The Soul-Killing Drudgery of Pharmaceutical Sales

[Anonymous]

I wonder who your manager is? From northeast Ohio?

You guessed it. He appeared from Columbus like a bad dream and went on a destruction tour, ruining whatever semblance of decency existed in this district. No one trusts anyone else any longer, and with good reason.

Oh well, at least he doesn't beat his wife. This place makes me sick.

 

[Anonymous]

Listen! I was afraid to leave as well. Just woke up one day and said do I want to be eulogized as a career Merck rep? Having never really contributed to society? I felt sick and left the vile place that Merck has unfortunately become. And yeah money was tight for a year but now I AM SO MUCH HAPPIER- and healthier! Found a job I like and really am helping people now.

Good luck!

 

[Anonymous]

unfortunate but true...pharma sales lifers need to be prepared to never work again...once they get into their 50s, no one will even look at them...

the only jobs available are even crappier than pharma...your only choice is to buy a business or go back to school...

Or enjoy your retirement as I am. Not rich nor poor. Enough to have fun sometimes. No more anxiety attack, have to lie, bathroom runs during a field visit, skill training, etc.

 

[Anonymous]

Or enjoy your retirement as I am. Not rich nor poor. Enough to have fun sometimes. No more anxiety attack, have to lie, bathroom runs during a field visit, skill training, etc.

Yeah, I am not going to make it to retirement in this industry. It is too stressful to come up with a meaningful day. I totally get the bathroom runs with every FV. I am fifty fcking years old and get the shits the night before and the entire day. I don't sleep anymore. Now, my new manager actually wants to sit in my little car and ride with me from 8 am to 4 pm ALL day in the heat and driving for three hours. I am so miserable that most days I just pray I will die or get hit by a truck so that my loved ones get a nice pay out. . . and, yes, I have tried and tried and tried to get OUT of this industry and do something else even if for half the money. I even went back and got a Master's degree. No one cares. Obviously, I interview well because I keep getting pharma jobs.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I am not going to make it to retirement in this industry. It is too stressful to come up with a meaningful day. I totally get the bathroom runs with every FV. I am fifty fcking years old and get the shits the night before and the entire day. I don't sleep anymore. Now, my new manager actually wants to sit in my little car and ride with me from 8 am to 4 pm ALL day in the heat and driving for three hours. I am so miserable that most days I just pray I will die or get hit by a truck so that my loved ones get a nice pay out. . . and, yes, I have tried and tried and tried to get OUT of this industry and do something else even if for half the money. I even went back and got a Master's degree. No one cares. Obviously, I interview well because I keep getting pharma jobs.

The Soul-Killing Drudgery of Pharmaceutical Sales - - whoever penned the title of this thread should write a book. It is a great tragedy to read the posts from souls like this one quoted. I don't know what percent of Merck's sales representives fit this profile but I'm guessing at least 1/3 of you and maybe more. I don't know how you survive. I can't imagine being in your shoes for very long and feeling that stressed. For what it's worth, you're all in my prayers.

 

[Anonymous]

Take my word for it, unless you go back to be a BSN, JD or MD, no one will STILL hire you with a recent advanced degree. I hear accounting and IT are big but I did not go in that direction because I do love science. Lots of people already getting pharmacy tech, lab tech, cath tech and medical coding degrees (not that any of those pay above 40k). I really think it is an age thing and America just does not value any worker over the age of fifty. Hit sixty, like a few of my friends, and I am told it is even worse. Some have had to start their own businesses making maybe 12k annually just to put food on the table when they used to make 100k annually. A lot are realtors or financial planners now. Sad.

The American Dream...ain't it grand??

 

[Anonymous]

Or enjoy your retirement as I am. Not rich nor poor. Enough to have fun sometimes. No more anxiety attack, have to lie, bathroom runs during a field visit, skill training, etc.

that is what I am doing too...Will have to downsize the lifestyle in a big way, but I don't miss those Gestapo like field visits, which were only ever about being a management harassment technique, and nothing to do with helping the rep or customer...

Pharma is a joke...it wasn't much fun to be part of the comedy when I was in it, but the whole thing cracks me up now...

I may be poor these days but at least I am no longer a drug rep...(for Merck no less - FU MERCK!)

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I am not going to make it to retirement in this industry. It is too stressful to come up with a meaningful day. I totally get the bathroom runs with every FV. I am fifty fcking years old and get the shits the night before and the entire day. I don't sleep anymore. Now, my new manager actually wants to sit in my little car and ride with me from 8 am to 4 pm ALL day in the heat and driving for three hours. I am so miserable that most days I just pray I will die or get hit by a truck so that my loved ones get a nice pay out. . . and, yes, I have tried and tried and tried to get OUT of this industry and do something else even if for half the money. I even went back and got a Master's degree. No one cares. Obviously, I interview well because I keep getting pharma jobs.

I know someone that went and had knee surgery, (that was not really essential) just so they could avoid that month's field visit...

Merck is a sick cult...

 

[Anonymous]

I know 2 people who chose surgery (elective) over spending 2 days in the regional office being tested, videotaped, critiqued, having to present bs territory analysis, etc. for another big pharma co. They make you do endless things that produce no additional revenue for the company but keep managers employed.

FU Pharma.

 

[Anonymous]

Most reps I meet in the field these days are totally miserable, trying to figure out a different career path and waiting to see if the ax will fall on them next. Believe it or not, "detail rep" was once considered to be a fairly honorable, white collar way to make a living. Then Wall Street, greed, crazy days of bribing/paying docs to RX and have 6 reps all calling on the same office for the same drug started up and now we are all paying the price (except for the execs who manage to reward themselves no matter how the company is doing and how big a fine they have to pay for the previous years of abuse).

 

[Anonymous]

Most reps I meet in the field these days are totally miserable, trying to figure out a different career path and waiting to see if the ax will fall on them next. Believe it or not, "detail rep" was once considered to be a fairly honorable, white collar way to make a living. Then Wall Street, greed, crazy days of bribing/paying docs to RX and have 6 reps all calling on the same office for the same drug started up and now we are all paying the price (except for the execs who manage to reward themselves no matter how the company is doing and how big a fine they have to pay for the previous years of abuse).

Not nitpicking. They actually were called "detail men" as 99% of them were male.

At one time it was considered, as you said, a professional sales job which was not as sleazy as, say, a car salesman.

I remember a rep was retiring and making his last rounds. The staff at a clinic told me, then a rookie, to wait as this gentleman was special and would be the first to see the physicians. The doctors came out and treated him as a friend and wished him the best They were very respectful of him. That was before the big entertainment $$, fancy dinner, golf outing, etc. What has happened to our industry?

 

[Anonymous]

unfortunate but true...pharma sales lifers need to be prepared to never work again...once they get into their 50s, no one will even look at them...

the only jobs available are even crappier than pharma...your only choice is to buy a business or go back to school...

"buy a business or go back to school."

WOW... wish I were in your "big" shoes....will you tell me how the typical worker can just walk away from a job, have zero income and no benefits then have the money appear to buy a business and get it off and running (duh...this takes a few years, at least..). The same applies to running up school bills without an income.

Have you ever thought you need to draw a salary and pay bills? Unless you have spouse who is pulling in enough this is not realistic.....

Put on your thinking cap.....you're not using your brain.

 

[Anonymous]

Not nitpicking. They actually were called "detail men" as 99% of them were male.

At one time it was considered, as you said, a professional sales job which was not as sleazy as, say, a car salesman.

I remember a rep was retiring and making his last rounds. The staff at a clinic told me, then a rookie, to wait as this gentleman was special and would be the first to see the physicians. The doctors came out and treated him as a friend and wished him the best They were very respectful of him. That was before the big entertainment $$, fancy dinner, golf outing, etc. What has happened to our industry?

Years ago doctors had time and were paid well. Now, they rely on a much larger volume of patients to make that amount....So, like everything else, it's time to cut the fat. Most dont have the time and there are too many reps running around....Their solution is becoming technology and no need for reps unless they want the samples and an occasional lunch........As for the pizazz it created an image problem for this industry. In other sales those things can exist and its ok...but in medicine it's a very slippery slope.

 

[Anonymous]

"buy a business or go back to school."

WOW... wish I were in your "big" shoes....will you tell me how the typical worker can just walk away from a job, have zero income and no benefits then have the money appear to buy a business and get it off and running (duh...this takes a few years, at least..). The same applies to running up school bills without an income.

Have you ever thought you need to draw a salary and pay bills? Unless you have spouse who is pulling in enough this is not realistic.....

Put on your thinking cap.....you're not using your brain.

At fifty, I bit the bullet and did pay my own way back to school. It so far makes no difference. I agree with you on the business thing. I have lived very frugally and never had enough money to buy a business and now I'm just old with very little retirement considering how much everything is going to cost. Have not been on vacation in more than a decade. Have health problems, marriage problems, divorce, a few moves, kids with issues, college to pay for and there is very little left to even cover the cost of living out here. I would have loved to have bought a business. Now, the only thing left is real estate broker or financial planner unless I decide to get one more degree and pray that it leads me somewhere different and more meaningful. Most of us are just hanging on to our middle class lives.

 

[Anonymous]

I know one former pharma sales rep went back and got his Ph.D. He has been a college professor for years now. When he became a professor he was literally down to his last dime. Do you know one of the courses he teaches is, "Sales".

 

[Anonymous]

But is life after Merck worth giving up my 135k annual income? It comes down to what price am I willing to pay to accept all of Merck's stress and induced illness. I don't know because accepting less money also carries its own stress and potential induced illness, too. It's a fine line that I walk along with many other Merck reps. We all hate what this job and company has become but are scared to face the other side.

You have obviously not had a 30 year old manager with no real field experience on your a** trying to get rid of you, due to no fault of your own! He will make you life so miserable you will be praying to get out!!!! Just wait your day is coming! You can bet on it!!!

 

[Anonymous]

I know one former pharma sales rep went back and got his Ph.D. He has been a college professor for years now. When he became a professor he was literally down to his last dime. Do you know one of the courses he teaches is, "Sales".

Here's the deal on teaching....

Best paying teaching job public school. K-12. Most areas of the country that are high taxed the teacher make big salaries, big benefits, big vacations and big retirement packages...BA/BS and need to get permanently certified by the state...

College instructor teaching is good for those who have a practical area of knowledge or skill. You need another income because most of these jobs are very minimal pt time income .. a course or two courses a semester....a lot of pre work.

Tenured spots are the real professors (partial, full eventually, maybe) and are a needle in the haystack jobs...like climbing a corporate ladder. It takes years to get to beyond a course or two. If you are a high level political or corporate figure you can become a "professor" pronto to help boost the saleability of the school or its program....they are the high paid celebrity teachers.

More fun is non-credit education for people interested in a topic. No money but enjoyable if you like to teach. Create a program and you will need to help the school recruit attendees or it sorry, it won't run.

 

[Anonymous]

You have obviously not had a 30 year old manager with no real field experience on your a** trying to get rid of you, due to no fault of your own! He will make you life so miserable you will be praying to get out!!!! Just wait your day is coming! You can bet on it!!!

I had a whacked-out bitch who eventually got reassigned but not before she terrorized most in her district. I really fear there are a lot of people at the threshold of snapping.

 

[Anonymous]

At fifty, I bit the bullet and did pay my own way back to school. It so far makes no difference. I agree with you on the business thing. I have lived very frugally and never had enough money to buy a business and now I'm just old with very little retirement considering how much everything is going to cost. Have not been on vacation in more than a decade. Have health problems, marriage problems, divorce, a few moves, kids with issues, college to pay for and there is very little left to even cover the cost of living out here. I would have loved to have bought a business. Now, the only thing left is real estate broker or financial planner unless I decide to get one more degree and pray that it leads me somewhere different and more meaningful. Most of us are just hanging on to our middle class lives.

Forget the degree...if you need anything else get a trade of some sort. Build onto the degree you have. There are too many people with degrees who are out of work...and in massive debt as a result of it...

In hindsight the best route is something technical.....computer IT, engineering, mechanical, scientific or med tech. If you want patient centered healthcare NP, PA or MD are really the only in demand and where a livable income is possible....Even plumbing, electricians, carpentry, mechanics and painters have more opportunities than many college grads....

Have a friend who was with another pharma and had a worthless psych masters... She went into a 6 month IT program and also got a personal fitness training certificate.....she 's now a manager with a major IT related company full time and sees fitness clients on the side...she started the training after a layoff (while on UI and some other family income) when she was about 43....now about 8 years later she is making an excellent income....

 

[Anonymous]

Wake up...go back to bed at least once...

decide if you are going to work that day, and if so, for how long...

Drag your ass out of bed, chit, chower, chave, and head out the
door to your back-breaking company coffin...check the trunk to make
sure you have some crap to hand out so at least you can pretend you
are doing something of value...

Stop at Starbucks and buy some lattes' because you are the official
"coffee bitch" for all your offices...

Go in and make small talk gibberish for a while, with the fake smile plastered
on your face...

Make sure you are in your territory when you check your MVX so as to not
leave a ping off the wrong cell tower. Ditto your laptop when checking emails...

Go to the pointless lunch you have scheduled, and make some more small talk
while you sacrifice your dignity playing caterer.

Go back to Starbucks and try and find a spot to sit down while you "participate"
in another useless Telecon that your CTL justifies his existence with...Roll your
eyes at the thought that these tools make close to 200 grand a year with salary,
bonus, stock options, benefits, etc...

Make it home by 3 and feel pretty good about yourself...At least you got out there
and played the game...You live to fight on another day in the wacky world of pharma
sales...

Spend your evening answering pointless emails from kiss ass colleagues who think they
have a "career" and will forever be in the good graces of Merck, with their aftermarket
boobs and their flaxen blond hair...

Return to bed for another stressed out night of sleep, trying to remember if your forgot
anything that will land you on the dashboard with your boss...You are already starting to
dread the field visit, and it is still a week away...

Wake up and repeat the above grind, although today you go to a different coffee place, and actually look forward to eating the chicken salad you are catering in from Panera Bread...

Pharma Sales...no place for serious professionals...

FU MERCK!

The money is good ... If u don't it ... Move on....I like it because I can volunteer at the animal rescue, and do some good.... And u?