Customer Reviews

Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman

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"In a perfect world, there would be no need for drug reps," writes Jamie Reidy in _Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman_ (Andrews McMeel Publishing). Of course, in a perfect world there would be no need for medicine or doctors, much less the representatives of the big pharmacy companies whose job it is to influence doctors to prescribe their particular medications. As a physician, I myself don't look at drug reps as a necessary evil. Each does, after all, have detailed knowledge of one or two drugs that I am responsible for prescribing. More importantly, reps provide samples, and for my patients, who are generally indigent, the samples represent a lifeline for those not yet on, say, Medicaid. I got lots of insights from Reidy's rollicking book, one of which is that other doctors find samples important as well, not for the poor but rather as starters for patients who will buy their own prescriptions if the supply of samples works. The larger revelations in Reidy's hugely entertaining book are not really complimentary to him or to Pfizer, the company about which he writes, or to drug reps in general, or to the medical profession. I know what drug reps do from my role in the system, but for other readers, there will be even more revelations of secrets here than there were for me. In the capitalist economy, we have not figured out the paradoxes of buying and selling health, and Reidy's book gives a small, detailed picture of some of the problems, with no suggestions for answers.

Reidy graduated from Notre Dame, with a degree in English, not pharmacology or even any other science. He did a spell in the military, and then he slacked. He was eventually invited to consider working in pharmaceutical sales, and went to Pfizer's "boot camp," learning that Pfizer's drugs were far better than those of any competing manufacturer. He was posted to a sales territory in Indiana, and began to make his rounds, using free food as a way of getting into the doctor's office behind the office staff. He learned which doctors like to be chatted up on sports, Pfizer's stock values, or his dating experiences. Reidy was simply good at his job. He also learned to be good at faking being good at his job. He learned how to fudge his visit books and sample signatures to make it seem he was making far more calls than he really was. Most of Reidy's book is about becoming and being a drug rep, and just getting by as a slacker. It is only toward the end of the book that Reidy starts telling his often ribald Viagra ("Vitamin V") tales. Being a seller of Viagra came with the unexpected benefit that everyone was curious about his work and proud of the fine job he was doing; one doctor even introduced him to a waiting room full of men as "The Viagra Guy," which resulted in all the patients standing up and clapping.

Reidy left Pfizer after five years when he didn't get the promotion he wanted, and his book ends there. He thereupon did four years with another big pharmaceutical company, which fired him when its officials got to see the galleys of his book. Given the slacker techniques he describes here, that's probably good for the company's bottom line. Reidy, former English major, is going to try writing for a living, in California. He's good at it; _Hard Sell_ is frequently laugh-out-loud funny, and he comes off as a lively, personable guy, just the sort of slap-on-the-back, elbow-in-the-ribs fellow that would make a good salesman. In many ways, however, his book is an unpleasant reminder of the wrongs of our system of providing medicine to sick people. It reveals a pharmaceutical giant over-paying a salesman for under-work. Americans who already know that they pay more than the rest of the world for name-brand drugs ought to remember that a lot of that extra price goes to this sort of marketing.

I'm an executive at a major drug company and I hesitated at first about writing a review for "Hard Sell." But in the end I just couldn't resist. "Hard Sell" is simply too funny and too important to ignore. It was a long time since I read a 200+ page book like this one in only a day and laughed this much. I simply couldn't put it down.

Jamie Reidy tells the inside story of how he became a drug company rep and all the ways he found out to cash a paycheck while doing as little as possible. If I hadn't already heard many of these creative ideas, shared by drug reps during past sales meetings, I wouldn't have thought this was for real.

But behind the humor this is a cautionary tale to policy makers and patients. "Hard Sell" is brutally honest about what really sells drugs. What sells, according to "Hard Sell," is sex. A couple of the most memorable lines in the book are "I witnessed men undergo complete personality makeovers in the presence of female salespeople," and "The women had the most basic human response on their side; regardless how behind schedule or how crazy the day, a male doctor would snap to attention at a mere whiff of perfume or a glance at a pretty girl, his instinctive desire to reproduce having kicked into gear."

In the end, anyone who has seen the good-looking pharmaceutical sales reps in any U.S. sales force has to ask if we want to have our drugs prescribed based on "male doctors' instinctive desire to reproduce" or based on science.

As a doctor myself, I'm afraid that science is taking more and more of a backseat today.

My sister went to school with the author and e-mailed me when she heard he had written a book. I thought...why not support a fellow ND grad...so I bought it. My wife picked it up first and read it in 3 days (in bewteeen taking care of 4 kids!) It brought back a ton of memories (mostly unpleasant) of the 4 years she spent as a drug rep in San Diego shortly after we were married. Reidy's description was right on the money, especially the stress of the monthly manager ride along when your whole standard operating procedure had to change and you were so nervous you would be found out.
I, too, had trouble putting it down and it truely is laugh out loud funny. You might be thinking as you read it "Boy, I bet Pfizer is pissed to have their dirty laundry aired like this", but you would be wrong. There is no such thing a bad publicity, only publicity and with a couple competing drugs for Viagra out there, I bet they are thrilled with the book. I'll be interested to see if he can write another this good. Maybe take on the Army next, there should be a lot of funny material there. A really good read.

What amazed me the most about this book was how quickly (and easily) Jamie Reidy made the decision to spend most of his sales career with Pfizer playing hooky. It seemed to me that if he expended the same amount of energy doing his job as he did trying to avoid it, he would have been considerably more successful (more $$) than he was...and he did okay.

The book made interesting reading and I found myself quite intrigued, turning the pages to find out more about the inner workings of the pharma sales rep culture. As a woman, I can see where perhaps I should've taken this road rather than that of an educator, but then you know what they say about hindsight. Jamie makes it quite clear that women make the best reps because most doctors are males. It seems even the women doctors prefer female reps...sisterhood?

Anyway, read this book and you will look at your doctor's office differently in the future. I was a little disappointed at the end of the book because it ended quite suddenly. I was hoping for the gory details of Jamie's departure from Pfizer, but perhaps there were none (?) In the epilogue he mentions that he'd quit Pfizer "two months earlier," but there were no details. If you're a sports fan, you'll enjoy Jamie's frequent references to sports events and personalities. He writes with humor (I found myself LOL several times). All-in-all, a good read.

Carolyn Rowe Hill

James Reidy's "Hard Sell" is a funny, if troubling, personal story of Reidy's four year sojourn as a Drug Rep for Pfizer, Inc. The storyline begins with Reidy's early departure from the Army (his decision when offered) and ends with his "premature" departure from Pfizer. Premature since his sales territory achieves number one status shortly after he leaves.

Reidy provides interesting detail on the Pfizer recruiting process (they love Mormons and military officers); Pfizer's sales training program (pharmaceutical brainwashing); the tension and field tactics around being closely monitored by managers (voicemail then expense report receipts then sample sheet signatures); and, reasons why female reps do better than male reps (Gloria Steinem, where are you?).

Reidy joined Pfizer's newly formed pediatric/ENTs/ObGyn specialty sales force where he distinguished himself with mediocre sales and poor work activity. His lackluster performance put him in-line for a promotion, as the Pfizer culture encouraged the promotion of incompetence rather than dealing with it (Hank McKinnell, where are you?). Fortuitously for Reidy, he was "promoted" to a newly formed Urology sales force created to launch Viagra (erectile dysfunction), a drug launch which became the most successful in history.

The author notes that he came to view competition, Abbott and Lilly, as enemies of society because they lied and cheated. Meanwhile, he and some colleagues used "Sample Closets" as pharmaceutical filling stations when in need (as did office personnel and docs); falsified regulated sample sheet signatures when in need of time off; and rigged giveaways when seeking a new route to a doctor they wanted to build a relationship with.

One redeeming aspect of this book is the focus on the role of the drug rep (applies also to diagnostic and medical technology reps). Doctors in private practice lose their source of education about drugs and do not have time to refresh themselves about what was previously learned or educate themselves on new drugs. The number one complaint of doctors is that they do not have enough time. As a result, doctors stick to products that they were trained to use and have grown comfortable with (even if detrimental to the patient). Reps, once "in," can fill this void providing valuable clinical information on both existing and new products. However, as Reidy shows us, a rep can also take advantage of his/her trusted position influencing the decision-making process negatively.

This book is a must read for all healthcare executives, regulators, legislators, doctors, and office personnel. Not only does the book provide an insider's view of another industry problem, but also puts us on notice not to hire Jamie Ready.

One of the best books that I've read in a very long time! Jamie Reidy's Hard Sell is the Catch-22 of the corporate pharmaceutical world - hilarious account of a shocking situation. As a busy medical resident, I rarely have time for conversation with the drug reps who come by the office on a daily basis...but I do enjoy the free meals that they provide. Since I only see these reps around lunch time, I've always wondered what they actually do with the rest of their day. Thanks to Reidy, their dirty little secret is now out!

Great work. I was actually laughing so hard while reading it that I woke up my wife. The Army vs. Pfizer analogies were extremely hilarious. The author certainly had his priorities straight. At least now I know why so many people want to be drug reps. This book proves once and for all that the American worker is the most creative, inventive, and industrious worker in the world, even if those skills are used simply to get out of work. Reidy does a superb job of detailing just how hard a person actually has to work to make it seem like they are working when they are really not working. Also, nice to know that no matter how great a drug works, if your competition has better food, is better looking or is of the right gender, then the drug they are pushing will probably be prescribed more often by the doctor. The next time I go to the doctor's office I will make sure to ask who is the best looking drug rep they deal with and then make sure I DON'T use that reps drugs. Of course, if you are pushing Viagra, then it doesn't matter what you look like because everyone wants it. After reading this book I think I may have to find a Pfizer rep and see if I can go from 95% to 100%

First, let it be clear that this book is the sophmoric stories of a self-professed lazy bum egomaniac and half of it is probably fabricated.

Second, let it be clear that after my twenty years in medicine and having many friends in the pharm. industry, there is nothing in this book that strikes me as not potentially true, and much of it is most certainly true. This will be regarded as perplexing and/or infuriating to many not in the industry and probably quite a few doctors.

Third, this is a really funny book that has all kinds of "Oh yea, been there before" moments for anyone in the industry. Despite my disapproval of his personal and business ethics, this is a good read.

I read this book in a day and a half, while taking care of two toddlers. Normally it takes me over a week to read a book. I could not put "Hard Sell" down! Jamie Reidy is witty, charming and hilarious. Everyone should read this book so they can be more clued in when it comes to prescription drugs and how the system works. Next time my children's doctor wants to prescribe Augmentin, I am asking for Zithromax!

Jamie--thanks for the laughs! I already recommended your book to all my friends :)
Carolyn S
from Ohio

This was a fun book to read, however the author was recently terminated from Eli Lilly for writing it! I wonder if it was worth it for him to spill all of those drug rep secrets?