Incomes & Outcomes

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History behind the job:
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I wrote a few days ago about being offered a job to sell medical equipment for a large company in China. Not seeing much of a problem I decided to try it out and met up with my potential employer for a training session.
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My boss led me to three different hospitals today. Nothing could be quite so despairing.

I exited the cab to meet my boss who was standing near the bus stop. He ushered me into another cab, where we rode to the first hospital. The first hospital was a veteran's hospital, where we wandered around until we found a beaten up building in the back which looked more like a slum apartment than a manager's office. I followed my boss into a room as he grinned at the coming deal. After 20 minutes of interchange and a few brief looks up at me (from the client) and we left.


Bossman - "Next time wear leather shoes...And tuck your shirt in."


I nodded, and followed him off in my Birkenstock sandals and button-up shirt.


We climbed into another taxi and rode off to a public hospital.


Bossman - "...It's the agent who makes the actual sale who gets 40% of the profit from the equipment. The hospital usually gets about 20% of the profit... not the hospital itself, but the person in charge of buying the equipment who is usually pretty greedy and arrogant. They tend to look after what is best for themselves and not necessarily the hospital. Lastly I get the last 20%. Is that wrong? How does it work in the US?"


I was baffled and didn't really have the capacity to speak for his American competitors but I was pretty sure America wouldn't be the team riding a white horse. So I let him know as such.


After 30 minutes of standing outside the hospital's bosses office, my boss calls his agent in charge of selling to this branch and summons him. Within 15 minutes he shows up and begins to wait with us. We wait in the alley for nearly thirty more minutes before they suggest moving inside the main hospital building where we wait for the next 45 minutes.


Inside the main building we saw burn victims, children, and old people hobbling along to the elevator which, I hoped would take them up to a place where they would find some relief.


Bossman - "In China, you don't want to be a doctor or lawyer... you need to be a businessman. That's how you can make a lot of money, and quick."


My face flushed, "In America, it's somewhat the opposite. You want to be a doctor...or a lawyer."



BM - "Most Chinese people aren't that wealthy so they usually go to public hospitals like this."
"Are these hospitals pretty good?"
"No. They are usually pretty bad."
My heart sank for the remainder of our time together. We sat and watched people walk by seeking sub-par medical assistance from doctors who were accepting a poor salary, so that that their boss could buy overpriced medical equipment getting a kick back that would please them and flow back to my boss, to his sellers, to me.


Bossman - "After my first job as a salesman I figured out that I hated selling things. I hate days like this, when I have to go around and visit hospitals -- visiting customers like this. It helps when you realize it's just a game. As long as you realize that it's not work and it's just a game, it makes things a lot easier. This is just a necessary part of the game, but I would much rather be in my office drinking tea."