Pros
(Working as a Sales Rep with HEEL before 2009)This is a good place to start if you are looking to get into main stream pharmaceutical Sales. The pay is not the best, but you have a realistic chance to make it up in commissions. My base salary was 45K and my best year out of the 6 years working for them was 75K My weakest year was 70K The new reps that they were bring in, were getting base salaries in the 48K to 55K range. Unless things have changed since last year,or are to change in the near future, you will not make more than 80K I have heard that better management has came on board since my layoff, and the company has improved a bit. If you are laid off, the company will give you a seps package. It is usually enough to keep you going for 2-3 months depending on how long you have worked for them They give you a real opportunity to prove yourself and make the company money. While I was there, it was not like most businesses, in that they fire you if you are not making money. You do have a reasonable amount of time to prove yourself You will get a car Allowance of $750 a month, however see below the con to the money you get Most doctors (alternative) are open to using the Heel Products, although when you try to sell to main stream doctors, it is much more hard to complete your task. Because the company is small and and the Headquarters is in ALBQ, NM, You are truly on your own program. As long as you are bringing in money for the company, they will leave you the HECK alone. Sometimes you can put in 5 hours days and all is ok. If you do this, just make sure you are bringing in the money.
Cons
When coming on to this company, a lot of the learning curve is how much you put into it. The training is poor at best. At about 4 months, you will start to get comfy with what is going on. Management for the most part don't have a clue what is going on. The company is very dis- organized and lacks a clear direction. When I was there, we went through so many different sr.managers at the company. The company is an international company with subsidiaries all over the world. The U.S. subsidiary in ALBQ, NM has about 170 employees. Sometimes it felt like a big high school in that you have people telling on one another trying to safe there own butts. If you can deal with change every other month, then you will be ok. If you are one that keeps your mouth shut and you don't challenge management, you will be ok. HR at HEEL, just like most other companies in that they are PRO HEEL. They are not about helping the employee if it is going to cause any conflict with HEEL. You have to watch what you tell them. If you say the wrong thing, you are out. I have seen it happen at HEEL so many times. The company lack of direction is so frustrating at times that you will feel like it is not worth it. However, because you have a lot of autonomy, the frustration the company cause is a good trade off. About the $750 car allowance...... This is to cover your car payment, insurance, and gas. The problem is that it ends up not being enough because your car allowance is taxed before you get it. It is broken up in two payment per month. You end up getting $260 per pay check.