So, WTH is Pharmaceutical Sales?
So, WTH is pharmaceutical sales?
You may be just like me, before I was introduced to pharmaceutical sales by a mentor during my senior year in college, I HAD NO IDEA THE INDUSTRY EVEN EXISTED! So it’s no surprise that I had no clue what pharmaceutical sales reps actually did. I have met many people who are in the dark about the world of pharmaceutical sales as well.
During my 6 years as a drug rep, I heard that question countless times, “So what do you actually do?” So, I started this blog, in order to demystify the world of pharmaceutical sales.
Pharmaceutical is simply a fancy word for drug or medicine. I will use pharmaceutical and drug rep interchangeably throughout this article.
Pharmaceutical Sales Explained
Pharmaceutical sales is the process of selling drugs that have been clinically tested for safety, effectiveness, and tolerability, then approved, by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The gentleman in the photo above is engaged in the act of selling drugs.
You may have heard of major drug companies like Pfizer, Merck, and GlaxoSmithKline. These companies are multi-national conglomerates that hire pharmaceutical sales people to educate and sell their drugs to health care professionals.
Pharmaceutical sales is a fast-paced, high-turnover business that rewards assertiveness, persistence, and knowledge. Pharmaceutical sales reps spend most of their business time on the road, talking with health care professionals such as Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists, and Hospital Personnel.
I served as a pharmaceutical rep for a Fortune 500 pharma company for over 6 years. In this blog I will share my experiences from inside Big Pharma.
So, NOW YOU KNOW what pharmaceutical sales is, and a little bit about the role of pharmaceutical reps. An article further detailing what drug reps actually are responsible for doing on a daily basis will is in the works. Pharma reps tend to be very attractive in appearance on average. But not all Pharma reps have model-caliber looks. For true model caliber looks check out this site, Global Glamour Events & Fashion Company. Stay tuned…
PS: Feel free to email me with specific questions you may have about pharmaceutical sales. If I receive a lot of questions around a particular issue related to the industry I will turn the response into a blog post.
FMI: Check out Is the Pharmaceutical field right for me?
Here is another great article defining WTH is pharmaceutical sales from an interview with a pharmaceutical sales recruiter.
