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Pharmaceutical representative vs sales representative

The differences between pharmaceutical representatives and 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 a sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a pharmaceutical representative has an average salary of $66,166, which is higher than the $56,591 average annual salary of a sales representative.

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

Pharmaceutical representative vs sales representative overview

Pharmaceutical RepresentativeSales Representative
Yearly salary$66,166$56,591
Hourly rate$31.81$27.21
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs51,956205,456
Job satisfaction-4.33
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 80%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age4747
Years of experience24

Pharmaceutical representative vs sales representative salary

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

Pharmaceutical RepresentativeSales Representative
Average salary$66,166$56,591
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $103,000Between $33,000 And $94,000
Highest paying City-Boston, MA
Highest paying state-Massachusetts
Best paying company-Google
Best paying industry-Pharmaceutical

Differences between pharmaceutical representative and sales representative education

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

Pharmaceutical RepresentativeSales Representative
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 80%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaSUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Pharmaceutical representative vs sales representative demographics

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

Pharmaceutical RepresentativeSales Representative
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 44.3% Female, 55.7%Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9%
Race ratioBlack 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, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between pharmaceutical representative and 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.
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Sales representative example responsibilities.

  • Manage prospective leads and existing accounts through a CRM platform to accurately forecast revenue and develop long-term business partnerships.
  • Manage and create all content distribute via various social media outlets: Facebook, twitter, feedback blogs, etc.
  • Search for procurement contracts, attend trade shows, design flyers, postcards, etc.
  • Utilize POS sales software to maintain monetary sales information produce reports for organizational review.
  • Develop and maintain business relationships with businesses and policyholders using establish methods such as customer relationship management CRM.
  • Handle administrative and sales duties as Jr.
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Pharmaceutical representative vs 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 sales representative skills
  • Sales Process, 9%
  • Product Knowledge, 9%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • CRM, 6%
  • Business Development, 6%
  • Sales REP, 5%