Pharmaceutical representative vs outside sales representative

The differences between pharmaceutical representatives and outside sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a pharmaceutical representative, becoming an outside sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a pharmaceutical representative has an average salary of $66,166, which is higher than the $60,443 average annual salary of an outside sales representative.

The top three skills for a pharmaceutical representative include pharmaceutical products, territory management and medical professionals. The most important skills for an outside sales representative are customer service, work ethic, and sales process.

Pharmaceutical representative vs outside sales representative overview

	Pharmaceutical Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$66,166	$60,443
Hourly rate	$31.81	$29.06
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	51,956	218,034
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 80%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	4

Pharmaceutical representative vs outside sales representative salary

Pharmaceutical representatives and outside sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pharmaceutical Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Average salary	$66,166	$60,443
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $103,000	Between $41,000 And $87,000
Highest paying City	-	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Microsoft
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between pharmaceutical representative and outside sales representative education

There are a few differences between a pharmaceutical representative and an outside sales representative in terms of educational background:

	Pharmaceutical Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 80%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Pharmaceutical representative vs outside sales representative demographics

Here are the differences between pharmaceutical representatives' and outside sales representatives' demographics:

	Pharmaceutical Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 44.3% Female, 55.7%	Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between pharmaceutical representative and outside sales representative duties and responsibilities

Pharmaceutical representative example responsibilities.

Manage and promote cardiovascular and respiratory products to local cardiologist, endocrinologists & allergists.
Manage Santa Rosa/San Francisco territories, marketing and selling respiratory, urology, cardiology to pharmacies and primary care physicians.
Collaborate with institution, cardiology, and diabetes specialists to increase penetration and productivity in hospital and endocrinology.
Complete extensive training in disease states such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, allergy, neurology and pain management.
Promote pharmaceuticals in the anti-microbial, neurology and gastroenterology markets.
Conduct discussions for a new drug for the treatment of hypertension.

Outside sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain a weekly quota for broadband, and other wireless products.
Utilize CRM database to manage and track prospect interaction to ensure accurate documentation of window requirements and ongoing communication.
Web dev, SEO, PPC etc . )
Participate in the launching and marketing of broadband internet in Orlando with great success.
Provide care, materials, and essential tools for doctors and nurses working on patients in the E.R.
Create and maintain successful business partnerships with customers by analyzing, meeting and understanding their needs and patients needs.

Pharmaceutical representative vs outside sales representative skills

Common pharmaceutical representative skills

Pharmaceutical Products, 17%
Territory Management, 13%
Medical Professionals, 7%
Market Share Growth, 6%
Neurology, 5%
Sales Growth, 5%

Common outside sales representative skills

Customer Service, 17%
Work Ethic, 8%
Sales Process, 4%
Business Sales, 4%
Cold Calls, 4%
Product Knowledge, 4%

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Pharmaceutical Representative
Pharmaceutical Representative vs Outside Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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