The Pharma Roller-Coaster

As human beings, we always have a tendency to pop on our rose-colored glasses and talk about the “good old days.”

Remember the good old days, when pharmaceutical manufacturers were almost constantly growing and profitable? When expansion was the norm, not the exception? When a career arc was fairly secure unless you really fouled it up?

Now it’s all about lean. Entire sales forces drastically cut, or eliminated, or re-organized. Career people suddenly without careers. Downsizing sometimes feels more like capsizing.

We’re on a roller coaster these days, and with all the turmoil of the ever-shifting healthcare environment, that’s not changing anytime soon.

So what is a pharmaceutical professional to do?

Do yourself a huge favor. Build your network. Build it now, even long before you end up looking for a new professional direction.

There is no corporate safety net. There is only your opportunity network.

I’ve given small and large workshops on professional network-building to industry audiences, and have also spoken to I don’t know how many dozens of colleagues in the industry who are having to re-assess their direction, usually unwillingly.

One very common regret – not pro-actively building a network ahead of time.

Universally, for our industry, I’ve pointed to LinkedIn as the best place to build your professional network. Don’t worry too much about Twitter and some of the other avenues (unless you’re deep into social media for other reasons). There are ways to be effective using LinkedIn that any intelligent person can employ without a huge investment of time.

This is where your colleagues are. You contacts outside the industry that should be cultivated. And probably, your next job.

If you’re in our industry, feel free to connect with me and let me know what you’re seeking to accomplish. I’ve built the Impactiviti network for you, not just me. We’re a bunch of us helping each other find what we need – not just optimal vendors, but new professional opportunities.

Get IN and let’s get started…

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LinkedIn Wants Your Privacy!

…and you need to Uncheck the Box in order to keep your name and face from being used by third-party advertisers.

LinkedIn just unveiled new privacy settings, and they default to some things you probably don’t want.

Over on my Connection Agent blog, I provide you with the 3-step instructions (including screen shots) for how to preserve your privacy. Facebook tried this stunt months ago and provoked an uproar. Given that my blog post has been viewed over 18,000 times in 5 hours, it’s clear LinkedIn users are quite concerned (and changing the settings!)

Go to the instructions NOW.

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Impactiviti is the Pharmaceutical Connection Agency. As the eHarmony of sales/training/marketing, we help our pharma/biotech clients find optimal outsource vendors for training, eMarketing, social media, and more. Learn more about our free services here.

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“It’s the Network!”

How’s Your Network?

Verizon made a great advertising move by differentiating itself from other wireless competitors by pointing to its superior network.

Cell phone service is pretty much a commodity – until you can’t get a connection.

When it’s 911 time in your career (and even well before), you don’t want to be without a network. That’s why we’ve launched a LinkedIn Group called Impact.

This group is just for Life Sciences Sales/Sales Training/Marketing professionals inside pharma, biotech, and medical device companies. No vendors, no recruiters, no outsiders (please see *below). The purpose is to help pharma professionals, in these times of instability and downsizing, to network with peers who can help make connections. You can make contacts, ask questions, and expand your professional base in a safe and secure environment.

Let’s face facts – there is no job security, even in large companies. Your best career-enhancing move is to build a great network that will open doors of opportunity.

Join up!

Joining the Impact Group is simple. If you’re on LinkedIn already, just click here and sign up for the group. If you don’t yet have a professional presence on LinkedIn, you can easily sign up and start (see my profile for an example of how to create one). And if you’re a pharma professional, please feel free to send a connection request to me in order to help build your network.

* P.S. For vendor/providers, contractors, freelancers, and consultants, there is a separate group (ProActiv) for making professional connections. This group is designed to help vendor/supplier companies and potential employees/resources find each other.

(This non-commercial networking service is set up and sponsored by Impactiviti, a unique business “matchmaking” service. We help pharma clients identify and partner with optimal vendors for training/marketing/communications outsourcing needs. Our free consulting service is explained here.)

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The Job Hunt

This is not the most wonderful time in the overall economy, or in pharma, so a lot of folks are looking for jobs – including former employees of both client and vendor/provider companies. We field calls regularly from folks in the Impactiviti network (and I really don’t mind!) looking for help with new opportunities, or available resources.

A few things to help out, including something new (see point 4)!

1. One of the reasons we launched the Impactiviti Job Board was to try to provide a one-stop place for sales training professionals to see what’s out there (we also have some vendor positions advertised there). But there are other resources you might want to look into:

2. Blogging colleague Jason Alba has a site called Jibber Jobber to help manage your job search, and to provide resources. Here’s a helpful recent post with 10 Resources for Job Seekers Right Now.

3. Social networking sites are a great way to build up your network. I’m a big fan of social media and I think that creating your own “Opportunity Network” is the best job security you can have. Here’s a recent CNN article with helpful do’s and don’t’s.

4. I’ve spoken about LinkedIn before, and even created a group “Impact” just for pharma/biotech/device professionals (no vendors or recruiters) to facilitate networking. You who are training professionals (on the client side) can join here.

Starting today, I’ve just launched a new group (ProActiv) for those on the other side – this group is specifically FOR vendors, contractors, freelancers, consultants, recruiters, and potential employees of vendor/provider companies. The purpose is to create a place where companies and professionals can more easily find each other when looking for resources and work. If you are someone looking for work on the provider side, or looking to hire contractors or employees, you can join that group here.

As always, I’m open to suggestions about better ways to strengthen our community and provide resources and networking opportunities. Give me your feedback and let’s see how we can continue to build an “Opportunity Network” that helps us all!

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