Be Practical, ASE!

FH

The young ASE was lambasting the two senior medical reps based at his HQ. The team missed its sales budget in the previous month. The ASE was thrashed by his superiors in the ASEs’ monthly meeting.

The ASE was shouting that the current month’s sales budget plus the deficit of the previous month should be ‘covered’ by the twentieth and he didn’t mind how they did it.

We must clarify, all Glaxo ASEs used this expression, ‘I don’t know how you are going to do it, but do it you must!’ It did not have any ulterior implications; it was only a manner of speaking. Some of them used a variation of the statement, because they liked its roll on the tongue - which nevertheless meant the same: ‘Don't tell me why it can't done; tell me how it can be done!’ These imperatives were a part of the vocabulary of ‘Glaxo culture’ of the seventies.

One of the two senior medical reps was agitated and pleading with the ASE to understand that ‘if they could do it they would have done it’. They could not do it because there was high inventory with the AWDs; the ‘season was down’ and there was no way in the world that they could achieve what the ASE was demanding in the time he gave them.

The second senior medical rep was coolly listening to the shouted orders and the plaintive wails. He finally interjected, addressing his colleague: “Don’t worry my dear friend. He is our ASE. He is ordering us to do it. He will also tell us how to do it!” 

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