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The differences between pharmaceutical sales people and 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 a 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 $53,004 average annual salary of a 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 sales specialist are building relationships, customer complaints, and customer orders.
| Pharmaceutical Sales Person | Sales Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $130,507 | $53,004 |
| Hourly rate | $62.74 | $25.48 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 117,428 | 324,069 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| 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 specialist is responsible for offering the best goods and services to customers in order to boost the company's sales. Sales specialists also promote strategies and solutions to contribute to the company's growth and profitability. A sales specialist must have extensive knowledge of the current market trends and the best sales skills to perform marketing tasks. Sales specialists should have excellent communication and customer service skills to assist existing and potential clients with their inquiries and concerns.
Pharmaceutical sales people and sales specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pharmaceutical Sales Person | Sales Specialist | |
| Average salary | $130,507 | $53,004 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $249,000 | Between $30,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | - | VMware |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a pharmaceutical sales person and a sales specialist in terms of educational background:
| Pharmaceutical Sales Person | Sales Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between pharmaceutical sales people' and sales specialists' demographics:
| Pharmaceutical Sales Person | Sales Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8% | Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9% |
| 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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |