Pros
The product itself is outstanding and truly has the potential to save lives. Many people in the field are passionate, hardworking, and committed to helping patients and clinicians. The science and clinical utility behind the test are impressive.
Cons
Senior leadership feels very disconnected from the realities of the market and from what field teams experience day to day. There is a significant lack of trust toward employees in the field, and the culture often leaves people feeling undervalued or inadequate regardless of performance. One of the biggest operational issues is the lack of clearly defined roles between MSLs and CSMs. Leadership does not establish clear account ownership or “quarterback” responsibilities, which creates unnecessary friction and confusion between teams. In addition, MSLs operate under commercial quotas, which is highly unusual in the diagnostics industry and creates additional tension. There also appears to be a major imbalance in experience levels. Many MSLs have limited industry experience yet are elevated by leadership in ways that create unhealthy team dynamics. Meanwhile, both MSLs and CSMs are expected to hit extremely aggressive and often unrealistic quotas with little acknowledgement from leadership about the challenges in the field. Another frustrating practice is that employees are only given first-half quotas at the start of the year instead of transparent full-year expectations. This creates the perception that quotas are adjusted later if performance is strong early on. Leadership frequently sends surveys claiming to want employee feedback, but there is little visible action taken even when morale and survey results are clearly poor. Turnover is high, morale is low, and many talented employees continue to leave.