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Pharmaceutical sales person vs inside sales specialist

The differences between pharmaceutical sales people and inside sales specialists 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 an inside sales specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a pharmaceutical sales person has an average salary of $130,507, which is higher than the $50,944 average annual salary of an inside sales specialist.

The top three skills for a pharmaceutical sales person include pharmaceutical products, sales territory and pharmaceutical sales. The most important skills for an inside sales specialist are customer service, CRM, and sales process.

Pharmaceutical sales person vs inside sales specialist overview

Pharmaceutical Sales PersonInside Sales Specialist
Yearly salary$130,507$50,944
Hourly rate$62.74$24.49
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs117,428251,423
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
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 an inside sales specialist do?

An inside sales specialist is primarily responsible for securing sales by reaching out to clients to sell products and services. They may communicate with customers through calls and correspondence or personally recommend products in a retail store setting. Moreover, they are also responsible for responding to inquiries or concerns, identifying the customers' needs, devising strategies to find sales opportunities, and discussing products to customers. An inside sales specialist is often required to meet sales goals and report to managers should there be any issues or problems.

Pharmaceutical sales person vs inside sales specialist salary

Pharmaceutical sales people and inside sales specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Pharmaceutical Sales PersonInside Sales Specialist
Average salary$130,507$50,944
Salary rangeBetween $68,000 And $249,000Between $34,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City-Seattle, WA
Highest paying state-Washington
Best paying company-Keller Williams Greater Seattle
Best paying industry-Real Estate

Differences between pharmaceutical sales person and inside sales specialist education

There are a few differences between a pharmaceutical sales person and an inside sales specialist in terms of educational background:

Pharmaceutical Sales PersonInside Sales Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaSUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Pharmaceutical sales person vs inside sales specialist demographics

Here are the differences between pharmaceutical sales people' and inside sales specialists' demographics:

Pharmaceutical Sales PersonInside Sales Specialist
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 50.2% Female, 49.8%Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%
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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between pharmaceutical sales person and inside sales specialist 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

Inside sales specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage individual sales activities by developing highly effective, communications focuse relationship with multiple sales channels.
  • Present presentations to potential clients through Microsoft PowerPoint.
  • Maintain and update assigned territory through SalesLogix CRM program.
  • Revise and update CRM database to ensure accurate customer information.
  • Operate as inside sales consultant, primarily in areas of customer relations, sales/service support, coordinating production and transportation scheduling
  • Call on corporate counsel, c-level executives and law firms to sell solutions with traditional litigation support.
  • Show more

Pharmaceutical sales person vs inside sales specialist 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 inside sales specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • CRM, 7%
  • Sales Process, 5%
  • Work Ethic, 5%
  • Product Knowledge, 5%
  • Outbound Calls, 4%