Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Horror story telling skills


Pharma industry marketing is an interesting experience with loads of stories. Here are some tough - may be horror - stories! Please read them...any resemblence to people, characters, and events is purely coincidental and unintentional. Another suggestion please listen to Kaho na Kaho song from the movie Murder while reading this blog to add to the effect!

The rebel MR of Karnataka

It was a hot sunny April afternoon in a town of Karnataka. The MR was waiting for his first line manager at the bus stand. The boss was not exactly a pleasant man. He was harsh with his words and harsher with his actions. In fact, there were a number of grouses between the MR and the first line manager.

The manager arrived with his usual swagger and got on the pillion seat of the MR's bike and started to nag and curse him while the MR started to drive.

Suddenly, the MR went to a highway, and drove at high speed; he cut across to the countryside and drove away fast and furious to a desolate far off stretch. The manager was hanging for dear life.

The MR screeched to a halt, in chaste and rough Kannada, asked the manager to alight. After abusing the manager, cursing him for working free - of - cost, since the manager would not share the field expenses incurred, he handed over the MR bag to him, and informed the manager that he had already posted his resignation letter. The MR drove off...the manager had to trek all the way to the main highway from the desolate spot carrying the heavy bag.

The first - line manager's tragedy

Mr. S was a top MR in a big company. He was very successful beating records establishing new sales benchmarks. He then married confidently and his life turned even more pleasurable as he was awarded the first-line manager's post. The promotion was a tonic to him.

However, his life took a new turn for the awful. As a manager there were more pressures on his time. Attending to his now pregnant wife became tedious. Yet he managed adroitly. As the delivery date was approaching his anxiety grew, and he still managed his official work and domestic responsibility. As fate would have it, on the exact date of delivery Mr. S was at a far away location attending a sales meeting under pressure from his bosses. He was forced to put his mobile off and not even allowed to put the mobile on silent mode.

In the late evening, when he put his mobile on, a bad suprise awaited him. A sms announced that he had to rush back as his newborn son was in danger. Using his personal resources he flew to his hometown. His life was devastated forever, his son had an irrereversible nervous system problem due to a badly managed forceps delivery. To this day, he wonders if it was worth yielding to his un-co-operative bosses, as he feels if he was with his wife he would have taken his wife to a better place for delivery avoiding the forceps delivery and ensuring.

While he was sitting at his home, depressed, guilty and hurt a phone call from his superior ordered him to attend another sales meeting, there was still no touch of concern from his boss.

That was the last straw ... Mr. S faxed his resignation. The company and the boss accepted his resignation without remorse and regret. Mr. S was only a statistic.

Today, Mr. S manages his child with all love as he grows with lot of nerve damage related problem. Who will answer Mr. S's questions?

The MR's highway suicide

He was a dashing MR. Young and sensitive. Popular with the crowd. He did have the impetousness of a young person.

It was the dreaded sales closing time. There was heavy pressure to bill and reach the sales targets. In India, there is a unique phenomenon when sales figures are ramped up on the sales closing date - last minute offers and other schemes are the order of the day.

The MR was ordered to go to another town to get an order from a stockist there. It was late evening, on the way, his bike had a tyre puncture. He rang up to his boss of this event and that there was a delay. The boss blasted him... called him a liar...however, the MR pressed on... repaired his bike and rode on. His boss kept calling him repeatedly putting pressure and getting constant updates.

Suddenly something snapped in the MR ... when the MR got a call again from his boss, he retorted that the boss would not get the stockist order not would he get the MR again. The MR cut the line...

He got on the bike and to the horror of the bystanders, he rammed at high speed on to a speeding truck coming from the opposite side. Death was instantaneous. A young and bubbly life was snuffed out.

When some bystanders checked through his pockets and some how informed the second line manager about the incident, the second line manager in turn called up his first line manager to go to the spot and attend to the case.

The first line manager from a nearby HQ rushed to the accident spot and reported on phone to the second line manager. The first line manager was in for a shock. The second line manager remorselessly asked him to take care of the case so that no problem should come to the company, and importantly to check the MR bag, collect the cheque and order from the stockist and pass it on to him the next day. The second line manager wanted to immediately bill the goods, the MR's demise was another statistic. The first line manager could not stand this inhuman response. He blasted his superior, announced his resignation. Later a delegation of MRs beat up the second line manager too.

The young man's soul however, probably, is still seeking answers...So who will answer him and what can be the answers?

So, the above was a different blogpost; it is some story telling from my end. Not exactly palatable stories I agree, but this is my attempt to polish my horror story telling skills. But please do not get disheartened, there are some very interesting blogposts - please scroll down below - and there are no more horror stories...just nice and sugary stuff on pharmaceuticals and healthcare. This is Sunil S Chiplunkar, and I thank you for reading my blogpost and I request you to read all other posts too by scrolling down and clicking on older posts wherever required. Thanks.

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