Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Textbook Tommy

Have you ever worked for a Textbook Tommy? By definition, "the Textbook" is the proverbial VP of Sales, ahem excuse TSB, "the Executive VP of Sales" that comes into an organization and rather than attempt to absorb and digest, creates chaos and bedlam. Somewhere  along this type of individual career path, they started to believe everything that they read in some textbook rather than attempt to figure things out themselves.  Let's be frank, this industry has too many Textbook Tommy's running around, you know the kind that promise the world and quite frankly do not have a clue as to how they arrived at the fork in the road, hoping that somehow they'll take it. Too often, books can create an illusion rather than deal with reality.  Interestingly too many sales and management bibles discuss the ineffectiveness of sales people and sales teams.  TSB thought that it would be interesting to take a different perspective and discuss the ineffectiveness of people like the VP of Sales.

When authors recommend evaluating structural issues, what some Textbook Tommy's fail to understand is that the structural issue may not be the people, it may be the company, or more often than not, it may be the CEO.  So how do the Textbooks of the world fair in this type of environment?  Our experience is that they make irrational decisions to cover their own personal inadequacies.  If the structural problems run deeper than a problem that would be a personnel issue effecting a change may be difficult, and heaven knows many of us have seen too many heroes perish in a flash fire in this industry.  So let's talk about some of the scenarios.

What happens if the company that you work for doesn't provide its direct or independent sales people sales samples and marketing literature?  What happens if the company's rationale is that you can demo your product on your iPad, is this a good scenario?  What happens if your company doesn't have enough of inventory or instrument sets? What happens when the Textbooks of the world want you to forecast the number of surgical procedures your region will potentially deliver for the month, but, your business model is built upon an independent distribution network?  Contrary to what one learns in the Textbook, managing an independent distributor like a direct sales rep is a formula for disaster.  The fact remains that sales processes for independent distributors in comparison to direct sales people take on an entirely different set of management and communication skills. Some will not agree, but the fact is that you work for the distributor and not the other way around. A lack of action and responsiveness to an independent distributors needs will come back and haunt your organization.

Time is money.  And if you cannot provide you sales model with the necessary tools to get the sale, you yourself fail.  You fail at being a leader, a manager, and most of all you probably never sold in your life.  There is a distinction from being a life long manager versus a sales person.  But then most of the Textbook's in this industry allocate their resources to inefficient processes.  Ever work for a company that spends investors capital to build a lab only to find out that there burn rate exceeds their return on investment.  TSB is sure that some of you can identify to this scenario.

How many of you are subjected to sit in these senseless sales meeting that waste your time, only solidifying what you already know, that the Textbooks of the world do not understand the business. Recently, TSB  sat in a series of sales meetings wondering what the CEO and VP of Sales were smoking.  As someone so eloquently wrote in a textbook, these types of sales meetings bring no value and demotivate.  Motivation by intimidation is one of TSB's favorites.  If the company cannot provide you with the necessary tools, how do you build a house?  How does one get results?

Rather than asking whether the Regional Sales Manager knows the business, maybe its time that people start to question whether the VP of Sales knows the business.  If you've bounced around from company to company without ever getting real results, how do some of these companies actually hire the Textbooks of the world?  Rather than focus on the Regional Managers, maybe some CEO's and BOD's need to ask the VP of Sales to conduct some product training, and make some sales presentations themselves.  If the VP of Sales lacks those skill sets, how does anyone expect them to be able to evaluate their direct reports?  Management by intimidation worked well in the 50's and 60's, but that just doesn't play that well in Peoria any longer.  And if the VP of Sales themselves cannot execute a sales presentation or product training, how is that individual themselves committed to excellence?

What TSB has identified is that many Textbook Tommy's come into some of these companies and realize that they have created false expectations. So what do they do to buy time? Immediately they need to surround themselves with their own friends, the usual suspects, attempting to do things the same way that they did things in the 80's at Medtronic, or how they once were mentored by someone that was a dinosaur in management to begin with.  Ever wonder why a VP of Sales or CEO never administer a 360 evaluation?  The answer is because they are insecure and do not want to know what their employees really think about them.  Ruling by an iron fist only works so well and then failure sets in.  

The Textbooks of the world have a propensity to divide and conquer rather than create a guiding coalition.  This behavior justifies their existence.  The organization becomes their laboratory. Rather than creating balance and solidarity, they create chaos.  So their modus operandi is to play their employees off of one another, rather than unify the team.  This becomes a morale breaker only verifying that the Textbooks truly have no people skills.  The Textbooks fail to grasp that people are still an organizations most valuable product.  Don't believe it?  Try to sell some of your innovation via the internet, from a vending machine, or better yet from a lab that no one attends.

So in closing, TSB wants to know who are the Textbook Tommys of the Spine Industry?  Do they have the ability to adapt or are the just the poster children for Einstein's definition of insanity? You be the judge.

97 comments:

  1. Great thread TSB. Your audience will all be able to identify with one, two, or ten people that all fit the "Textbook Tommy" definition. Now for examples, that is not necessary. "Textbook Tommy" is still trying to open a computer or an IPAD to figure out how even to create that presentation you so eloquently hoped they could complete! What is Microsoft PowerPoint again?

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    1. Tom Boyd is a joke, the master of Bullshit and never has done anything.
      he needs to get rid of his psycho wife and stop dying his hair and teenage hair cuts !

      He is a nice guy, but the supreme bull shitter of all times. He should have let his wife pull the trigger ! What a nut case !!!!!!!!!!!!

      Delete
  2. Jon "I am a Competitive eater" Wait! With Titan now wait and that loser Beitsel what a combination.

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  3. Jon Wait was never a VP and does not qualify for Textbook Tommies

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    1. Linked IN
      Jon Wait's Experience



      Area Vice President of Sales- Central U.S.

      Titan Spine



      November 2011– Present (7 months)Central US

      Nanotechnology and cell signaling technology for use in spinal hardware for fusion. Manage and build sales team for the Central US.


      Regional Sales Director, Cental US

      Amedica Corporation

      Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Medical Devices industry

      September 2008– November 2011 (3 years 3 months)Out of: Kansas City, Missouri

      I have taken the company from zero sales to over 8M to date. I have developed markets in the Northeast and New York, specifically; Mid-Atlantic and Florida. Most recently my efforts have been focused in the Central U.S.
      I have lead sales for every quarter that I have been employed with Amedica. I have introduced the Silicon Nitride technology for interbody fusion as well as incorporated the US Spine products to increase overall revenues. Most recently, I have launched the Amniotic Tissues Portfolio for regenerative and healing purposes.
      My network extends deeply into many markets across the U.S. but especially in the Central U.S

      Delete
  4. Geez!? Lay off DePuy, will ya?.

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  5. Hey TSB,

    Were you in our sales meeting and what about Textbook Tina?

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    1. not many Textbook Tina's..sound like Erica however

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    2. Good One. The CEO and VP of Ulrich couldn't locate a pedicle if their life depended on it. They came out of skilled nursing or something and are now running spine company?

      San Fran...

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  6. Our Textbook asked for a 30, 60, 90 day plan every quarter and holds us to it, this dip shit just doesn't get it because we manage independent reps. Save our souls, Tommy can you hear me you're a deaf, dumb and blind man who doesn't know how to play pinball

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. Dale Binke is a perfect example. VP of Sales for Spinal Elements and now VP for Allosource. Prior to had never been in a fusion case. Yet he is hired to lead those who have sold in spine for years and they had to prove their experience to him to be hired.

    Congratulations are in order to Mr. Binke for selling himself so well to these two companies.

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    1. Ha ha wait till ALlosource starts wondering why he only wants to go to Chicago

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  9. No one individual is responsible for the success of a company, collectively its a team, and unless you are a true leader who gives a rats ass what some idiot posts in stinkedin.

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  10. Syn-tez' former manager in FL Guy Cassone is a TEXTBOOK TOMMY. He and Kosta did such a bang-up job in NY that they then moved to FL to fix it. They gave "Leadership" talks to training classes, etc. Then Gay Cassone got caught forging PO's to make his year-end numbers after all the reps defected rather than being defacated upon. He went to Tenet to provide his Textbook Tommy insights to them and was quickly fired from there as well. Karmic justice!

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  11. Good read TSB...Another interesting storyline would be what is the future of Distributors that do not meet sales quotas and lose the line to another player in town? I am hearing that a few of the larger players are soon to be tightening some screws and reducing the number of Distributors that have their line due to several factors...lower than expected sales, price points to low, sets not turning, none surgeon involvement with upper Management, etc., etc., so where will these good and some not so good distributors look to in order to support their livelihoods and families when the shoe drops? Which companies should we be leery of and which ones should we begin considering and exploring their product offering?

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    1. Written from the perspective of a distributor who is about to loose a line or two. The fact of the matter is that just about all of these "larger players" - smaller players with good stuff too - have probably had a few iterations of a "sales force" in your territory. It is run through, rehashed and over BS'd. Unless a surgeon relationship is really strong with another group then there is no benefit to switching out the "underperforming" distributor. Even with a switch, this will typically account for a very minimal uptick in volume if the "earned" business of the current distributor is compromised for some ridiculous promise. Tell me you haven't seen a surgeon with a good relationship with his rep trust him/her and take his business elsewhere. If you can't pull that off in this job, time to move on.

      The direction these companies are going (those without a direct sales force) is to pick up business wherever they can, chop the territory and make it surgeon specific. The worst thing you can do is join up with a company that has over realistic expectations and think that their systems (all of them) are superior. As far as I can tell, the recent blood-letting at K2 was a result of this kind of over confidence and near sightedness.

      Find companies with realistic expectations. Bring your business. Keep it well managed and let them all know that if you move (or are forced to move) the business will go with you.... From the perspective of differentiation, the only thing left to sell that is worth a damn in this industry is yourself.

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    2. The other question I wouldn't be afraid to ask is whether or not the company is profitable. If they are not how do they plan to launch new products and be a long term player. Meet with the CEO and see if their is a long term goal or just the hope of being acquired.

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  12. Medtronic Distributorship going direct in Nc/SC

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  13. Certain companies can mandate policies that if enforced could result in any distributor losing their line. The real question that must be answered is, does effecting a termination to replace one distributor with another bring better results? At best, TSB estimates that this is a craps shoot. The problem is that most Textbook Tommys have either never sold, or if they have, are living in the past with expectations for the same type of growth that many experienced in the boom years. Hey Textbook, wake up the boom years are over, if you don't believe the market is saturated with too many "me too" products and companies, open your eyes in Miami, or just look at the recent quarterly earnings reports for Zimmer, Biomet and Orthofix. SINGLE DIGITs or NEGATIVE GROWTH. Nothing beats a professional distributorship with a solid foundation, but since the Textbook Tommy's of the world have no sales skills they fail to understand that a territory is not built overnight. It takes months to generate a response for some of the products that most independent distributors carry, notwithstanding those that have exceptional surgeon relationships, work for a well known company, or are Consultant Brokers. Ergo, you carry multiple product lines. If you don't have relationships that create immediate results, you have multiple barriers to hurdle prior to selling the features and benefits of the product, if there are any, and develop TRUST. Ever wonder why TSB asks the question; "How does this improve the current data on clinical outcomes."

    There are plenty of small companies to pick and choose from, in today's spine market. But you should treat them like a piece of meat, especially the smaller companies that don't have negotiating leverage because they either need revenue, or are barely surviving if not for the investing surgeons. If you deal with these smaller companies, negotiate a better deal, they need you as much as you need products, and make sure everything is done vis-a-vis a legal contract. Too many of you have gotten screwed by the proverbial, "trust me," or hand shake. If they are providing you with a quota, you in turn should request a "kicker" or bonus if you can exceed their expectations, especially the small company's that have no formula and are basically pulling a number out of their asses holding you accountable.

    As for TSB's recommendation, that's your call. But there will be an blog come out regarding the ankle biters of the industry and how they have fared.

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  14. Jeff Rydin. Has anyone ever seen him in the field or does he simply spend too much time on the golf course? Least dynamic VP in spine & clearest definition going of a "yes man" in the industry.

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    1. I have heard a lot of people share this point of view on Jeff. the fact that holds up for me is I have never seen him out in the field with customers. I am sure he has to on occasion but it is a point that is brought up over and over again.

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    2. Always has a nice buzz cut though

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    3. Jeff has come to work with me in the field on several occasions. You don't have to be flashy or outspoken to get the job done. He is thoughtful, reasonable and humble. I would much rather work for him vs the Kinzle's of the world.

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  15. .....and then you have to deal with the pond scum at the hospitals.....

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    1. So true. The reason the healthcare system is so messed up is because of the moran's running the hospitals. They hammer implants down every year yet their turn time between cases is still 2 hours. They need to get their process in order before anything else. Then focus on the insurance contracts and lastly negotiate product costs. Eventually the hospitals will not be able to squeeze any more out of the vendors and will be forced to focus on process improvements. This is where real consulting comes in, unlike the tool bag consultants forcing lower prices, collecting money and leaving the hospital no better off. A baboon could do their job.

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  16. Is this post about Bill Pfost? The one who's distributorship got fired from Zimmer, then he got fired from Lanx, and is now wreaking havoc at Centinel? He definitely has his managers forecast their months every week, which annoys us distributors since we have to answer these questions all the time. He also tries to get into the field with his distributors and then all he does is say which surgeons he knows and has worked with over the years. The funny part is that none of the surgeons he says he's friends with even know who this guy is.

    He's also textbook since he abuses his expenses and tries to write dinners off with doctors that he didnt go out with or plan trips so his family can come with him...all while abusing company expenses

    Can we change the title to Textbook Bill? A VP of Sales who has no clue of anything. He'd rather beat down his team than try to make them better, all while thinking he should receive the credit from his superiors. I've been a distributor who has worked with him at 2 different companies, and havent heard 1 good thing about him at either place. Yet he's a textbook Tommy and keeps moving up in the world even though no one likes to work with him.

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    1. Having worked for Bill here's my take:

      When you work for Bill..you become depressed;
      When you get dressped..you attend motivational semiars;
      When you attend motivational seminars..you feel like a winner;
      When you feel like a winner..you go to Vegas;
      When you go to Vegas..you lose everything;
      When you lose eberything..you sell your hair to a wig shop.

      Save your hair..don't work for Bill Pfost!

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    2. Centinel doesn't need any help from Pfost. The VBros have done a great job running it into the ground. Bill is just following the leader.

      Delete
  17. Lets see....Brett "kojak" Murphy? Todd "muddy" Clearwater? Jeff "golf cart" Rydin? Lance "Norman" Bates?
    tell me when to stop....

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    Replies
    1. Don't forget Chuck "little Mr. T" Reynolds

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    2. And James "don't call me Jim" Coyle

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  18. How about Tom Boyd, another master of the obvious, nothing his my sleeve PRESTO! Talk about an individual who tries to pull a rabbit out of his ass. This guy is so lost a GPS would not help him.

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    1. My next commission check says that he is the real textbook Tommy.

      Delete
  19. This describes the entire management team at Alphaturd. I watched them slice and dice my territory up until no one trusted them or felt secure. Now their business is getting crushed and their current distributor is in talks to walk. If I have to listen to Al Bundy talk about his football days one more time I may loose my shit. Grow up you has been hack.

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  20. pfost is a good dude

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  21. The higher the monkey goes up on the pole, the more his ass shows.

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    1. The real saying is -

      A leader is like a monkey climbing a pole, the higher he goes the more his ass shows. Lew Bennette quoted this idiom a lot.

      Delete
  22. I am a veteran of the spine industry and agree that there are lots of these "Textbook Tommies" running around. For many of them their true talent is in coordinating their shirts and ties, they look good but that's where it begins and ends. But more than that, who is hiring these people? Why is it that those of us "on the street" know who they are, what they aren't capable of as to opposed to what they have sold themselves to be capable of, but the CEO's or BOD's don't know? Why aren't they doing their due diligence, actually asking people who work in the industry, reps, distributors, etc., about these folks? The fault lies not in those who get the jobs but those hiring them. Therein lie the true issue, the ineptitude of those doing the hiring. The guys who get the jobs are at least smart enough to know what to say to whom, and how to dress the part to get the job. I'm not defending what they do, there are so many of them who are truly examples of the Peter Principle, but someone had to give them the job.

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  23. RUSS WRIGHT!! Its all I have to say!!

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  24. Since Tom Boyd was a disciple of Lew Bennett's does that make him a monkey's ass?

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  25. What about "little" Nicky Navarro?

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    Replies
    1. likely on his way out with BONE dropping to a buck. Someone needs to be blamed

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  26. Here Here, Textbook Tommy Boyd!

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  27. How about the doofus who hired him, now there's a real winner, to think that someone allows that clown to run a company.

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  28. I think it's pretty obvious that TSB works at Nuvasive

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    1. 1:59pm, I think it's pretty obvious that you work for Globus, and you're an idiot.

      "TSB" is not a single person. It's just a moniker used by a group of people chosen by Musculoskeletal Man (aka the founder of this website) to provide content for this website. The process is simple. #1) The "chosen ones" submit their completed blog posts to MM via email. #2) MM sprinkles in a few song lyrics to make it seem like the same person is writing each post. #3) MM posts the contributors' content to the blog whenever the "page views" start to drop.

      Ever wonder why the blog posts about breaking news tend to be so short and sweet? It's because MM actually has to write these posts himself.

      Ever wonder why some blog posts are riddled with misspellings and grammatical errors while others seem to have been written by a Pulitzer Prize winning author? It's because the authors change from post-to-post.

      Sorry kids. Santa Clause is not real.

      Delete
    2. Why doesn't MM read them first and correct the grammar and spelling while he's adding irrelevant song lyrics?

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    3. That would take effort.

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    4. You guys are pretty funny, and that's why MM loves this industry. Everyone thinks they have it figured out.

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    5. Good one, MM (aka 7:25am).

      Delete
  29. I second Dale Binke, brought nothing to our sales. Zero prior experience.

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  30. Those of us at Nuvasive have had an inkling that one of our employee is TSB.

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  31. I nominate Guy Cook. Just listened to earnings conf. call and have never heard analysts skewer someone as they did him. It was a personal attack regarding corporate strategy and their lack of concern for shareholders, not to mention suggestions of duplicity in prior earning calls. I love this industry.

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  32. When you work at Nuvasive..you become depressed;
    When you become depressed..you attend motivational seminars;
    When you attend motivational seminars..you feel like a winner;
    When you feel like a winner..you go to Vegas;
    When you go to Vegas..you lose everything:
    When you lose everything..you sell your hair to a wig shop;
    Don't sell your hair to a wig shop..Don't work for Nuvasive.

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  33. What management at Alphatec has been axed?

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    1. Looks like just a shuffling of the deck chairs to me.

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    2. Same idiots different roles. Nothing will change but sales declining.

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  34. I'm the CEO of a small company. I have to say MM, I've gained some respect for you with this post. This, in my opinion, is a thoughtful representation of what should be pretty obvious conclusions on how to manage an independent sales network, but somehow this common sense approach is largely lost on this industry.

    I can't give you 5 stars yet for grasping the entire picture (e.g. what does this mean: "there burn rate exceeds their return on investment."), but you're well on your way...

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    1. 5:17pm, I think TSB was referring to the surgeons that go to a company's training course for free access to its facilities and cadavers, but they don't intend on ever using that company's implants.

      "Ahh shiiiit! That company just got buuuuurned!!"

      Delete
  35. Two words: "Ross Simmons". How is that man still in the industry? His legacy lives on through Rob Cripe. Anyone who knows Ross knows he is The Textbook Tommy. Anybody else have any input on English Bob aka Ross Simmons?

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    1. All he talks about is his boat and himself. He needs to get on it and sail away. Biggest blowhard in the entire industry.

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    2. Cripe? Bahhhaaa

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    3. tibion.com
      spineovations.com

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  36. I am appalled to see I have worked for four of the above T.B.T.'s. I now fully expect to be struck by a lightning bolt and finished off with a meteor strike today with my luck.

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  37. Speaking of a complete lack of management abilty and intelligence. How is the nuva AVP for the northeast still employed? He has completely destroyed the NE. The only bright spot is NJ, which is lkely moving to lanx by year end.

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  38. Agree with 8:04, Steve Lubischer is definitely a Tommy

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    1. 6:07 I don't know who you are; if I did I would gladly post my name in response. But anonymously posting , and putting someones name on here like you did with Steve's , is a punk move. I do not work with Steve, barely know him. But I do know anyone like you who posts like that,, is a punk. The readers here may not know who you are, but you know who you are. You are a punk. an anonymous punk who sleeps poorly at night knowing deep down you are a coward. And Americans dislike cowards.

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    2. yada yada yada, save us because someone said that Steve fits the Tommy profile, its a comment its not like someone is skewing the dude, how thin skinned are unless of course the shoe fits

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  39. This blog has turned into a pathetic bitch fest for a bunch of losers, and the TSB is the top of the loser heap. I’m deleting this blog off my bookmarks. You guys sound like a bunch of sad little girls. Get a life. Really, this has become grotesque.

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    1. It hasn't turned into a pathetic bitch fest, it always has been. This industry is loaded with testosterone overdose and very few true performers. That leaves the losers with a bad taste in their mouth and this is their vent. Calling out a rep or manager by name, while remaining anonymous is the definition of a pussy and only shows that person either beat you or is in a position of authority over you. I'm sure many of them suck, in somebody's opinion, but its doubtful they are all "retreads" that nobody knew anything about.

      TSB, knowing the inclinations of your readers, this was probably not a good idea for a post. It brought out the worst of the worst.

      Delete
  40. 8:43 LOSER the truth is well the truth. You don't have to like it, you just have to live with it.

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  41. You are wrong 8:43. There are dozens if not hundreds of VP's over the years. Most do or did a good job. Is it not telling that comparatively only a few names are being called out and called out repeatedly? The worst of the worst are being outed here. Was your name mentioned?

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  42. No 8:52. My name wasn’t mentioned. It’s not that. The problem is that this blog has turned into a slander machine and bitch fest. There is nothing positive or uplifting, and TSB sets this horrible tone. All it has become is public place to say terrible things about people that all these pathetic losers don’t have the balls to say to their face. It’s a slander machine for pussies.

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  43. Hey 9:07 if you behave like an asshole and treat people like shit maybe you should be called out on it. Non of us are perfect but some of the behavior exhibited by some of the mentioned people on this post deserves some public scrutiny. Now if you think its okay to be an asshole, then so be, but many of us don't. Don't read the blog if it hurts your feelings. Our industry's behavior is pathetic when it comes to being respectful, if the shoe fits wear it. Amateurs.

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  44. I third the Binkie nomination. Knows nothing and deligates everything. How do these people keep landing on their feet?

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  45. What was once a great industry with great leadership and good management has turned into a who's running the show and how many of my best friends can I bring into integral positions to cover one's ass. How many VP's come in and disrupt an organization rather than truly build upon it. Everyone deserves an opportunity, but when you take your own opportunity and turn it into company cleansing to prove that you are a shaker and doer is pathetic. So as many bitch about comments, look at yourselves

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  46. OMG I had to respond to the Binkie Nomination. Those put off by this site should tuck their thumb in mouth, pull their "Blankie" over their head and don't read the blog!
    This is my first visit to the site, this thread was enough to make me take notice. I am an old timer & proud of it. I would love to go back when the industry was fun, clean and generally full of terrific honorable folks.
    These "so called" TBT's evolved because idiots at the top kept advancing those from the field who had visions of grandeur with very little experience and in many cases hired completely outside of the field with NO experience. It's not brain surgery; this created TBT's with little to offer.
    Let's now call this place in time "The Birth of the TBT". Under the tutelage of the textbook, "Sales and Sales Management 101 for Dummies."
    How manufacturers think these untalented VP's bring anything to the table is beyond me. To add to the absurdity as mentioned, they are recycled time and time again.
    That should be the next Blog...how does this happen? Who are the clueless that keep the recycled TBT alive? Is there a correlation?
    Whatever the case...Surprise, corporate sends them into your happy Region to "make things happen", whatever that means! Typically it's chaos versus good sense and ideas that might help.
    9:45 hit a nerve. If I have said it once, it was a thousand times...how do these idiots keep resurrecting themselves? Easter must have a completely different meaning for these TBT's.
    What adds fuel to my fire is the numerous ethical & knowledgeable spine folks who continue to struggle to find employment within spine. Is the industry getting so dirty that the honest and knowledgeable don't fit into the business model any longer? Pretty twisted.
    The industry is generally a mess and it starts with manufacturers. They started the whored out distributorship model of today and the infuse of TBT's.
    The TBT's of the spine world are a product of their environment and are in place to facilitate the poor decisions from the top. Merely hatchet men/women, who learned little as they climbed the pole, the monkey pole.
    Back in the day, manufactures made a calculated decision to abandon their loyalty to the strong healthy distributor model. What a concept...those distributors who produced blockbuster sales, managed their team with expertise, prioritized manuf. needs and interests & believed in loyalty to the manufacturers needed to be stripped of strength! Instead manufactures were romanced by the slimy sales reps, some even mentioned above who are now TBT's, who manipulated manufactures to give them their own territory or accounts from existing distributors.
    Manufacturers deserve everything they get from the field today; business comes from fragmented surgeon relationships, there's little cohesiveness from rep groups and there is no loyalty on either side of the business. They employ TBT's that don't have a clue as to how to elevate business, but pay them a couple hundred grand a yr. in spite of themselves. Go figure
    Unfortunately, the very real problem is that we are the ones that suffer for their mistakes and are plagued by these empty suits called TBT's.
    Unlike those that don't approve of the site content, I have to thank this site. It was so entertaining and it cracked me up to hear names like Tom Boyd, James Coyl, Russ and others. Some things do stay constant.
    Lets end with hope for the Binkie Nomination...It's Fri and 5 o'clock, time for a cocktail.

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  47. 5:33 Here's looking at you, I think I'll join you for a drink. I remember some of these clowns, some were screwing many great distributors on the Left Coast, while others were hawking coral as the latest and greatest innovation in biologics, LMAO. Always the smartest guys in the room and as TSB always says "every dawg gets his day, and I won't forget to throw roses on their graves.

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  48. 533 LIKE IT. It isn't just management killing this industry it is all the failures in HR, Recruiting.... How the hell can someone who place IT people, Secretaries, Drug Reps have a clue what it takes to be succesful as a device rep or manager. Most of them are after the medtronic pedigree

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  49. I can't believe that no one has brought Lance Denardine. That guy has to be the biggest asshat of them all. He was run out Danek after hanging on longer at the lower level managament position while everyone of his peers were promoted. The guy offers nothing and now he is doing the same thing at Lanx, surrounding himself with friends and making many great decisions. How did the axing of the Midwest agents work for you Lance and how well did it workout for you to hire your boys in NW Indy and Chicago you putz? Now he is a true example of a BOD not doing proper homework......we laugh at Lanx in the industry as does NUVA.

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  50. Seriously, this post could go on for days. There are toooo many names that come to mind; it is quite revealing to see how bad things have gotten. Makes me want to take another shower.
    The Tom's and Lance's of the spine world would be laughable if it wasn't so sad. Time to re-invent ourselves and find a reputable industry.
    Because someone in the thread mentioned Tom Boyd, I heard he is at another failing company. I was told that the CEO did ask the field for some input, the field gave an honest assessment as to if Boyd could help the company, the information came back to pass on him, BUT the CEO hired him anyway. There you go, I rest my case! Who's the sharpest tack in the room now, the CEO or the TBT...may be a toss up.
    I guess that answers the question, would a manufacturer even respect the opinion from the field?
    Why the hell ask, another manufacturer that will get what he deserves. And the dysfunctional pattern goes on!!!
    Let's see how that works out for this TBT! Will be fun to follow his progress.

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    1. The CEO is as big of an ass as Tommy and the investors keep giving that fool money.

      DISC DYNAMICs
      ABS
      VTI

      When it's not your money who gives a shit.

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  51. I worked with Tom at Spinemedica he definitely turn water into wine, a real savior, Jesus has nothing on him, LOO

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  52. Why don't we get wrist bands that say, WWTBD? We can start a movement

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  53. Let's make some wrist bands that say WWTBD? We can start a religious movement

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  54. Gotta say my vote for TBT goes to none other that Phiily G Nick Ansari. I would be amazes if Lanx kept him around another month. How are the numbers looking? Does the board have a clue what your doing?

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    1. Hey, Nick told all of us at our quarterly meeting yesterday, that "we're right on track". Just not sure where the track is headed to...

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  55. Totally blows me away how many "entitled" reps need their VP of sales to sell for them and hold the rep so that they can urinate

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  56. How funny when a VP of Sales writes a comment, no hey? Based on some of the mentioned names on this blog, none of us "entitled" reps really need to worry, because the only thing that some of these names are good for is holding their own Johnson.

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  57. VP of Sales = Glorified Secretary

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    1. Especially at a company like VTI. What does a VP of Sales bring to the table? Nothing, except drain capital that could be used for other things. He lacks spine knowledge, couldn't demo a product, or discuss clinical issues, there goes 8:18 comment. What good is a forecast when you heading in the wrong direction?

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    2. Can he cover a case if called upon? Probably Not

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