It's Book Review Time!

Lauren Smith: Why did you write this book?

How to Break into Pharmaceutical Sales

Lauren Smith: Is pharmaceutical sales *that* good of a job and if so, why?

Tom Ruff: Yes, it is that good of a job. According to a recent Hay Group survey published in Pharmaceutical Representative magazine, pharmaceutical company employees report higher levels of job satisfaction than their counterparts in other industries.  Nearly nine out of ten interviewed expressed pride in their company and 95% had favorable attitudes toward their companies' products and services. The high employee satisfaction is due to three key aspects of this career: salary, benefits, and lifestyle. Salary.com puts the nationwide median salary for a pharmaceutical sales representative at $95,560 per year, including benefits. Of those benefits, a partial list includes an average of three weeks vacation in the first year, reimbursement for a company car including all gas and maintenance, full health insurance (covering one's spouse, pregnancy and birth, and children), daycare service discounts, reimbursement for home office expenses including a laptop and cell phone, and full tuition reimbursement if you choose to go back to school for an MBA. Also, many companies allow representatives to work from their home offices, and even offer part-time sales positions, which can be ideal for parents with young children. 

Lauren Smith: What are some of the most important things a candidate needs to know before getting into this line of work?

Tom Ruff: You must have the ability to learn a lot of technical and clinical information in a relatively short amount of time. You will be required to work some evenings, inputting your sales calls from the day. The field is very competitive and some doctors are tired of seeing sales representatives every day. You must be able to handle rejection or a doctor telling you he or she doesn't have time to see you.

Lauren Smith: Is there a lot of training involved with this?

Tom Ruff: Yes. On average, pharmaceutical companies invest over $100,000 training a new sales representative. You have initial home-study training, corporate training, field training and a lot of ongoing training.

Lauren Smith: What are some of the drawbacks in pharm sales that potential applicants should know before getting into this profession?

Tom Ruff: Pharmaceutical companies are doing everything they can to watch their bottom line. Over the last year, they have reduced the size of their sales forces and are much more lean than in the early 90's. If you are not performing for an extended period of time, you will lose your job. There are newer restrictions being implemented by physicians offices to reduce the amount of sales representatives calling on them on a daily basis. Doing computer work in the evenings. Overnight travel for sales meetings. Initial training can last two to three weeks at the corporate offices. Often, companies do not want new hires to travel back home during this two to three week training period. 

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