Pharmaceutical sales is a high-intensity sales career in the medical industry.
It’s a highly rewarding career path, but also demanding. In this industry, the best reps follow every lead possible. this involves attending meetings and conversions that potential clients may be attending. As a result, the traveling lifestyle can be hard on one’s family. For many, their income depends on their ability to make difficult sales.
Pharmaceutical Sales Reps
At entry level in pharmaceutical sales, a rep will typically start with a base salary with minimal commission potential until their pipeline starts to get more full.
As with any entry-level sales job, a rep must build trust with their employer before being assigned to quality clients, or they must go out and cold-sell to clients themselves.
Pharmaceutical sales representatives spend most of their work time on the road. They talk with pharmacists, hospital personnel, physicians, patient advocacy groups, and retirement homes. Their goal is to increasing the visibility of their company’s products and the volume of their sales.
So, why do many sales reps go above and beyond to sell more and more?
Many brand-name pharmaceutical products have high profit margins, which can yield huge commissions. Meanwhile, a single client can mean the ability to resell and cross-sell products.
Pharmaceutical Sales Training
There are certificates and degrees available to help a sales rep qualified to sell pharmaceuticals. Keep in mind that businesses you sell to are much more likely to trust someone with deep knowledge into the pharmaceutical space. Therefore it may be beneficial, if you are deciding on an education, to pursue a degree in a pharmacy-related field.
In addition, there is a CNPR program from the National Association of Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives that gives you the opportunity to enrich your resume and prove you have some level of training.
Pharmaceutical sales reps have to be familiar with data, statistics, and current events in healthcare. Sales reps have to know their product, but also the needs of the people they sell to. In effect, they have to be experts in pharmaceuticals, but also in business.
Additional Resources on Pharmaceutical Sales Jobs
Here is a collection of resources to help you learn everything about a pharmaceutical sales career.
Pharmaceutical Sales Books
- Drug Rep Success: Top Selling Pharmaceutical Sales Guide
- How to Break Into Pharmaceutical Sales: A Headhunter’s Strategy
- Secrets of Successful Pharmaceutical Salespeople
- Be Brief. Be Bright. Be Gone.: Career Essentials for Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Sales Representatives
- 118 Great Answers to Tough Pharmaceutical Sales Interview Questions