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The differences between pharmaceutical sales people and sales development 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 sales development representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a pharmaceutical sales person has an average salary of $130,507, which is higher than the $51,504 average annual salary of a sales development representative.
The top three skills for a pharmaceutical sales person include pharmaceutical products, sales territory and pharmaceutical sales. The most important skills for a sales development representative are SDR, lead generation, and customer service.
| Pharmaceutical Sales Person | Sales Development Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $130,507 | $51,504 |
| Hourly rate | $62.74 | $24.76 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 117,428 | 199,588 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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 sales development representative qualifies leads at the sales funnel's initial stages. Sales development representatives need to conduct research for prospective clients and qualify the leads before handing them to the sales team. They develop sales strategies to attract buyers or solicit potential customers. They need to build relationships with their customers to determine their needs and qualify the viability of interests to drive sales. Also, they collaborate with the sales executives making certain that corporate targets and goals are met.
Pharmaceutical sales people and sales development representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pharmaceutical Sales Person | Sales Development Representative | |
| Average salary | $130,507 | $51,504 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $249,000 | Between $34,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | PitchBook Data |
| Best paying industry | - | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a pharmaceutical sales person and a sales development representative in terms of educational background:
| Pharmaceutical Sales Person | Sales Development Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between pharmaceutical sales people' and sales development representatives' demographics:
| Pharmaceutical Sales Person | Sales Development Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8% | Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9% |
| 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, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |