ROI on DMs

[Anonymous]

Most industry sales reps have a sales manager....however, rarely do they work in the field with them - mostly they are there to support the rep with ideas to "make the deal". Creativity was lost in pharma several years ago and Novartis only "borrows" ideas from other companies (good and bad ideas).

This is very true. I am in medical device and have one ride along once a year. It mostly centers around year long planning for large accounts. But "Day to day" activities, well, they trust me to do my job.

In fact, my last ride along was in May of 2010.

And I used to be a DM until I got out of pharma to go into device for more freedom and much more money. I will tell you I hated doing ride alongs. I would tell my reps "Just do your job, forget I am here, and let's have a good lunch some place that is expensive enough that you wouldn't pay for it yourself."

 

[Anonymous]

I have been a DM for several years at another company. Trust me on this...your DM probably filters about half of the junk he/she hears from his/her boss and it never gets to you. This is a good thing. If you reported directly to the next higher-up, you would be amazed how much more useless hoop-jumping is expected. You can debate whether DM's are worth the money, but if yours trusts you he/she will let you do your job and filter most of the bs you shouldn't have to deal with. If there is no trust there, you get micro'ed. It's a matter of prioritizing based on trust. Having said that, it's up to the DM to earn your trust. It's not always easy, but it can be done by simply putting the reps interest ahead of his/hers and being honest. It is a shame that this has become such a novel concept...

 

[Anonymous]

I have been a DM for several years at another company. Trust me on this...your DM probably filters about half of the junk he/she hears from his/her boss and it never gets to you. This is a good thing. If you reported directly to the next higher-up, you would be amazed how much more useless hoop-jumping is expected. You can debate whether DM's are worth the money, but if yours trusts you he/she will let you do your job and filter most of the bs you shouldn't have to deal with. If there is no trust there, you get micro'ed. It's a matter of prioritizing based on trust. Having said that, it's up to the DM to earn your trust. It's not always easy, but it can be done by simply putting the reps interest ahead of his/hers and being honest. It is a shame that this has become such a novel concept...

Yeah Yeah you all sound so benevolent until they ask you to force rank & hand out some 1's . The point at which your spines turn to mush. Go back to sleep . Oh & reps can filter their own crap if that's your raison d'etre.

 

[Anonymous]

My DM sucks ! If he didn't , he'd know I was still at home in my jammies typing this reply !!

 

[Anonymous]

My DM sucks ! If he didn't , he'd know I was still at home in my jammies typing this reply !!

he knows you loser that is why your 45 and still a freakin rep!

 

[Anonymous]

he knows you loser that is why your 45 and still a freakin rep!

With the pompous attitude that you are showing; I do believe you are a DM or RD! YOU are the problem with management in Novartis. And I believe that most decent DM"s and RD's would agree that your attitude toward your sales team is atrocious!

 

[Anonymous]

100-120K + for a bunch of secretaries. What a waste of $$$ .

You're so stupid you don't even know how much DM's make...

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah Yeah you all sound so benevolent until they ask you to force rank & hand out some 1's . The point at which your spines turn to mush. Go back to sleep . Oh & reps can filter their own crap if that's your raison d'etre.

If DM is such a cake job that requires no spine, rakes in big bucks, and is a glorified secretary then why don't you find an opening and apply? Seriously, there is no accountability, and you can blame the reps and/or managed care for everything. You would get a better car, one office day per week, bigger salary, and there is no need to filter out any bs for your reps since they can filter everything on their own.

What the hell is holding you back from moving into this responsibility-free money grab?! I know you are smart enough; hell...you even know French. And don't give me this "I refuse to kiss ass" or "I'm not one of the cronies" crap. That is union-speak for "I hate my life and my job (and the fact that I'm just not management material), so I'll bitch about my DM and act like it has nothing to do with my attitude, skill, or work ethic."

Enjoy your evening.

 

[Anonymous]

I have been a DM for several years at another company. Trust me on this...your DM probably filters about half of the junk he/she hears from his/her boss and it never gets to you. This is a good thing. If you reported directly to the next higher-up, you would be amazed how much more useless hoop-jumping is expected. You can debate whether DM's are worth the money, but if yours trusts you he/she will let you do your job and filter most of the bs you shouldn't have to deal with. If there is no trust there, you get micro'ed. It's a matter of prioritizing based on trust. Having said that, it's up to the DM to earn your trust. It's not always easy, but it can be done by simply putting the reps interest ahead of his/hers and being honest. It is a shame that this has become such a novel concept...

Hope east tenn DM reads this. No trust of reps whatsoever and all are micromanaged to the last degree. Never tried to earn anyones trust as a new mgr. has never put his reps interest ahead of his--always whines about how his pocketbook is being hit do to inept reps.

 

[Anonymous]

E TN MGR HERE: I HEAR U AND U WILL PAY DEARLY FOR SAYING THAT

 

[Anonymous]

100-120K + for a bunch of secretaries. What a waste of $$$ .

What do you mean a waste of money. Where else can you learn words like spot on, trust me, it's a beautiful thing, high level and other bullshit like that. They think it makes them sound like they are the smartest people in the world. If you want to be a great DM like Jay Nicholson, when he was a manager in KC, and show your people that you care about them. The first thing a DM can do when you get in the car is say what can I do you help you do your job better or what problems are you having that I can help with today. We don't need these crap buzz words. These buzz words do give you something to do at meetings like play buzz word bingo, sure makes the meeting go faster - spot on siegmeier

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah Yeah you all sound so benevolent until they ask you to force rank & hand out some 1's . The point at which your spines turn to mush. Go back to sleep . Oh & reps can filter their own crap if that's your raison d'etre.

Any manager worth their salt can and should rank their reps. You are not all the same.

Being forced to give out some 1s is a different story though.

 

[Anonymous]

If DM is such a cake job that requires no spine, rakes in big bucks, and is a glorified secretary then why don't you find an opening and apply? Seriously, there is no accountability, and you can blame the reps and/or managed care for everything. You would get a better car, one office day per week, bigger salary, and there is no need to filter out any bs for your reps since they can filter everything on their own.

What the hell is holding you back from moving into this responsibility-free money grab?! I know you are smart enough; hell...you even know French. And don't give me this "I refuse to kiss ass" or "I'm not one of the cronies" crap. That is union-speak for "I hate my life and my job (and the fact that I'm just not management material), so I'll bitch about my DM and act like it has nothing to do with my attitude, skill, or work ethic."

Enjoy your evening.

Beautifully said!! Previous manager here and thankful every day to not have to deal with it any more. I get sooooo tired of the endless whining and claims that any one who has a job that is different than the sales reps' is useless. It always looks easy from the outside.

All it takes is one bad rep, often inherited or shifted from one force to another, and the manager's life is hell. If you are lucky enough to hire your own team the odds of having a great group and a great job improve, but those situations are rare, especially in a big company.

 

[Anonymous]

I would suggest though that those who are DMs who have an over-inflated view of themselves, realize you are stuck with that job. Not a bad thing if you don't get laid off. A HORRIBLE thing if you do and expect to get another job like that again. and layoffs in this field are common. Fair or not, other lines of work know the job is a mixed bag: Yes you have management experience but no you don't really get to make any managerial decisions with any sort of "Executive Decision." I have heard this from multiple headhunters working VERY HIGH level jobs, or from CEOs who I have spoken to directly.

Which is why I am very happy to be medical device. I was able to get out of pharma because I only had a few years in and the hiring folks and medical device companies were willing to overlook that. I had capital equipment experience, was young and ambitious and desperately wanted out of pharma. Which is why, over the past 3 months, I have been aggressively recruited by three companies offering total compensation from 175-300. The funny thing is, if I were going against a pharma DM for the job, I wouldn't sweat a bit. In fact, the company I am at now has an unofficial "no pharma in the immediate previous job" policy.

People, this is just a job. The DMs that view this as their small fiefdom, get over it. You are just as expendable in a company with thousands of employees like your reps. Just like I am at my job.

 

[Anonymous]

What do you mean a waste of money. Where else can you learn words like spot on, trust me, it's a beautiful thing, high level and other bullshit like that. They think it makes them sound like they are the smartest people in the world. If you want to be a great DM like Jay Nicholson, when he was a manager in KC, and show your people that you care about them. The first thing a DM can do when you get in the car is say what can I do you help you do your job better or what problems are you having that I can help with today. We don't need these crap buzz words. These buzz words do give you something to do at meetings like play buzz word bingo, sure makes the meeting go faster - spot on siegmeier

This is exactly what managers should do. There is no way for managers to be successful without genuinely trying to be a useful resource for the reps. Sometimes the reps make it difficult with a poor attitude, but it's up to the DM to try to pick them up and help in any way possible. Threats, buzz words, fear, etc. are counter-productive in the long run.

 

[Anonymous]

Beautifully said!! Previous manager here and thankful every day to not have to deal with it any more. I get sooooo tired of the endless whining and claims that any one who has a job that is different than the sales reps' is useless. It always looks easy from the outside.

All it takes is one bad rep, often inherited or shifted from one force to another, and the manager's life is hell. If you are lucky enough to hire your own team the odds of having a great group and a great job improve, but those situations are rare, especially in a big company.[/QUO

You sound like Obama, its always somebodies fault and never yours. That's how you guys keep your jobs blaming somebody else and having a scapegoat. Why don't you take a look at yourselves. Wait a minute your not trained to do that, say it with me, "It's all the reps fault, it's all the reps fault, etc.

 

[Anonymous]

Beautifully said!! Previous manager here and thankful every day to not have to deal with it any more. I get sooooo tired of the endless whining and claims that any one who has a job that is different than the sales reps' is useless. It always looks easy from the outside.

All it takes is one bad rep, often inherited or shifted from one force to another, and the manager's life is hell. If you are lucky enough to hire your own team the odds of having a great group and a great job improve, but those situations are rare, especially in a big company.[/QUO

You sound like Obama, its always somebodies fault and never yours. That's how you guys keep your jobs blaming somebody else and having a scapegoat. Why don't you take a look at yourselves. Wait a minute your not trained to do that, say it with me, "It's all the reps fault, it's all the reps fault, etc.

What you've proven is that you:
Don't know how to use a simple quote function on a bitch board
Don't know how to use proper English and the difference between your and you're
And
Have no reading comprehension skills.

Nowhere does the post blame the majority of reps. The majority are a joy to work with and want nothing but to do their jobs, within the crazy confines of the industry, to the best of their ability. The majority understand the manager has a job to do as well and they work together as a team, helping each other through the nuttiness. However, it is clear you are one of THOSE who make a manager's life hell. I bet you can't respond correctly to a simple email or directions either, can you? One like you and a manager gets forced to ignore the 8-10 great people since they have to focus every minute on the problem child.

 

[Anonymous]

This is exactly what managers should do. There is no way for managers to be successful without genuinely trying to be a useful resource for the reps. Sometimes the reps make it difficult with a poor attitude, but it's up to the DM to try to pick them up and help in any way possible. Threats, buzz words, fear, etc. are counter-productive in the long run.

I agree wholeheartedly with your first sentence, but not the rest. When a 'rep makes it difficult with a poor attitude' managers need greater ability to fire quickly and end the problem. Not babysit, not pick them up. You are supposed to be adults and the manager is not your mommy and the company is not your family. There are LOTS of good reps out there working hard every day and lots more great ones out of work. I hate seeing the few losers that give everyone a bad name, that have somehow held on to jobs, and managers having to go through steps that can take a year or more to get rid of them. All the while, someone who would work hard is out of work or let go. Managers need more ability to react quickly and decisively to problems and should have had some input in the recent cuts too.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree wholeheartedly with your first sentence, but not the rest. When a 'rep makes it difficult with a poor attitude' managers need greater ability to fire quickly and end the problem. Not babysit, not pick them up. You are supposed to be adults and the manager is not your mommy and the company is not your family. There are LOTS of good reps out there working hard every day and lots more great ones out of work. I hate seeing the few losers that give everyone a bad name, that have somehow held on to jobs, and managers having to go through steps that can take a year or more to get rid of them. All the while, someone who would work hard is out of work or let go. Managers need more ability to react quickly and decisively to problems and should have had some input in the recent cuts too.

You're not a real manager. Good managers get the most out of their assets.
You on the other hand want a bunch of ass kissers to lick your scrotum fullfilling
your sense of worth which you are apparently missing. You should be at DMV
It's the few loser DM's like you that give the rest a bad name .

 

[Anonymous]

This is exactly what managers should do. There is no way for managers to be successful without genuinely trying to be a useful resource for the reps. Sometimes the reps make it difficult with a poor attitude, but it's up to the DM to try to pick them up and help in any way possible. Threats, buzz words, fear, etc. are counter-productive in the long run.

AMEN!!!