Shionogi Needs Sales Reps, But No Reps Need Apply
12 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // November 22nd, 2010 // 8:04 am
Looking for a job as a sales rep? Shionogi Pharmaceuticals is hiring - the drugmaker is advertising to fill at least eight positions scattered about the US (see this). But there’s a catch: you don’t qualify if you have experience as a pharma sales rep.
That’s right. The ads state expressly that anyone with a background in pharma sales is not wanted for the jobs, which pay around $40,000-plus, not counting a bonus of $17,000 to $19,000 and the usual frills, such as the use of a company car. You do, however, need a bachelor’s degree - no major is specified - and must be outgoing, upbeat and comfortable speaking with others (see a job description here).
Of course, thousands and thousands of knowledgeable, but unemployed or underemployed former sales reps would likely make good candidates, even if the pay is on the low side. No doubt, though, Shionogi believes that, by eschewing experienced hands, there are advantages to be gained. Inexperienced people do come cheaper, after all, so why bother with a former rep who may bring great expectations?
And in this day and age, there’s also the cynical notion that a drugmaker can avoid people with bad habits, such as reps who are inclined to look for off-label marketing violations that could be the stuff of whistleblower lawsuits or those who are primed to seek opportunities to sue for overtime pay. One way or the other, experience genuinely counts for nothing.
pharmavet
they should also exclude hot females
Betsy Jacobson
Where else besides Staten Island are the Shionogi Sales Rep jobs located? There are 7 other locations.
Employed Rep
Guess they are wanting kamikaze drug reps.
biff bixley
This demonstrates idiotic management that should be replaced with management from John Deere. Then they can use tractors in place of company cars.
Yoshie Fukmesome
Betsy - All jobs in Alaska. New frontier. We predicting big growth there.
industry insider
For at least five years the drugs reps themselves have defined their profession as the ultimate CLM-career limiting move. Maybe now someone will believe them. Besides, trained organ grinder monkeys (reps call themselves trunk monkeys) only need a few bananas,don’t require a bonus, and don’t take extended parental leave.
rep10
Hot female/hot male reps (for that matter) are not the problem. In my 15 years of medical/pharma sales I can count on one hand the Ken & Barbie dolls in my district/regions. That is an over inflated stereotype. I have never heard anyone call themselves a trunk monkey. Never.
doc
You will see a divergence in reps in the future, some companies will hire smart, non-science majors that can drop samples and spout memorized marketing messages that expose them to no off-label liability risk. They will gladly fill out a medical request form for any provider question beyond their training. These will start, as above, at $40,000.
Other companies will go to all science/medical majors (PharmDs, PHDs, RN, MSN, etc) that call on high volume providers and can answer unsolicited off-label inquiries. These will start at $125,000.
Time will tell which model wins, maybe a mix of the two. But with provider time squeezed, the second model should prove to be the most effective for changing product usage patterns. Providers will want their info on the spot by a healthcare professional, not a communications major with 6 weeks of “medical training”.
parv1
To ‘doc’: Your rep divergence is theoretically attractive (and understandable from a physician perspective) but unfortunately not at all practicable.
The second model will have to be people who are NOT selling, as answering unsolicited off-label inquiries is a big no-no except for those outside sales/marketing (ie, MSLs aligned with medical affairs). They would not necessarily call on high-volume prescribers because they cannot be deployed within such a sales orientation.
And sorry, but your description of reps in the first category is problematic. I came into sales as a “smart non-science” person with a liberal arts major and became a top selling rep with great customer rapport. I did much more than “drop samples and spout memorized marketing messages” and still remained within label. In fact, I often had physicians ask if I was a pharmacist because of my hard-earned knowledge of products and therapy areas. Your experience may be different, but in my opinion future reps can be drawn from multiple sources - the recruitment process, training, and subsequent management is what is critical.
industry insider
rep10, click on cafepharma.com, your industry’s message board, and you’ll find all of the euphimisms for how drug reps describe themselves. Here’s a sampling of 18 references to trunk monkeys:
http://www.cafepharma.com/search_results.htm?cx=partner-pub-3920838004699006%3A50jm2a6c37b&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=trunk+monkey&sa=Search&siteurl=www.cafepharma.com%2Fboards%2Fforumdisplay.php%3Ff%3D4#1244
For good measure, here are six pages of reps referring to themselves as pizza delivery guys:
http://www.cafepharma.com/search_results.htm?cx=partner-pub-3920838004699006%3Aaqprhofpgqc&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=pizza+delivery&sa=Search&siteurl=www.cafepharma.com%252Fboards%252Fforumdisplay.php%253Ff%253D4#1278
10 more pages describing yourselves as glorified caterers:
http://www.cafepharma.com/search_results.htm?cx=partner-pub-3920838004699006%3Aaqprhofpgqc&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=caterers&sa=Search&siteurl=www.cafepharma.com%252Fboards%252Fforumdisplay.php%253Ff%253D4#1229
10 more pages self-describing as donut delivery people:
http://www.cafepharma.com/search_results.htm?cx=partner-pub-3920838004699006%3Aaqprhofpgqc&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=donuts&siteurl=www.cafepharma.com%252Fboards%252Fforumdisplay.php%253Ff%253D4#1280
And rinally 10 more pages of self-description as sample droppers:
http://www.cafepharma.com/search_results.htm?cx=partner-pub-3920838004699006%3Aaqprhofpgqc&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=sample+dropper&siteurl=www.cafepharma.com%252Fboards%252Fforumdisplay.php%253Ff%253D4#1250
You should check our to see how your fellow reps are talking.
rep10
Industry, using cafepharma as a reliable reference is like believing what is written on a public bathroom wall. Anyone could post as a rep on CP and often do. Maybe even you??
I must admit that I have been fortunate to never had to sample. Most of my middle age, average looking sales colleagues have advanced degrees and do not refer to themselves in the terms you describe.
Sorry for the dose of reality from the field.
industry insider
Good to hear. How have you and your middle aged colleagues, who are hopefully very well compensated managed to avoid the endangered species list? In most of my previous companies once you hit the magic number of 60 (combined age plus years of service, even younger in 2010) you were impolitely pointed to the exit sign. On the other hand I hear the expression “tenured rep”. Is that like college where you have a lifetime job? Seriously, 98% of my colleagues of an age similar to how you describe yourself, all with great reviews have been replaced by independent contracters at one-third the salary with no benefits.