Poorly Dressed Reps

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Anonymous

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Has anyone else noticed how casual some reps are dressing these days? The women seem to think that a sweater & pants is acceptable. I never walk out of the house in anything other than a suit, tie etc. It degrades the industry when reps are not professionally dressed! Am I alone on this?
 
















Anonymous said:
Has anyone else noticed how casual some reps are dressing these days? The women seem to think that a sweater & pants is acceptable. I never walk out of the house in anything other than a suit, tie etc. It degrades the industry when reps are not professionally dressed! Am I alone on this?
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Yes you are alone on this. I am in device. My company has issued a policy where suits and ties are only appropriate during a big presentation. I saved $500 in dry cleaning alone last year. Now I wear company polos and dockers. And you know what, my clients don't give a shit.

In my area, if you wear a suit they distrust you.

What do you mean it degrades the industry? This industry is not respected anyways. Your suit will not get you any more or less respect. They look at you for free food and samples. Don't flatter yourself...They don't look at me any better for selling them a device either. Glorified car salesman is what I am, but at least I don't take myself as seriously as you do.
 








lol. The industry is already degraded.

Dress code depends on your territory. Metropolitan areas, suit and tie is proper. In rural areas, more casual dress is appropriate.
 
















Anonymous said:
Yes you are alone on this. I am in device. My company has issued a policy where suits and ties are only appropriate during a big presentation. I saved $500 in dry cleaning alone last year. Now I wear company polos and dockers. And you know what, my clients don't give a shit.

In my area, if you wear a suit they distrust you.

What do you mean it degrades the industry? This industry is not respected anyways. Your suit will not get you any more or less respect. They look at you for free food and samples. Don't flatter yourself...They don't look at me any better for selling them a device either. Glorified car salesman is what I am, but at least I don't take myself as seriously as you do.
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Good points. In my area, suits are an eyesore. I also work mostly in the hospital setting and I can assure this joker, my acute care teams do NOT want to see me wander past the waiting room and into the CCU wearing ANYTHING that screams "I work for INDUSTRY!". They appreciate that I dress in a sweater and a skirt or pants, scrubs when appropriate and I never draw attention to myself of stand out amongst the staff or the patients' family members. It has helped me with access issues as well as keeps snotty comments from laypeople/patients/family regarding a representative taking up the doctor's time. The risk of dressing down is that the representative forgets to behave with dignity and respect or begins to "act" casual - something we can never do in this climate. I wear a suit when I have C suite or pharmacy meetings or am doing a formal presentation or going out to dinner.
 
















I am new to the field, working in specialty Pharma for a small private co.(save all the negative notes on the industry and its demise please, it beats where I was previous). My question re dress is this; How can it hurt to be suited up each day if I am calling on office based customers? Beats dressing like a clown does it not?

Are these boards worth anyones time that is new to the biz, it appears in the few threads I have read its mostly for folks pissed off or reps with to much time on there hands and looking for conflict. Please send me to any boards that may actually be helpful....Thanks.
 








Anonymous said:
I am new to the field, working in specialty Pharma for a small private co.(save all the negative notes on the industry and its demise please, it beats where I was previous). My question re dress is this; How can it hurt to be suited up each day if I am calling on office based customers? Beats dressing like a clown does it not?

Are these boards worth anyones time that is new to the biz, it appears in the few threads I have read its mostly for folks pissed off or reps with to much time on there hands and looking for conflict. Please send me to any boards that may actually be helpful....Thanks.
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If I wore a suit in my territory every day they look at me very oddly...When it is 100 degrees outside and 90% humidity I would get laughed at. When it snows and I get road salt on my suit they laugh. Many of my areas are rural and I look like a city slicker.

Plus it sets the tone of "I am better than you." You aren't an attorney going into a courtroom. You aren't closing a million dollar deal in a board room. You are delivering samples and having a 30 second conversation that the Doctor isn't even listening to.

Plus, my suits are $500+. If I can save money on buying a few of those a year plus the $70 bucks a month in dry cleaning, all the better. Ever notice that most Doctors don't wear suits behind their lab coats?

You are new so just realize that this is a job like any other job. It isn't something to be proud of nor ashamed of. It pays the bills. Just never take yourself too seriously. That is why this industry is laughed at behind the backs of the reps. My best friend for 20 years is an MD and says he likes drug reps that know their place in his practice. The rest he just laughs at.
 
















Anonymous said:
Has anyone else noticed how casual some reps are dressing these days? The women seem to think that a sweater & pants is acceptable. I never walk out of the house in anything other than a suit, tie etc. It degrades the industry when reps are not professionally dressed! Am I alone on this?
Click to expand...

Yes you are alone on this, or at least in the minority. I call on mainly academic institutions and the only “industry people” who wear suits and ties are the lawyers, insurance adjustors, and cheesy new reps from big pharma, and you can only imagine how welcomed they are. The suit and tie screams REP and patients know and resent that you are standing between them and the doctor. Look like you might be an employee at the office or at least not a “drug rep” and you may find that you are treated a little less like a “rep”. Suit and ties make many people but up their defenses, and do not think it does anything do bolster the “professionalism” of the medical sales industry. If you are an idiot rep in a nice suit they are only going to remember that you are an idiot. If you are a good rep in a nice suit they are going to remember that you are a good rep not your suit.

I wear a nice sport coat, no tie and nice slacks. I’ve worked in NYC and I wore the exact same thing while working there so I disagree with the “metropolitan areas” notion. If you dress nicely and are a professional no one will notice or care if you are wearing a suit or not, in the majority of settings.

With that being said if you have a stickler client who wears suits and ties, be it a doctor or administrator like a purchasing manager, then I would advise to “dress up” that day. I would suggest dressing in line as much as possible with how your clients dress.
 








Anonymous said:
Has anyone else noticed how casual some reps are dressing these days? The women seem to think that a sweater & pants is acceptable. I never walk out of the house in anything other than a suit, tie etc. It degrades the industry when reps are not professionally dressed! Am I alone on this?
Click to expand...

It's hard to show tone over the internet, so please don't think my tone is hostile when asking this question.

You wear a suit and tie, which women don't. What do you think they should wear. I'd have to see how casual looking the clothes you are talking about are, but I don't see a problem with women's dress pants and a nice sweater.
 








I also want to add to my above reply that there are also special circumstances.

I once was on vacation and doc called me and begged me for samples for an indigent patient. I ran him over some samples in my blue jeans and then had to explain myself to all the fucking nosy reps that were there staring at me.

The doc knew I was coming in jeans and sometimes reps need to not assume and mind their own fucking business.
 








Well, obviously different areas of country, special account require different attire. If I wore a suit, my accounts would ask me "Where are you going. . . out to dinner?" LOL Sales 101, you are supposed to dress to make your client comfortable. I have a counterpart that wears 700 dollar suits with all the fixins' and he SCREAMS: Old Pharma. Everyone notices him because of his attire. He is treated with respect and well-liked but he needed "me" to get access into acute care settings even though the area was new to me and he'd been there for YEARS! I think this, above, is a perfect example of knowing when and what to where for your clients and THEIR customers/pts.

I do like the post regarding dressing up like we're attorney's in court or a CEO making a million dollar deal. Many of us deliver samples. We stomp through rain, mud and snow, 100 degree heat to sub-zero temperatures. . . how silly to where an expensive suit to do this job. No one really cares and, in fact, I have heard staff say they hate it because it gives off the impression of lazy money or a conceited representative.
 








When I started 15 years ago, before the world was overtaken by pharma reps a simple single button suit and tie worked.

We make less money now days than the average state and local government employees.

Why shell out for the cost of expensive clothes and dry cleaning when my neighbor who manages a garbage truck makes more than I do. Slacks and sweater is good enough?

You look like an idiot staring into the trunk to find any left over pop cans from the catering appointment.

The whole thing is sham and scam. Flush it already.
 








Im in outside sales not pharma but do go into doctors offices etc. I have seen some reps usually the young stupid looking ones really dressed unprofessionally. I saw one girl in what looked like flip flops and capris which looked ridiculous. And these young guys with the wheely bags.....I mean please. Im a woman and I wouldnt walk around with one of these queer things.I dont think you need a suit but please try and look like you care.
 
































Okay, I am all for business casual and appropiate attire. A suit just isn't nessesary, but I would like to add this: I live in the south and girls......NO flip-flops! Really? Please, just say no.
 








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