An IMDiversity interview with Frank Griffith, Brand Director
by Martha Ture
 IMDiversity
asked the question, how does someone who starts in sales advance? Here
is one career story, from pharmaceuticals giant Roche.
Frank Griffith is Brand Director for Multicultural
Health Care Marketing at Roche. (www.rocheusa.com)
Originally from East Orange, New Jersey, Griffith began his career at
Roche 20 years ago as a pharmaceutical sales representative in Lawrence,
Massachusetts. Initially, he had to choose between working in Atlantic
City, New Jersey or to Lawrence, because two division managers wanted
him. “I went to Lawrence because of the housing market, which enabled
me to save enough money to buy a home for my family,” Griffith said.
The Importance of Mentoring
Griffith’s first manager in nearby Boston was one
of the best training managers at Roche, Francis Quinn. With more than
20 years’ experience, Quinn taught Griffith the basics of sales, a
foundation which has served him well during his career. Many people who
started in Quinn’s division later went on to become executives within
the company -- a testament to his leadership and training abilities.
“A lot of people don’t have that type of insight,”
Griffith said. “But when you have a manager that provocative, who points
you in the right direction, you start developing yourself. I received
from Quinn a very strong foundation in sales, training, and business
development skill sets to be able to move through the organization, as
well as a very valuable understanding of the pharmaceuticals business.”
Loyal Customers, Strong Sales, Promotion
Griffith found that when people in the Boston area
got to know him, they became loyal customers. “I had never been in the
Boston area,” he said, “and being an African American, I wasn’t sure how
they’d respond to me, but I found out that once they befriend you, they
become loyal. As a result, I rose up through the sales ranks quickly
and was promoted to medical center rep (MCR) and moved to Brooklyn, New
York where I was responsible for sales to large teaching institutions,
which have residents.”
Training and Development
Following his term as an MCR, Griffith moved into
Career Training and Development at Roche. Having learned from Quinn, he
now had the ability to teach leadership and mastery of basic sales
skills, and was able to help those he trained become teachers in turn.
The job demanded people with a strong knowledge of particular Roche
products, because they had to work closely with product teams. During
the time, Griffith had three key products, Rocephin® (ceftriaxone) a
broad-spectrum antibiotic, Zantac® (ranitidine)1
an anti-ulcer medication and Ceftin® (cefuroxime) 1 another antibiotic.
Work Hard, Play Hard Together
Griffith then took on a development project, which
involved implementing a territory management program for the sales
force. “We had to take a concept of a need expressed by the field reps,
and come up with a program that would be implemented by 3,000 people in
the Roche sales force,” he said. His program was very successful, and
as a result, he was again promoted.
“It was fun in being in sales,” Griffith says. “We
worked hard and played hard together, sharing insights from our client
calls to improve our overall customer service.”
Increased Responsibilities; Listen and Learn
In his next position, Griffith became a medical
center representative manager. This position operated at a higher level
of management with more revenue responsibilities. Griffith had
managerial responsibility for all the teaching hospitals in New York and
northern New Jersey.
“I learned a lot in that position,” Griffith said.
“As a leader, it’s important to listen to your people and to follow
direction from experienced people who have been in that marketplace and
been successful for some time.” Griffith had 15 MCRs reporting to him
and soon had the number two territory in the nation.
Industrial Challenges
No surprise, Griffith was promoted again to
regional sales director where he was responsible for the mid-Western
region. It was then that Roche acquired another company, Syntex, and
eliminated the regional sales director position, replacing it with
business unit directors.
While mergers can be tenuous, Griffith persevered.
“Fortunately, I was able to parlay my experience into a new position as
Regional Account Manager. I was also able to return to school to get an
MBA during this time.” He already had a masters in science from Seton
Hall University; now he pursued his MBA at Fairleigh Dickinson
University.
Rapid Change, Specialization
In 2000, Griffith became a product promotion
manager, and in 2001, a product director. Then in 2002, he was tapped
for a newly created position within the company -- brand director,
Multicultural Health Care Marketing, designed to raise awareness in
communities of color. In particular, his work focuses on hepatitis C
and HIV/AIDS products.
“In Multicultural Health Care Marketing, we bring
brand awareness, brand names, and brand messaging to communities of
color,” Griffith said. “We are presently focusing on the
African-American and Hispanic communities to educate them on the rates
of prevalence for certain diseases and help get people tested.
Ultimately, for those with need, we want to get them into treatment,” he
added.
"I enjoy my work a great deal and have been very
fortunate to have benefited from having a good mentor and receiving a
solid foundation of skills early on in my career. Clearly, this has
helped me accomplish much throughout the years leading up to my current
position,” noted Griffith. “The key for me through the years has been to
maintain a focus and enthusiasm and to be able to blend personal and
career goals.”
In addition to his position in Multicultural Health
Care Marketing, Frank is also President of an employee network within
the company – Roche Employees of African Descent – an
organization for like-minded individuals who advocate networking and
educational opportunities for all employees at Roche, particularly those
of African descent.
1
Registered trademarks of GlaxoSmithKline |
