiglar: "You can get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want."
Forest Labs would and could be place where people could perform and feel fulfilled if it weren't for the fact that it is run by people like you. Egomaniacs who spend their Saturday nights staring at their job titles on their business cards, bragging to people about how much they're paid and devising new ways to squeeze all joy out of selling.
Every glowing report I receive from people in my territory is another strike against me in the eyes of the bureaucrats controlling the people factory that is now Forest Labs. The assumption is that if the people you're working with don't find you dry, humorless, and needlessly take yourself seriously, you're obviously not doing your job and won't be considered a "proper forest rep."
What you seem to forget is that fun is not the antithesis of serious, it's only the antithesis of boring. No surprises there though...
Your endless voicemails, emails and what you consider "coaching" are a reflection of who you are. Sorry ex-jocks who thought you were important playing sports at your D3 college that no one's heard of, your cold heart, shiny shoes and gelled up hair speak volumes to your Dr's and nurses before you even open your mouths. Being at Panera Bread at 6:30 swilling coffee and staring at your laptops doesn't garner respect either. Good selling is meant to inform as well as inspire. But in your hands, pharma sales ends up being a punishment for all involved. Your organization has turned obsolete, destroying and repressing sales people's natural talents rather than motivating them.
I could go on... But the words of a fine American Poet seemed most suited to deliver my parting message. In the poetically subtle words of 2pac Shakur: Fuck you, and your mother fuckin' momma.
I've felt this way for a long time, but I've tried to keep my peace with you. Working under the illusion that if I were to keep working like a good boy I could help change the culture at Forest from within. I always knew I didn't fit in among you... Any one with eyes can tell we're nothing alike. But I like so much what the organization and occupation could be, that I continued hoping against all evidence that there was a niche for me.
Now that the manager I work for has sent me messages telling me (in polite terms) to fuck off and that he and Forest Labs will be making my day to day efforts a nightmare from here on out until my eventual demise. Telling me that the fact that the Dr's, nurses, and receptionists love me is a mark of dishonor in his eyes. Telling me that the fact that I've given my heart and soul to educating the Dr's who prescribe my drugs and helping the patients who take them for years doesn't mean shit to him. Telling me that I could never sell to the expectations that he had for his reps, even though he's mentioned it several times in the past how happy he was with my efforts and results.
Well, maybe now that I have nothing left to lose, it's time to tell you exactly what I think.
I used to say that I had a love/hate relationship with Forest Labs... But being with your company for too long has turned it into a hate/hate relationship. Your crime is unforgivable.
Pharmaceutical sales at Forest would and could a place where one can grow both professionally and personally. A job that where one can acquire the tools to turn problems into solutions. It could be a place where much can be accomplished with the proper approach and mentality. Where the focus isn't on what I have to say as the rep, but what the doctor and patient needs help with. To quote the late, great ZigZiglar: "You can get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want."
Forest Labs would and could be place where people could perform and feel fulfilled if it weren't for the fact that it is run by people like you. Egomaniacs who spend their Saturday nights staring at their job titles on their business cards, bragging to people about how much they're paid and devising new ways to squeeze all joy out of selling.
Every glowing report I receive from people in my territory is another strike against me in the eyes of the bureaucrats controlling the people factory that is now Forest Labs. The assumption is that if the people you're working with don't find you dry, humorless, and needlessly take yourself seriously, you're obviously not doing your job and won't be considered a "proper forest rep."
What you seem to forget is that fun is not the antithesis of serious, it's only the antithesis of boring. No surprises there though...
Your endless voicemails, emails and what you consider "coaching" are a reflection of who you are. Sorry ex-jocks who thought you were important playing sports at your D3 college that no one's heard of, your cold heart, shiny shoes and gelled up hair speak volumes to your Dr's and nurses before you even open your mouths. Being at Panera Bread at 6:30 swilling coffee and staring at your laptops doesn't garner respect either. Good selling is meant to inform as well as inspire. But in your hands, pharma sales ends up being a punishment for all involved. Your organization has turned obsolete, destroying and repressing sales people's natural talents rather than motivating them.
I could go on... But the words of a fine American Poet seemed most suited to deliver my parting message. In the poetically subtle words of 2pac Shakur: Fuck you, and your mother fuckin' momma.
