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Pharmaceutical sales person vs district sales representative

The differences between pharmaceutical sales people and district 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 sales person, becoming a district sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a pharmaceutical sales person has an average salary of $130,507, which is higher than the $52,283 average annual salary of a district sales representative.

The top three skills for a pharmaceutical sales person include pharmaceutical products, sales territory and pharmaceutical sales. The most important skills for a district sales representative are territory sales, CRM, and sales presentations.

Pharmaceutical sales person vs district sales representative overview

Pharmaceutical Sales PersonDistrict Sales Representative
Yearly salary$130,507$52,283
Hourly rate$62.74$25.14
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs117,428229,754
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age4747
Years of experience24

What does a pharmaceutical sales person do?

Pharmaceutical salespersons must have a wide range of skills, such as proven work in pharmaceutical or medical sales, familiarity with the latest medical issues, and knowledge of programs like MS Office. Paid at $92K per year, those who seek this career will be required to educate physicians on new pharmaceutical developments and connect providers with new knowledge, drugs, and treatments for cutting-edge patient care.

What does a district sales representative do?

District sales representatives are professionals who are responsible for selling the products and services of a company through product education, training, and product presentations. These representatives must work with team members to identify opportunities within their sales territory so that they can increase revenue. They should assist the district manager in presenting sales reports while aiding their customers with inventory management responsibilities. District sales representatives must also attend all business-related trade shows to represent their company.

Pharmaceutical sales person vs district sales representative salary

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

Pharmaceutical Sales PersonDistrict Sales Representative
Average salary$130,507$52,283
Salary rangeBetween $68,000 And $249,000Between $36,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between pharmaceutical sales person and district sales representative education

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

Pharmaceutical Sales PersonDistrict Sales Representative
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaSUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Pharmaceutical sales person vs district sales representative demographics

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

Pharmaceutical Sales PersonDistrict Sales Representative
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 50.2% Female, 49.8%Male, 76.7% Female, 23.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% 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, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between pharmaceutical sales person and district sales representative duties and responsibilities

Pharmaceutical sales person example responsibilities.

  • Manage Santa Rosa/San Francisco territories, marketing and selling respiratory, urology, cardiology to pharmacies and primary care physicians.
  • Present, negotiate, and close hospital contracts for antibiotics.
  • Maintain inventory of samples on a monthly basis for reporting to FDA.
  • Collaborate with NP's and RN's in charge of Coumadin clinics to ensure proper patient use of Coumadin.
  • Collaborate with hospital formulary committees to introduce new products.
  • Integrate formulary knowledge and assistance program information for exceptional customer experience
  • Show more

District sales representative example responsibilities.

  • Manage and create all content distribute via various social media outlets: Facebook, twitter, feedback blogs, etc.
  • Maintain up-to-date customer records and reports of business transactions; assist in collection of past due accounts via CRM software.
  • Market and sell an innovative customer relationship management (CRM) geographical information (GIS) system software product statewide.
  • Distribute product samples in accordance with approve sampling guidelines and marketing literature to physicians and other healthcare providers.
  • Calculate costs and benefits of alternative actions or solutions to establish visibility and ROI.

Pharmaceutical sales person vs district sales representative skills

Common pharmaceutical sales person skills
  • Pharmaceutical Products, 18%
  • Sales Territory, 15%
  • Pharmaceutical Sales, 9%
  • Sales Growth, 8%
  • Medical Sales, 8%
  • Healthcare Professionals, 6%
Common district sales representative skills
  • Territory Sales, 12%
  • CRM, 10%
  • Sales Presentations, 9%
  • Cold Calls, 8%
  • Trade Shows, 8%
  • Culinary, 7%