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The differences between pharmaceutical sales people and executive sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a pharmaceutical sales person and an executive sales representative. Additionally, a pharmaceutical sales person has an average salary of $130,507, which is higher than the $78,858 average annual salary of an executive sales representative.
The top three skills for a pharmaceutical sales person include pharmaceutical products, sales territory and pharmaceutical sales. The most important skills for an executive sales representative are patients, product knowledge, and oncology.
| Pharmaceutical Sales Person | Executive Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $130,507 | $78,858 |
| Hourly rate | $62.74 | $37.91 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 117,428 | 226,902 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
An executive sales representative researches and recommends business opportunities. They analyze sales alternatives and help build business relations with clients and prospects. They must keep updated on business trends and potential competitors to best recommend new product ideas. They must be open-minded, risk-takers, adaptive, and innovative to be able to develop successful marketing strategies. It is also necessary for them to be highly skilled at business analysis to distinguish selling opportunities and create an immediate action plan.
Pharmaceutical sales people and executive sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pharmaceutical Sales Person | Executive Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $130,507 | $78,858 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $249,000 | Between $48,000 And $128,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a pharmaceutical sales person and an executive sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Pharmaceutical Sales Person | Executive Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between pharmaceutical sales people' and executive sales representatives' demographics:
| Pharmaceutical Sales Person | Executive Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8% | Male, 53.7% Female, 46.3% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |