SIP...what ?

[Anonymous]

I am legacy SP and just wanted to share a few observations about Merck. Call me old fashioned but dammit just pay me for MY numbers. Dont have 10 components to figuring out our SIP. This is my third pharma job and the other 2 companies only paid your bonus based on your numbers. There was no including of competencies, account management etc. We are sales people right, or are we business people? Put that other crap on our PMP and use it for our yearly rating. Also, account management is a farse. Every resource Ive given to an office has gotten put on a dusty shelf. I feel like I am harassing people to meet with my MAE or continue to meet with her. Offices have enough of their own resources. Why is it so bad just to take the role doctors expect of us....give them samples, update them on changes in disease state/products, help them if they ask or show a need for it. By help them I mean with our patient assistance program or resources. Getting paid as a district then doing differentiation is another joke. Differentiation just makes people try to one up eachother. I am in an area where I can see my customers. I have had the same area my whole time in pharma and have always had good numbers. I sell Dulera and am even leading my district with that one. It pains me to see people make more money than me based on how they differentiate when it has nothing to do with whether they can sell or not. Get back to basics Merck!

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with you. As long as I am following the policy letters and not breaking any law, then pay me based on the numbers. Like you said, whether I dress properly or smell good or not should go into my annual review.

 

[Anonymous]

Never going to happen...my advice is to look for another job. This is no longer a career. BTW, I have been with Merck over a decade and the changes make my ill. We really were a great company at one time. In fact, Merck was THE only company I wanted to work for when I got into this crazy industry. My, how times have changed.

 

[Anonymous]

Never going to happen...my advice is to look for another job. This is no longer a career. BTW, I have been with Merck over a decade and the changes make my ill. We really were a great company at one time. In fact, Merck was THE only company I wanted to work for when I got into this crazy industry. My, how times have changed.

This is absolutely right on the money. If you're good at sales and want to get paid for it, you need to get out of Merck. We have all this other happy horseshit to contend with that includes far too much subjectivity so that we all end up getting caught in the big pharma game that divides us rather than unites us. I joined Merck in 1979 and loved the opportunity I was given to work for a great pharmaceutical company. FF about 16 years and that great company started its decline. Times have indeed changed. The company I once loved is today so badly managed and poorly operated that I could cry.

 

[Anonymous]

Joined in 1988 and agree that decline was obvious to everyone by 1995. But changes that came to reward who you knew rather than what you knew and rewarded those that stole much of other's credit rather than those that earned their own were creeping in by the early 90's. Some amazing do-nothings were moving up even then. Lots of ambitious people joined simply because at that time Merck had the great name, not always beccause they wanted to be great themselves. Parasites. Now those do-nothing parasites form the majority of management. The age of the individual achiever is long past.

 

[Anonymous]

Never going to happen...my advice is to look for another job. This is no longer a career. BTW, I have been with Merck over a decade and the changes make my ill. We really were a great company at one time. In fact, Merck was THE only company I wanted to work for when I got into this crazy industry. My, how times have changed.

The best reps have already left. This is not the place for a gifted salesperson.

 

[Anonymous]

Those of us who have been around would know the current Merck is poorly managed. Those in power right now think the reps are simply not doing enough, not up to par, not coached properly, not having the right attitude, and should be given a PIP. When you have asski**ers who were lousy reps now in the management, they visualize all reps are like them.

Apply that to real life as I was talking about dating with my kids. Usually people with the most problems and least life skills are the most controlling. Or they don't want their boyfriend/girlfriend to move on and be better than them. Or they choose boyfriend/girlfriend who is worse than them. Isn't that kind of like what we have at Merck?

 

[Anonymous]

The best reps have already left. This is not the place for a gifted salesperson.

Unless you are over 50....I have 25+ years and about 2 years away from early retirement....which means pension and medical will kick in soon....why "start over" somewhere new at this point? No gaurantee whatsoever in current environment that I can get "vested" at another company--and I'm not talking pharma, I'm talking about ANY company, given the economy (and vested means 5 years, not 2)...so for someone like me, no matter how much you dislike being at Merck, being here 2 more years is something you will "suck up".

 

[Anonymous]

Unless you are over 50....I have 25+ years and about 2 years away from early retirement....which means pension and medical will kick in soon....why "start over" somewhere new at this point? No gaurantee whatsoever in current environment that I can get "vested" at another company--and I'm not talking pharma, I'm talking about ANY company, given the economy (and vested means 5 years, not 2)...so for someone like me, no matter how much you dislike being at Merck, being here 2 more years is something you will "suck up".

you are under the assumption that won't try and force you out with a PIP before then...I hope you make it to retirement, but just remember that Merck is devilish and doesn't care if they skull-f7*k you out of there....

 

[Anonymous]

SIP feedback. The reality is that the annual bonus plan is dysfunctional and won't change because it's a great cost containment item for Merck leadership. Leave before the end of the year and no bonus for you. Im amazed that Merck reps don't get this concept and fight for a more frequent payout bonus payout. Who cares about a convoluted plan? Just pay out more than once a year. That in itself would be a significant step

 

[Anonymous]

you are under the assumption that won't try and force you out with a PIP before then...I hope you make it to retirement, but just remember that Merck is devilish and doesn't care if they skull-f7*k you out of there....

Have same CTL for nearly 2 years....getting good reviews, positive feedback on all field visits....no sign of being PIP'd....of course, anything can happen....but I won't leave on my own accord.

 

[Anonymous]

SIP feedback. The reality is that the annual bonus plan is dysfunctional and won't change because it's a great cost containment item for Merck leadership. Leave before the end of the year and no bonus for you. Im amazed that Merck reps don't get this concept and fight for a more frequent payout bonus payout. Who cares about a convoluted plan? Just pay out more than once a year. That in itself would be a significant step

Merck did for a few years with quarterly bonuses. They said it was done at the request of the reps. The payment was always late. Then we went back to annual bonus with tons of PowerPoint slides explaining why it was better and at the request of the reps, again. I yawn whenever they present the components of any "new" SIP. I know someone at the HQ think the reps should not get it for sales performance along. All those idle MBAs came up with the matrix/components and in the end, you will never get the amount they flash on the screen anyway. I yawn again. My manager notices it and is pissed. Oh well.

 

[Anonymous]

This is absolutely right on the money. If you're good at sales and want to get paid for it, you need to get out of Merck. We have all this other happy horseshit to contend with that includes far too much subjectivity so that we all end up getting caught in the big pharma game that divides us rather than unites us. I joined Merck in 1979 and loved the opportunity I was given to work for a great pharmaceutical company. FF about 16 years and that great company started its decline. Times have indeed changed. The company I once loved is today so badly managed and poorly operated that I could cry.

I started in1980. Couldn't agree more with the change in the company over the past 8 years.

 

[Anonymous]

I started in1980. Couldn't agree more with the change in the company over the past 8 years.

I started in 1982. May be I am more pessimistic as I see our downturn began about 15 years ago with the mass hiring of the Barbie and Ken dolls. I knew we were making a radical change when all the new male reps had waxed eyebrows and all the Barbies talking nonstop about who was the best place for botox in town.

 

[Anonymous]

You realize that there is the SIP survey currently out there to gather your feedback. Give it, because if you don't, complaining on here won't accomplish squat. At least with the survey, if there are enough people saying the same thing, it might get heard. You know, the old "because you asked for it" type of changes.

 

[Anonymous]

You realize that there is the SIP survey currently out there to gather your feedback. Give it, because if you don't, complaining on here won't accomplish squat. At least with the survey, if there are enough people saying the same thing, it might get heard. You know, the old "because you asked for it" type of changes.

Yes and no. Some surveys used to be coded. The reps figured it out. Then they said surveys from now on will be handled by an outside vendor. Reps asked why we had to mail them to the manager to be forwarded on? So we were given envelopes to mail them in directly. Then they said surveys are optional. The next thing you know we were forced to fill them out at meetings under the supervision of the manager because not enough people were sending them back and the management was "disappointed". Then you sat with your manager for a review and he has the results of the survey and each response is coded to let him know who answered that one.

BTW, there is no such thing as "you asked for it". Merck would say they asked a group of reps at a certain meeting about something and this "elite and carefully chosen" group overwhelmingly asked for this. This is like doing an open-label study with the conclusion already made.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes and no. Some surveys used to be coded. The reps figured it out. Then they said surveys from now on will be handled by an outside vendor. Reps asked why we had to mail them to the manager to be forwarded on? So we were given envelopes to mail them in directly. Then they said surveys are optional. The next thing you know we were forced to fill them out at meetings under the supervision of the manager because not enough people were sending them back and the management was "disappointed". Then you sat with your manager for a review and he has the results of the survey and each response is coded to let him know who answered that one.

BTW, there is no such thing as "you asked for it". Merck would say they asked a group of reps at a certain meeting about something and this "elite and carefully chosen" group overwhelmingly asked for this. This is like doing an open-label study with the conclusion already made.

File this under "just the facts ma'am". Merck hasn't conducted a truly confidential employee survey in decades.