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| *Ostroff, Fair and Company>>>Marketing & Sales |
I want to become a pharmaceutical salesman? |
hello, i am really interested in becoming a pharmaceutical rep in my area. I have a lot of medical exsperience, i am a ceritified critical care paramedic and i am currently a Transplant Procurement Specialist for the #3 transplant hospital in the US. what else should i do to even beconsidered without previous sales exsperience. Congratulations on wanting to become a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative! Such a rewarding career. Let me ask you: Why do you want this career? When did you realize that you wanted it? Who/what influenced you? What have you done so far to prepare yourself for a life in Pharmaceutical Sales? You need to know the answers to these questions because you will be asked during your interview. The hiring manager would want to know what motivated you into this career. Also, do you truly know what a job in Pharmaceutical Sales is really all about? Have you researched this field enough? Have you spoken with Pharma Sales Reps, perhaps gone on a ride-along, to see what they do in a typical day and what they have to say about their jobs? The fact that you have a medical background certainly helps because the medical lingo, diseases, hospital environment, dealing with doctors and medical staff is not new to you. However, keep in mind that this is a sales job, and one's proven ability to sell and potential to be a successful pharma sales rep is what counts the most. I am assuming that you have completed a 4-year bachelors degree, which is the most basic requirement for this job. If not, my recommendation is for you to get a bachelor's degree and then at least 2 years of successful sales experience (Enterprise, Xerox, ADP, Coca-Cola, etc.). Make sure you have a stellar resume that speaks to your success and learning capabilities. Also, master the art of interviewing; trust me---this will come in very handy. You may want to start with contract companies like PDI, Ventiv and Innovex. This would be an easier route to get your foot in the door rather than directly with big pharma companies. Good luck! Source(s): Many years as a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative. Multiple years top performance award winner. I am sure Big Pharma will love you with your background. Starting base salary might be lower than what you are getting now though due to your lack in sales experience, but this can be made up with an uncapped commission system. yeah do it...come on My Mother in Law is a Pediatrician who has a private practice. Over the years she has developed non-work related professional relationships with some of them, and I have met a few of them on occassion. What I percieve from most of them is that they are salespeople. At the end of the day the drug company wants you to get the doctor to use their drug and that is that. I have also been in my mother in law's office when the drug reps come in with lunch. They usally make a little small talk and out comes the binder with statistics, studies etc... So with that said you also need to know the drug inside and out; as any good sales person should. There is a huge downside to pharma sales. Drug companies change names all the time. The company you work for will probably lay you off and than maybe call you back to re-hire you under the new drug companies name. Also, drug reps change territories a lot. If you like driving, spending your days talking to people and working on comission than perhaps this is a career you should consider. As far as being qualified, with your background it seems you atleast have a knoweldge of medical terminolgy etc.. If you do get an interview sell yourself. If you can't convince them you should get the job based on your prior experiences you can forget about it. If you cant convince them, they certainly will not believe you can convince doctors to prescribe their product. |
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