Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman

"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 anot

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.

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.

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%