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The differences between pharmaceutical sales people and pharmaceutical sales specialists 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 a pharmaceutical sales specialist. Additionally, a pharmaceutical sales person has an average salary of $130,507, which is higher than the $73,003 average annual salary of a pharmaceutical sales specialist.
The top three skills for a pharmaceutical sales person include pharmaceutical products, sales territory and pharmaceutical sales. The most important skills for a pharmaceutical sales specialist are patients, sales territory, and diabetes.
| Pharmaceutical Sales Person | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $130,507 | $73,003 |
| Hourly rate | $62.74 | $35.10 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 117,428 | 23,474 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| 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.
A pharmaceutical sales specialist's primary duty is to reach out to pharmacies, medical facilities, and physicians to discuss the latest medical drugs in an effort to secure sales. Their responsibilities typically revolve around learning and understanding everything about the products that they are offering, traveling to different areas to deliver samples, and maintaining records of all transactions. Furthermore, as a pharmaceutical sales specialist, it is essential to create marketing materials and build positive relationships with clients to accomplish sales targets, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Pharmaceutical sales people and pharmaceutical sales specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pharmaceutical Sales Person | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Average salary | $130,507 | $73,003 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $249,000 | Between $47,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Nevada |
| Best paying company | - | AstraZeneca |
| Best paying industry | - | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a pharmaceutical sales person and a pharmaceutical sales specialist in terms of educational background:
| Pharmaceutical Sales Person | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between pharmaceutical sales people' and pharmaceutical sales specialists' demographics:
| Pharmaceutical Sales Person | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8% | Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1% |
| 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, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |