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Pharmaceutical sales person vs field sales representative

The differences between pharmaceutical sales people and field 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 field 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 $48,460 average annual salary of a field 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 field sales representative are excellent time management, customer service, and powerpoint.

Pharmaceutical sales person vs field sales representative overview

Pharmaceutical Sales PersonField Sales Representative
Yearly salary$130,507$48,460
Hourly rate$62.74$23.30
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs117,428228,254
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
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 field sales representative do?

A field sales representative is an employee who is employed by business-to-business (B2B) and wholesale organizations to visit leads and sell products or services to their customers in person. Field sales representatives must attract new customers and win new accounts so that they can maximize profitability within their territory. They travel around their assigned territory and visit their customers regularly to educate them on how their products can benefit them. Field sales representatives must also maintain records of all sales leads and monitor the organization's competitor, new products, and market conditions.

Pharmaceutical sales person vs field sales representative salary

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

Pharmaceutical Sales PersonField Sales Representative
Average salary$130,507$48,460
Salary rangeBetween $68,000 And $249,000Between $26,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City-Seattle, WA
Highest paying state-Washington
Best paying company-VMware
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between pharmaceutical sales person and field sales representative education

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

Pharmaceutical Sales PersonField Sales Representative
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaSUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Pharmaceutical sales person vs field sales representative demographics

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

Pharmaceutical Sales PersonField Sales Representative
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 50.2% Female, 49.8%Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5%
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, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between pharmaceutical sales person and field 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

Field sales representative example responsibilities.

  • Train and manage new DSR's.
  • Lead seminars for the CPA community for CPE credits.
  • Develop and manage sales in major retail accounts in the Mid-Atlantic region.
  • Manage and assist a vast customer base in the market for new roofing needs after a large hail storm in Lubbock.
  • Manage merchandising and POS materials at the retail store level ensuring meticulous compliance with all current corporate initiative regulations.
  • Conduct effective group Medicare HMO/PPO presentations/seminars, as well as one-on-one field sales presentations.
  • Show more

Pharmaceutical sales person vs field 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 field sales representative skills
  • Excellent Time Management, 17%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • PowerPoint, 6%
  • Medicare, 6%
  • Account Management, 6%
  • Sales Presentations, 5%