Open Letter To Merck Leadership

[Anonymous]

DEAR SALES REPRESENTATIVE:

I do not work at Merck; I came to your site to read information regarding upcoming layoffs. I am a regional business manager at another pharmaceutical company so I was surely interested in your recommendation above. While I do agree that district managers or CTLs as they are called at Merck should have the capacity to manage a minimum of 8 reps. and a maximum of 12, your article above reeks of a whining cry baby who just really does not want his or her manager to come for a field ride. A manager's role @most companies is to drive business and develop representatives. Yes, there is a lot of other duties that go along with this job in addition to the things you mention like: approving expense reports. Most people have no clue as to the work load that a DM carries. It may look very easy from those on the outside, but trust me it isn't.

If any of your physicians have indeed complained to you about your manager coming into the office too frequently, then have an honest discussion with your manager. Perhaps the manager could sit in the waiting room while you go back to detail. The manager could always take part in pre-call planning and post-call analysis with you in these instances. Another solution would be to just not take your manager to see the "complaining" physicians on a too frequent basis. Of course, make your manager aware as to why you are not taking him or her to those particular offices every field ride.

You also mentioned the problem of having to see and develop relationships with all physicians regardless of their potential (based on the field rides). That is simply ridiculous. No experienced manager would ask you to call on low potential physicians FOR ANY REASON.

While you feel that the CTL to rep. ratio is skewed, CTL's at Merck make too much money for what they do, and do not have enough to keep them busy, your assessment above sounds like it was written by an immature representative who simply does not want to be coached nor developed. The pharmaceutical industry is more than likely not the place for you.

Signed,
Current Regional Business Manager

This is the funniest post I've read in a very long time. Whoever you are, you do not know what goes on inside pharma or you are so brainwashed that you are useless. Nothing you said is true or relevant. You should probably return to Enterprise.

"your article above reeks of a whining cry baby who just really does not want his or her manager to come for a field ride." If you knew the industry, you would not want the "field ride" either, it wastes the reps time because the HCP interaction becomes a "role play". It causes the HCPs to lock out reps-critical if you want to "move the business" . For example you say "Perhaps the manager could sit in the waiting room while you go back to detail." WTF value is paying you to sit in the waiting room-in fact I observe many DMs/CTLs standing in the hallways because there is no room for them in the waiting room. "Another solution would be to just not take your manager to see the "complaining" physicians on a too frequent basis. Of course, make your manager aware as to why you are not taking him or her to those particular offices every field ride. " another WTF, How do you think the HCPs will react, let me tell YOU, I forgot that one particular HCP warned me that he to NEVER bring a CTL into his office and ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE when I did. Destroyed a good relationship and make my FV day a disaster. If this is how you really feel, you need a new job.
"You also mentioned the problem of having to see and develop relationships with all physicians regardless of their potential (based on the field rides). That is simply ridiculous. No experienced manager would ask you to call on low potential physicians FOR ANY REASON." The call deck is determined by HQ and we are accountable to R/F, what job to you say you have????

 

[Anonymous]

Jeez, you may have a point here. But perhaps our competitors might be able to avoid subjecting us current Merck employees to burdensome rendition techniques merely by chatting with just a few of the tens of thousands that have exited Merck over the last 10 years. Many of whom know a lot more about the institutional incompetence than anyone person can write to this site. Any given that Merck rarely appreciated those that it possessed and quickly scorned those that fell out of favor, it might be ridiculously easy to discover some that harbor ill feelings to the "Mother". Merck has no secrets, beneficial or not. But they also rank near the bottom in true personnel engagement, loyalty, and attractiveness to outside talent. The problem with Merck is not its historical ineptness, it is that it is totally unprepared to turn the sinking ship around, to mix a couple of metaphors.

What is stunning is that Wall Street seems to talk about the bright future of Merck when the current employees see only dark days ahead. These sharks on Wall Street are not dopey. Surely they know enough to read sites such as these. One can only assume that there is a master con game going on with pharma and its W.S. masters. To the detriment of the causal investor and certainly without any consideration of the calamity that awaits those employees that wait too long.

We all have the SAME corporate structure, use the same contract reps, buy the same software and hardware, use the same sample delivery company, haven't you noticed?

 

[Anonymous]

This role doesn't exist in most other industries with working professionals, because there is no need to closely monitor the work of PROFESSIONALS!. That said I don't see the role going away because 1. there is a weird need to "promote" people based on "relationship" not talent. 2. It is used as a CYA with regulators (although having the role has NOT prevented large fines in nearly every pharma organization).

The solution would be to have reps report to the DCOs, who monitor activity remotely (as they are now. Hold training sessions as needed with a dedicated training staff, but make sure that the reps KNOW product and disease INSIDE OUT. The biggest reason that reps are being locked out of offices is that HCPs do not have time for the canned messages repeated over and over again. They are willing to discuss RELEVANT product and disease provided we KNOW WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT! And PLEASE learn how to correctly pronounce the medical terms! And for the sake of the customers, eliminate the FV.

This post is so true. I have never had a manager that has been worth their salary. They were suppose to support the sales team so we could be in front of our customers. Most of my managers were always putting the task to other sales representatives because they were lazy. Merck is all about telling your CTL everything they want to hear and if you don't, your review will put you in the bucket they choose. It is all about ass kissing! The executive team, what a joke! The MAE role is a joke! PCMH has not brought in one cent or opened access to the sales field, but the MAE's liked to believe it and market themselves as such. If your are honest about the fact that they haven't opened up access, you will be penalized because they are on the Executive Team and the loudest voice gets the vote. In addition some MAE"s do Quid pro quo, a lawsuit waiting to happen. It amazes me how much our Company spends on these people and there is know accountability.

So sad! This use to be a great company that cared about its people. I love the phrase "Merck, Be Well". Who the hell are they talking too! Most certainly, they are not talking to their employees. Ken Frazier get a clue!