Medical/pharmaceutical sales can be right tonic for your career
By Andrea Kay
Everybody and his brother wants to get into pharmaceutical or medical sales. When I ask wannabe sales reps why, most mumble, "It's a growing field with more security where you can make good money."
Many are in sales now, hoping that peddling pills or medical devices will be a more rewarding way to spend their days than hawking toilet paper or ball bearings.
One woman who used to sell highly engineered motors and had given it more thought told me, "I'd be training people, in a field that's constantly doing research and coming up with new products." But finding herself without a job after working for manufacturers that moved operations overseas, she too, is hoping for more security.
To set the record straight, let's take a closer look.
The medical device industry and the pharmaceutical industry employ about 100,000 sales representatives each, according to an article last year in the Indianapolis Business Journal.
According to a Knight Ridder/Tribune News article, this seems to be based on the increase in number of drugs entering the market and a higher volume of patients, which means that more representatives are needed to keep up with the education standards for physicians.
Most people get in through a record of successful sales experience, says Maura Walsh, a sales recruiter specializing in pharmaceutical and medical sales. Solid training grounds include office equipment, telecommunications, consumer products and medical distributors.
Companies are looking for a type of person rather than a specific background, says Chet Holmes, CEO of training firm Jordan Productions.
The ideal candidate has empathy, strong self-esteem and personal ambition. Although it can be hard for someone to break into the field, he says to, "Write, call, write again, send notes from others who think you're great."
It takes strong academic credentials including liberal arts, business, sales and science and strong sales experience, says Debbie Stewart, medical sales program manager at the Center for Sales Innovation at College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minn.
She coaches students majoring in sales with a medical concentration and says it helps to understand basic anatomy, physiology and/or chemistry and disease states, and to have insight into healthcare providers' decision-making processes, medical terminology and healthcare reimbursement.
Older students return to school to get a medical sales certificate from a place like St. Catherine. One who got her degree in mortuary science now works as a sales rep for Cardinal Health, a major medical distribution firm.
One advantage of going through such a program is that they partner with companies like 3M and Pfizer who hire their students as interns, and sometimes permanently.
Does a medical background help? You might initially be hired in a technical or support role such as training or customer service.
"But good clinicians don't necessarily make good salespeople," say Stewart.
There's also the paperwork. According to Cutting Edge Information, a Durham, N.C., consulting company, the average sales rep spends nearly one-quarter of their time completing paperwork.
And there are quotas. Your performance can be evaluated on how much you sell or number of calls you make. Typically, you're expected to call on eight to 10 doctors per day, says Stewart.
Base salary for a pharmaceutical sales person is typically $35,000 to $50,000, with commission or bonuses, says Stewart. As in any industry, your security depends on how valuable you are.
You do conduct more education than a traditional sales representative, so you're not just in selling mode.
"Our graduates don't sell widgets," explains Stewart. "They seek to solve programs for their customers, thereby building a strong and lasting partnership."
You're also helping people have healthier lives — which is pretty rewarding in itself.
Reach career consultant Andrea Kay at andrea@andreakay.com.
