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The "Sin" of trying to be an older sales rep at Merck

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Anonymous said:
I suppose you are one of the those outstanding device reps that just pays the doctors to use their products and think you are above every one based on your wonderful sales skills.
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Agreed! Device reps drive nicer cars and offer larger bribery to physicians than we do. It has nothing to do with their sales skills. The "best" drug reps in my area were those that hand out customized golf clubs, purchase office equipment, and do a lot of creative educational funding to customers while we mere mortals bring lunches.
 




Anonymous said:
8 companies? Sounds like poor judgement of your former hiring managers!
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8 employers sounds like you are typical hard worker without the "connections" that keep people in a job. Anyone who has been laid off over the last 10 years know that the trend in corporate hiring is "work 'em hard and burn 'em out and make sure the older workers move on before they can be pension benefit eligible." Screw the little guy worker....that is the "sin" of corporate America.
 




Anonymous said:
Agreed! Device reps drive nicer cars and offer larger bribery to physicians than we do. It has nothing to do with their sales skills. The "best" drug reps in my area were those that hand out customized golf clubs, purchase office equipment, and do a lot of creative educational funding to customers while we mere mortals bring lunches.
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Cleary a bogus post. We all know this has been banned for years. By the way...this just may be one of those docs who love to pay peek a boo with CP. Buy your own treats doc you make a lot more than anyone on this board.
 




Anonymous said:
Clearly a bogus post. We all know this has been banned for years. By the way...this just may be one of those docs who love to pay peek a boo with CP. Buy your own treats doc you make a lot more than anyone on this board.
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You are so naive. It has been banned in the industry. It is an absolute reason for dismissal at Merck. People simply get creative. I can cite cases of how reps from other companies simply get more creative. They always are more creative and willing to push the envelope than Merck reps. Sadly the docs love them for that. I even have one doc that told me all the lunches would never match what those reps have done for him. Their companies keep making it more difficult while the local reps keep getting more creative. I agree that it is getting very difficult for them these days. As long as you can still do lunches and there are willing restaurants out there you will get expenses folded into the bill.
 




Anonymous said:
Is it true that Merck is only hiring from here on out through CSO? I still want to stay in Pharma. Are the CSO reps high quality reps? I have heard that they have hired reps with alot of pharma exp that were downsized. PFE only hires CSO now. I think it is all going in that direction.
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Yep...going this way. OK for kids starting out, living with roomates or parents. OK for retirees on SS or pensions. OK for second incomers. OK for those silver spoon trust fund types. OK for those who live in cheap cost of living areas.

NOT OK for most people... NOT OK for those who pay the bills or live in high cost areas.

Salary and bonus package = pathetic. No benefits or a grade D- level. Gas car and a few cents for miles.

CSO is a temporary fix, one step above UI....while you're looking for a sustainable job.
 












Anonymous said:
Last I checked UI was 1900 a month which is 22,800 a year. I would take the CSO job anyday.
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I am a Merck retiree. I am looking at a CSO job. Three days a week plus mileage is not too bad for extra spending money. I fall into the category with some incomes already. True this would not be good for those in high-cost areas or as the primary bread winner.
 




Do the CSO jobs have a lot of management stressors and BS or are they mostly stop and drop type jobs? Do the CSO co's hire old farts? I'm 56 and would consider a part time job but if it has any of the activity or certification BS like Merck, I'm out. I want to do something I can do a good job at and have some fun to boot. Pharm sales was that job back when I got hired in the 80's.
 








Anonymous said:
Do the CSO jobs have a lot of management stressors and BS or are they mostly stop and drop type jobs? Do the CSO co's hire old farts? I'm 56 and would consider a part time job but if it has any of the activity or certification BS like Merck, I'm out. I want to do something I can do a good job at and have some fun to boot. Pharm sales was that job back when I got hired in the 80's.
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Stop, drop and forget about keeping your bills paid.....go sell something else besides pharma.
 




Anonymous said:
Stop, drop and forget about keeping your bills paid.....go sell something else besides pharma.
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All bills are paid with my pension and dividends from 401K after retirement. A CSO job would be extra spending money and build a larger cash buffer. I already know the physicians. Three days a week and mostly getting signatures and sample drops sound good to me.
 




Anonymous said:
All bills are paid with my pension and dividends from 401K after retirement. A CSO job would be extra spending money and build a larger cash buffer. I already know the physicians. Three days a week and mostly getting signatures and sample drops sound good to me.
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Me too. Of course I'll probably have to put in a full 3 days of work in the field/week unlike my current 1.5/week doing the sample stop and drop with the remaining 4 doing all the administrative BS that is demanded by Merck and my manager. But hey, that's what they want and I give it to em. I am grateful to be retirement eligible with no long term debt to be worried about. The economy is schooling us all in that regard.
 




Anonymous said:
You have not been around long enough. I used to take orders directly from pharmacists and phone the orders in, pills and vaccines. The same at many offices, mostly vaccines. I used to presell pharmacists with new products and phoned in orders so they have the products in stock when we were ready to go. I used to make "collection calls" on customers not paying their bills. I used to fill out forms for new accounts. Gradually Merck took all these responsibilities away. Merck reps used to do everything including carrying the bucket. You are also right in saying these days we are no longer true sales people in the sense you described. The irony is we are being evaluated as if we are responsible 100% for the sales though.
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This is what a vaccine rep still does on a daily basis. I was an overlay for vaccines a few years ago and I would love to get back into vaccines. I think they are only ones that an office wants to see.
 








Anonymous said:
All bills are paid with my pension and dividends from 401K after retirement. A CSO job would be extra spending money and build a larger cash buffer. I already know the physicians. Three days a week and mostly getting signatures and sample drops sound good to me.
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You've got to be a legacy dude......dont think everyone has the stroke of luck you have. In 50s and would need to sell my house asap.....could never meet the bills on CSO money. No pension available for many more years and even then, it will be minor. 401K...used part for grad school bills and down payment on my home. Nothing much remaining.
 




Anonymous said:
You've got to be a legacy dude......dont think everyone has the stroke of luck you have. In 50s and would need to sell my house asap.....could never meet the bills on CSO money. No pension available for many more years and even then, it will be minor. 401K...used part for grad school bills and down payment on my home. Nothing much remaining.
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I still have to adjust my living standard down a little bit. But you don't need new shoes and fancy clothes as much and as often. Still get nervous watching the market goes up and down.

I have to ask a CSO rep if she has to deal with the same management crap as Merck.
 












If all you have is your job as a salesperson and you've been doing it as a career for more than 5 years-you're an underperformer. Simple as that.

If you have not moved up the ladder beyond a salesperson, you haven't had a career you've had a job that you've milked for a handout.

You need to constantly improve and move up the responsibility ladder. This is true in whatever type of work you do. Otherwise, you're a slacker and should be fired.

Why should a company keep someone on-who collects a fat salary with benefits when they can replace you with someone younger and cheaper? Don't take it personally, it is simple business. If you ran your own business you'd do the same thing.

Oh yeah, I know, for loyalty and ethical reasons. That is a bunch of 'entitlement' speak.

If they kept you at the same pay for the same job-how many years would you have stayed? Probably not much more than 3 or 4. So, now that you haven't progressed up the career path, you want an entitlement? Tough.

Gov's Christie and Walker have taken the right approach with the unions and gov't employees. Now it is time that industry does the same to the slackers here. Get rid of the whiners, gimmes and slackers.

Tough luck that you couldn't move up the career ladder-that was your choice. Too bad you chose to have kids, get married or whatever...it was your choice. And yes, if you didn't want to kiss butt to get up the ladder-that's fine too-but, here's the consequence.

Time to let the people go-

Good for shareholders, good for young people coming in, good for me~
 




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