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Started By
Message
Why are distributors needed?
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:19 pm
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:19 pm
I work in an operating room where implants are often used for total joints, fractures, spines, titties etc. The majority of these cases have a sales rep come in. Between the company and the sales rep, is the dude that never shows up, in fact, really doesn’t do shite in my eyes but make money. This happens in all sorts of industries. So, educate me. Why does this job exist other than driving up prices for the consumer?
13
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:19 pm to Columbia
Liability
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:21 pm to Columbia
To keep prices up.
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:25 pm to Columbia
Generally, a case rep from, say, Stryker and Tornier are in the OR during each surgery their joint is being implanted. Have 2 friends in Houston that both sell the implants, advise the surgeons and assist during the procedure. These 2 don't have anyone between them, the company and surgeons. Average about 350k each
This post was edited on 7/4/18 at 6:26 pm
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:28 pm to Columbia
Insurance and liability.
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:29 pm to STLDawg
Some industries request that no rep be involved. Or they have an exclusive deal so it doesn’t matter if the rep shows or not. We have a group of accounts that because of the low pricing they receive, we can’t pay a rep. commission to call on them. Or it could be they are lazy.
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:30 pm to Columbia
Mainly for inventory and stocking purposes. The manufacturers generally don’t want to deal with the end users. There are too many and it’s too difficult.
They would rather sell to a small number of distributors and then let them sell to the general public.
They would rather sell to a small number of distributors and then let them sell to the general public.
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:32 pm to Sao
Are they MDs?
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:33 pm to Sun God
Not at all. Only there to advise on the pieces and various tolerances etc. Actually, no medical training at all. None. They are experts on the equipment. Deal is, as a salesman in that field you go after the beat orthos. They have top surgeons who do a ton of implant cases per year.
This post was edited on 7/4/18 at 6:38 pm
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:33 pm to Sao
quote:
These 2 don't have anyone between them, the company and surgeons. Average about 350k each
Not surprised. That’s a sales rep dream. Just surprises me how the system gets set up in the first place. The most predominant other place I see it is in liquor sales. It’s unbelievable that these people are able to sit back and collect large amounts of money without much effort. Good for them I guess.
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:40 pm to Sun God
quote:
Are they MDs?
What Sao is referring to is a sales rep without an in between distributor. Most people don’t know that when they are having a joint replaced, fracture, or spine surgery, a sales rep is in your operation making a whole lot of money off the materials that are implanted in your body. The people he is referring to luckily are basically the distributor and sale rep. It just blows my mind distributors exist in the first place.
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:40 pm to Columbia
Terms and conditions
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:40 pm to Columbia
Totally agree on the alcohol distribution laws.
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:42 pm to Sun God
Someone has to invoice and COLLECT. Not every company can maintain inventory and not every doctor is a good business person and can pay those bills in a timely manner. Why saddle a company that makes great products with the other BS that comes along with business.
Of course I am a distributor rep and I hate having to do all the billing and collecting.
Of course I am a distributor rep and I hate having to do all the billing and collecting.
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:48 pm to Columbia
Bruh, sssshhhh, I work for a 22 billion dollar company with half coming from distributing
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:48 pm to Sao
quote:
Not at all. Only there to advise on the pieces and various tolerances etc. Actually, no medical training at all. None. They are experts on the equipment. Deal is, as a salesman in that field you go after the beat orthos. They have top surgeons who do a ton of implant cases per year.
The majority of the device reps I used to cross paths with were PAs or maybe a RN, I knew one cardiac rep that had been a biology teacher, but a lot were simply trained by their company.
Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:54 pm to go_tigres
pretty much why I’m asking. Seems like a lot of wasted money in a world of cutting cost. Kind of a no brainer.Posted on 7/4/18 at 6:58 pm to EA6B
An RN woukd make a great rep if they can pull off the sales and relationship side of it.
Posted on 7/4/18 at 7:00 pm to Sun God
quote:
Are they MDs?
Nope. I have a good friend that works with implantable devices. Same thing. He's there in the OR guiding the surgeon on the implant, but the surgeon does the work. No formal medical training whatsoever. He's a biomedical engineer by training.
His company has given him training he needs to do his job and he does spend a lot of time in his company's cadaver lab every year just keeping up his skills with the body's structure and landmarks so he and the surgeon are speaking the same language in the OR.
Ultimately, it's the surgeon's responsibility for the patient, but my friend and people like him are experts in the particular implant and how it interacts with the human body. The surgeon listens to what they have to say during the operation and use their own medical experience paired with the adviser's knowledge to decide what they will do during the surgery.
This post was edited on 7/4/18 at 7:03 pm
Posted on 7/4/18 at 7:05 pm to Bjorn Cyborg
And if they did just want to deal with end users directly then they would have to employ the support for those operations in house. It wouldn't reduce or eliminate that function. It would just move the function to be internal rather than external.
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