Why do so many people hate this job?

[Anonymous]

Why are there so many of us that are disgruntled with our job? I am new to pharma, but after the first couple months I can honestly say I do not like this job one bit and I have no idea why. The pay and the perks are way more I could find anywhere else. I see my boss once a month and don't report to an office. I am on my own all day making my own schedule and going where I want. Most people would jump at the chance for a job like this, but with all that being said I physically hate this job at the end of the day. I understand the treatment we get from doctors and their staff, but any job where you interact with people is going to be shit so that's a given.

Any thoughts?

 

[Anonymous]

Why are there so many of us that are disgruntled with our job? I am new to pharma, but after the first couple months I can honestly say I do not like this job one bit and I have no idea why. The pay and the perks are way more I could find anywhere else. I see my boss once a month and don't report to an office. I am on my own all day making my own schedule and going where I want. Most people would jump at the chance for a job like this, but with all that being said I physically hate this job at the end of the day. I understand the treatment we get from doctors and their staff, but any job where you interact with people is going to be shit so that's a given.

Any thoughts?

Because most of us are educated and self motivated, yet we are managed and work for companies that treat us with little respect.

In fact, the more intelligence you have, the more you will hate this job. That is why you see so many nits in this industry. These kiss assers are good in this job because they have no or little talent, and they know that, but are still able to get by, by their ass kissing.

Intelligent people move on. I guess I am not that smart yet, but I am starting to catch on to the game they call sales. See, its not just pharma sales, its all sales jobs that suck.

good day and good selling!

 

[Anonymous]

Pros: It's easy. Flexible. Hardly have to work.

Cons: Boring. No satisfaction. Feeling of worthlessness. Degrading.

 

[Anonymous]

Pros: It's easy. Flexible. Hardly have to work.

Cons: Boring. No satisfaction. Feeling of worthlessness. Degrading.

Yep, that about sums it up...I have had a few good laughs this evening thanks to CafePharma! Have to find someway to laugh about this mindless, soul-sucking job.

 

[Anonymous]

Before getting into the industry you need to ask yourself a simple question. Do you need to feel a sense of accomplishment or find value from your job? If so pharma is not for you. However, if you have the ability to not care if you make a difference in the world and not care if you just zombie through the day than this is a great job.

 

[Anonymous]

Originally Posted by Anonymous
Found this post on another thread and it pretty much sums up this bs industry. Another reason why we all have to get out of this business sooner than later.

The Real Reasons I Quit After Over a Decade

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1) I could not endure one more ride along with a DSM with two to three years pharma experience and no life experience "coaching" me and alienating the physicians with whom my counterparts and I had established a good relationship.
2) I could not explain one more time why I was not getting 8 signatures a day when the only way to report signatures was to issue samples and I was given only enough samples per month to give only one half of my targets ONE sample--that's right--ONE sample each.
3) I could not one more time spends thousands of dollars on worthless evening programs that the physicians simply did not want to attend because corporate insisted.
4) I could not attend one more business emphasis meeting with the endless repetitive details and silly games and DMs who "manage" by reading from slide after power point slide.
5) I could not one more time take lunches to office staffs who complained about the quantity/quality/variety of the free food while they bragged they had not bought a lunch for four straight years.
6) I could not one more time pretend interest and have conversations with people with whom I have zero in common and do not care to know the details of their dysfunctional lives.
7) I could not one more time listen to the rah rah lies from all levels--DSM, RSM, corporate.
8) I could not one more day dread having to stand in that damn sample closet and hear, "Need a signature?"
9) I could not one more moment be so bored that there were days that I literally got in my car and screamed to the windshield.
10) I transitioned to a position that was a lateral move financially. Win Win.

 

[Anonymous]

I quit pharma 2 years ago to get into device. I love it. Why?

One ride along in 2 years...one!
Doctors don't expect lunch
If I don't like a Doctor, I can move on. Plenty of more opportunity
Way more money. Quarterly commission of roughly 25k plus base of about 20k a quarter.
My product is good
2 office days a week to call and email prospects
Respect.

 

[Anonymous]

I quit pharma 2 years ago to get into device. I love it. Why?

One ride along in 2 years...one!
Doctors don't expect lunch
If I don't like a Doctor, I can move on. Plenty of more opportunity
Way more money. Quarterly commission of roughly 25k plus base of about 20k a quarter.
My product is good
2 office days a week to call and email prospects
Respect.

Just kicking myself in the head for getting into pharma out of college 15 years ago, and not going to medical device.

Now, it really sucks big time, and I always seem to get to the final two or three in a medical device interview, and just never get the job.

Pharma is terrible.

 

[Anonymous]

Don't worry. There's a rumor that layoffs will be taking place soon so you'll have enough time to pondering how much of your life you wasted at Auxilium.

 

[RTBKPL]

Why are there so many of us that are disgruntled with our job? I am new to pharma, but after the first couple months I can honestly say I do not like this job one bit and I have no idea why. The pay and the perks are way more I could find anywhere else. I see my boss once a month and don't report to an office. I am on my own all day making my own schedule and going where I want. Most people would jump at the chance for a job like this, but with all that being said I physically hate this job at the end of the day. I understand the treatment we get from doctors and their staff, but any job where you interact with people is going to be shit so that's a given.

Any thoughts?

I was told when I first entered this field to not decide whether I like it or not until I did it for at least a year, preferably two. I felt much the same as you do for much of the first year. In those days we worked alone, if your territory prospered, it was due to your hard work. If it failed it was due to your lack of hard work. Not much in the way of managed care to speak of, people paid cash or their insurance covered their medicine. The best succeeded and the others lost. I found myself working very hard but success was coming. As a result, I learned to enjoy the job. In those days your manager was helpful, respected you and you respected your manager.

Today things are different. Teams or pods are the order of the day. Much of your success is predicated on the availability of your drug on local formularies. Managers are scared to death. Reps are scared to death. The economy stinks and people are trying to hang on by the skin of their teeth. That being said, it's hard to understand why they complain so much but I guess that's human nature. There are aspects of this job I love, aspects I could do without.

You seem to have a level head on your shoulders. Hang in there for at least a year and see how you feel. When you begin to develop relationships with your offices things will get better. Do your job as best you can, find things away from work to help you enjoy life. You are not defined by your job, you are defined by your mind.

Never let the bastards get you down.

RTBKPL

 

[Anonymous]

I was told when I first entered this field to not decide whether I like it or not until I did it for at least a year, preferably two. I felt much the same as you do for much of the first year. In those days we worked alone, if your territory prospered, it was due to your hard work. If it failed it was due to your lack of hard work. Not much in the way of managed care to speak of, people paid cash or their insurance covered their medicine. The best succeeded and the others lost. I found myself working very hard but success was coming. As a result, I learned to enjoy the job. In those days your manager was helpful, respected you and you respected your manager.

Today things are different. Teams or pods are the order of the day. Much of your success is predicated on the availability of your drug on local formularies. Managers are scared to death. Reps are scared to death. The economy stinks and people are trying to hang on by the skin of their teeth. That being said, it's hard to understand why they complain so much but I guess that's human nature. There are aspects of this job I love, aspects I could do without.

You seem to have a level head on your shoulders. Hang in there for at least a year and see how you feel. When you begin to develop relationships with your offices things will get better. Do your job as best you can, find things away from work to help you enjoy life. You are not defined by your job, you are defined by your mind.

Never let the bastards get you down.

RTBKPL

Don't let it bring you down. Its only castles burning. Just find someone who is turning. And you will come around.

Totally agree with you man.

For me, its the total lack of respect from MANAGEMENT that irks me. The offices show me respect because they like me and do not waste their time.

This is my last pharma gig, and glad its going to end with a severance check or unemployment benefits for awhile.

 

[Anonymous]

Minus the high base, this is how PHARMA used to be, sounds great. sounds like you get to be a grown up and find your business and make a living, without risking ur job by covering for the metric pusher's job in the ivory tower, making no sales bc of crappy call plans that need to be justified by the millions. It's amazing that this industry is so stuck on stupid that it wastes millions in lost sales and call plan justifications over their desire to make money. amazing.
congrats and thanks for letting us know that there's common sense in sales somewhere out there!

I quit pharma 2 years ago to get into device. I love it. Why?

One ride along in 2 years...one!
Doctors don't expect lunch
If I don't like a Doctor, I can move on. Plenty of more opportunity
Way more money. Quarterly commission of roughly 25k plus base of about 20k a quarter.
My product is good
2 office days a week to call and email prospects
Respect.

 

[Anonymous]

Minus the high base, this is how PHARMA used to be, sounds great. sounds like you get to be a grown up and find your business and make a living, without risking ur job by covering for the metric pusher's job in the ivory tower, making no sales bc of crappy call plans that need to be justified by the millions. It's amazing that this industry is so stuck on stupid that it wastes millions in lost sales and call plan justifications over their desire to make money. amazing.
congrats and thanks for letting us know that there's common sense in sales somewhere out there!

You responded to my post.

My company is easy to work for. If you hit your number or get close enough, they lay off you. My boss even said last month "We don't want to ride you too hard because we can't afford to lose producers." So we have no "minimum # of demos a day" or anything like that.

It is simple, close and represent the company well. The DMs at my device company laugh their asses off at call plans, # of calls per day, etc etc. They answer is "We hire our people beause they have already proven themselves. We don't care what you do day to day, just always be closing."

Works for me.

 

[Anonymous]

I was told when I first entered this field to not decide whether I like it or not until I did it for at least a year, preferably two. I felt much the same as you do for much of the first year. In those days we worked alone, if your territory prospered, it was due to your hard work. If it failed it was due to your lack of hard work. Not much in the way of managed care to speak of, people paid cash or their insurance covered their medicine. The best succeeded and the others lost. I found myself working very hard but success was coming. As a result, I learned to enjoy the job. In those days your manager was helpful, respected you and you respected your manager.

Today things are different. Teams or pods are the order of the day. Much of your success is predicated on the availability of your drug on local formularies. Managers are scared to death. Reps are scared to death. The economy stinks and people are trying to hang on by the skin of their teeth. That being said, it's hard to understand why they complain so much but I guess that's human nature. There are aspects of this job I love, aspects I could do without.

You seem to have a level head on your shoulders. Hang in there for at least a year and see how you feel. When you begin to develop relationships with your offices things will get better. Do your job as best you can, find things away from work to help you enjoy life. You are not defined by your job, you are defined by your mind.

Never let the bastards get you down.

RTBKPL

Hey RT: Pug Ma Thoin! Non illegitimae carborundum.

 

[Anonymous]

Pros: It's easy. Flexible. Hardly have to work.

Cons: Boring. No satisfaction. Feeling of worthlessness. Degrading.

This sums up the job perfectly. In it for 9 years, doing real estate full time now and have never been happier in my life (even in a down housing market).

 

[Anonymous]

Originally Posted by Anonymous
Found this post on another thread and it pretty much sums up this bs industry. Another reason why we all have to get out of this business sooner than later.

The Real Reasons I Quit After Over a Decade

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1) I could not endure one more ride along with a DSM with two to three years pharma experience and no life experience "coaching" me and alienating the physicians with whom my counterparts and I had established a good relationship.
2) I could not explain one more time why I was not getting 8 signatures a day when the only way to report signatures was to issue samples and I was given only enough samples per month to give only one half of my targets ONE sample--that's right--ONE sample each.
3) I could not one more time spends thousands of dollars on worthless evening programs that the physicians simply did not want to attend because corporate insisted.
4) I could not attend one more business emphasis meeting with the endless repetitive details and silly games and DMs who "manage" by reading from slide after power point slide.
5) I could not one more time take lunches to office staffs who complained about the quantity/quality/variety of the free food while they bragged they had not bought a lunch for four straight years.
6) I could not one more time pretend interest and have conversations with people with whom I have zero in common and do not care to know the details of their dysfunctional lives.
7) I could not one more time listen to the rah rah lies from all levels--DSM, RSM, corporate.
8) I could not one more day dread having to stand in that damn sample closet and hear, "Need a signature?"
9) I could not one more moment be so bored that there were days that I literally got in my car and screamed to the windshield.
10) I transitioned to a position that was a lateral move financially. Win Win.

This is so accurate...My feelings exactly after 9 years. Gone now and loving life! I honestly feel like I have my soul back after nine years and I am myself again. Only positive thing...good money while it lasted; the ONLY good thing.

 

[Anonymous]

Thank goodness I found a thread that seems to have some common sense and mutual respect among the posters. Like a number of the other folks on this thread, I have beenin the undustry for a while and seen it go through some significant changes. The POD system and Share of Voice destroyed what was a very good career "Back in the Day". We are seeing an absolute downsizing of the salesforces, which is good overall, becasue it weeds out a lot of the nitwits. It also displaces a lot of good, talented, experienced sales reps.

The problem is, the ride will be rough before the industry gets down to a number of reps that will require all of them to be good sales people, and by that time the Federal Healthcare plan may have messed it up to a degree that selling is not done at the physician level, it is done at the contracting level and that will put an end to all of our worries, we will simply not have a job.

This takes me to the real reason I got on here, sorry about the history lesson.

What other industry do our skill sets transfer to? Someone mentioned Real Estate, please discuss and let's open up some ideas here.

 

[Anonymous]

the Federal Healthcare plan may have messed it up to a degree that selling is not done at the physician level, it is done at the contracting level and that will put an end to all of our worries, we will simply not have a job.



What other industry do our skill sets transfer to? Someone mentioned Real Estate, please discuss and let's open up some ideas here.[/QUOTE]



This has happened years ago unless you are in key therapeutic areas where the data and the disease trump contracting such as cancer, or HIV or MS. In the mass market PC drugs the contracting controls the game. If you read any biopharma trade journal the max impact a rep has on physician prescribing rages from 1-5%. That’s it. Sure 1-5% influence can be huge in multibillion dollar markets, but at the end of the day our influence has always been minimal.

On to your question. What skill sets are transferable and to what industry.

Well just about any to be quite honest. Most non medical industries have no idea how “pharma sales” works. I know many pharma reps who transitioned to software sales for Microsoft and Oracle, etc. Think about Seibel CRM that many drug companies have. Guess where a lot of their reps came from to sell into pharma…you guessed it, Pharma. Not to mention all the EMR companies. Although most pharma is not a tangible B2B, sign on the dotted line sales, you still are doing a lot of “selling”, handle customer objections and ego’s etc. It’s all how you package your experience in pharma. You can sell it as: 1. a guy who delivers food, samples, and pamphlets, or 2. A guy who is trained and can sell on the scientific/technical merits of a product and you know how to navigate a complex “buying” system at a hospital or clinic. Again we know that the 1. is very common, but other hiring companies outside of medical do not.

 

[Anonymous]

I left oil/gas sales and jumped into pharma. I realized by the first month that pharma was not for me. It took all the self control I could muster to keep from busting out laughing. I couldn't believe that the glamorized pharmaceutical sales job was actually a joke. I realized that my real job description was delivering food, chasing signatures all day, being treated like an ass clown and required to act like one "detail". There is nothing about pharma that involves sales or consultation. I stuck it out for a while and was finally able to transition to surgical device. There is no BS here you either are a good consultant and can truly help and provide legitimate service to the surgeons or youre not. I met a lot of people in pharma who I thought were incredibly intelligent and talented people. i never could understand why they would stay in pharma, they could do anything and be incredibly successful at it. i wish all who stay the best of luck but I have a bad feeling that there are drastic changes in store for the pharma industry sales reps.

 

[GorgeousGAMS]

I left oil/gas sales and jumped into pharma. I realized by the first month that pharma was not for me. It took all the self control I could muster to keep from busting out laughing. I couldn't believe that the glamorized pharmaceutical sales job was actually a joke. I realized that my real job description was delivering food, chasing signatures all day, being treated like an ass clown and required to act like one "detail". There is nothing about pharma that involves sales or consultation. I stuck it out for a while and was finally able to transition to surgical device. There is no BS here you either are a good consultant and can truly help and provide legitimate service to the surgeons or youre not. I met a lot of people in pharma who I thought were incredibly intelligent and talented people. i never could understand why they would stay in pharma, they could do anything and be incredibly successful at it. i wish all who stay the best of luck but I have a bad feeling that there are drastic changes in store for the pharma industry sales reps.

Great post = all true. I think a lot of us just get too old. When you're over fifty it is too late to find something that requires an "aggressive" representative. Even if we can do it. Age discrimination is worse than ever before. Employers do NOT see someone over fifty as even capable of coherent thought let alone closing the deal. It really does suck. Hence, I work on other areas of life and hope that if this gravy train ends, I have a back-up plan.