1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
What is a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative?
A pharmaceutical sales representative assesses client needs and presents suitable promoted products, liaise with and persuade targeted doctors to prescribe products utilizing effective selling skills, and perform cost benefit analysis. They provide product information and deliver product samples and attend sales meetings, conference calls, training sessions, and symposium circuits.
For this career, they should familiarize themselves with databases, statistics, product lines, and latest medical issues, have excellent communication, negotiation and sales skills, be highly motivated and target driven with a proven track record in sales, and have strong organizational and time management skills.
A bachelor's degree in a biomedical field such as pharmacy, biochemistry, or medical laboratory professionals is required. For your efforts, you will earn an average salary of $95,590 a year or $45.96 an hour. However, you can earn anywhere between $71,000 and $127,000 per year.
What Does a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Do
Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. They contact customers, explain product features, answer any questions that their customers may have, and negotiate prices.
How To Become a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
Educational requirements vary, depending on the type of product sold. If the products are not scientific or technical, a high school diploma is generally enough for entry into the occupation. If the products are scientific or technical, sales representatives typically need at least a bachelor's degree.
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of account executive you might progress to a role such as territory manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title senior territory manager.
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
Senior Territory Manager
8 Years
Senior District Manager
8 Years
Regional Sales Vice President
11 Years
Manager, Field Marketing
5 Years
Division Sales Manager
8 Years
Regional Sales And Marketing Manager
8 Years
Show More
Average Salary for a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives in America make an average salary of $68,571 per year or $33 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $110,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $42,000 per year.
Average Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Salary
$68,571 Yearly$32.97 hourly
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
The role of a pharmaceutical sales representative includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general pharmaceutical sales representative responsibilities:
- Regularly calls on veterinary offices, labs,
- Utilize product knowledge and effective selling skills to influence targeted pharmacies or physicians. Maintain product knowledge, policies,
- Generating volume and market share growth for assigned pharmaceutical products within a specific geographic area. Selling presentations to physicians
There are several types of pharmaceutical sales representative, including:
Sales Representative
Role:
As the sole point of contact, sales representatives are responsible for all business matters when it comes to their clients. They ensure the right products are delivered, follow customer leads, and pitch prospective customers.
Probably the most important aspect of a sales representative's job is closing on sales. That's what keeps the business running and your paycheck coming. There are some times when you'll have to deal with tough situations, like customer complaints, and you'll have to know how to fix the situation.
The majority of sales representatives spend about 47 hours a week at work. From travel time to breaks and interacting with customers, you've got some long days ahead. Although, it's not a bad gig, especially since you only need a high school diploma. The majority of your education in your career will come from on-the-job training - nothing beats hands-on experience.
Probably the most important aspect of a sales representative's job is closing on sales. That's what keeps the business running and your paycheck coming. There are some times when you'll have to deal with tough situations, like customer complaints, and you'll have to know how to fix the situation.
The majority of sales representatives spend about 47 hours a week at work. From travel time to breaks and interacting with customers, you've got some long days ahead. Although, it's not a bad gig, especially since you only need a high school diploma. The majority of your education in your career will come from on-the-job training - nothing beats hands-on experience.
- Average Salary: $56,591
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Representative
Role:
Since respresentative is such a broad term, you can really take your pick when it comes to having a career as one. Maybe you want to pursue customer service or politics. Either way, representatives are very important for the people they're serving.
As a representative, it's important that you present yourself well. A state representative needs to be a likeable figure for people to vote into office, while a customer service representative needs to put on an understanding face when presented with a customer complaint.
Representatives work all sorts of hours, depending on the industry they've picked. Luckily, there are so many industries that a representative can go into that you'll have plenty of job opportunities available.
As a representative, it's important that you present yourself well. A state representative needs to be a likeable figure for people to vote into office, while a customer service representative needs to put on an understanding face when presented with a customer complaint.
Representatives work all sorts of hours, depending on the industry they've picked. Luckily, there are so many industries that a representative can go into that you'll have plenty of job opportunities available.
- Average Salary: $36,023
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Outside Sales Representative
Role:
Outside sales representatives are responsible for increasing sales by maintaining and developing relationships with clients and customers. To do this, you will need to identify potential clients, follow up on the potential clients, and also maintain relationships with the existing clients. After identifying potential clients, you are expected to meet their sales needs to ensure a lasting relationship. You will also sometimes need to travel to meet clients and inform them of new products and their features so you can negotiate sales contracts.
In the process of identifying potential clients, you will have to schedule and perform product demonstrations to the new clients in a convincing manner. Other duties involve generating and submitting sales reports to management and recommending a marketing strategy for specific regions. One of the major secrets to succeeding as a sales representative is to learn to sustain relationships.
Excellent communication skills, outstanding marketing strategy skills, and consumer psychology are crucial to succeeding as an outside sales representative. Apart from this, you must enjoy traveling and must be proficient with presentation software, spreadsheet, and word processing. The annual salary of an outside sales representative is $71,145, and the educational background is a bachelor's degree in business management or other related disciplines.
In the process of identifying potential clients, you will have to schedule and perform product demonstrations to the new clients in a convincing manner. Other duties involve generating and submitting sales reports to management and recommending a marketing strategy for specific regions. One of the major secrets to succeeding as a sales representative is to learn to sustain relationships.
Excellent communication skills, outstanding marketing strategy skills, and consumer psychology are crucial to succeeding as an outside sales representative. Apart from this, you must enjoy traveling and must be proficient with presentation software, spreadsheet, and word processing. The annual salary of an outside sales representative is $71,145, and the educational background is a bachelor's degree in business management or other related disciplines.
- Average Salary: $60,443
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
States With The Most Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active pharmaceutical sales representative jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where pharmaceutical sales representatives earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average Salary: Job Openings:
Number Of Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 8,648 | $68,755 |
| 2 | Texas | 5,359 | $62,709 |
| 3 | Florida | 4,950 | $51,945 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | 4,209 | $66,965 |
| 5 | New York | 3,690 | $85,964 |
| 6 | Ohio | 3,262 | $58,578 |
| 7 | Illinois | 3,249 | $64,353 |
| 8 | New Jersey | 3,083 | $77,365 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 2,571 | $56,414 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 2,552 | $93,352 |
| 11 | Georgia | 2,267 | $49,327 |
| 12 | Virginia | 2,194 | $71,081 |
| 13 | Minnesota | 1,672 | $57,397 |
| 14 | Arizona | 1,606 | $68,668 |
| 15 | Washington | 1,526 | $58,879 |
| 16 | Michigan | 1,524 | $54,290 |
| 17 | Tennessee | 1,495 | $59,259 |
| 18 | Maryland | 1,478 | $64,442 |
| 19 | Indiana | 1,457 | $55,116 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 1,410 | $62,033 |
| 21 | Oregon | 1,314 | $64,056 |
| 22 | Colorado | 1,257 | $61,032 |
| 23 | Missouri | 1,238 | $46,665 |
| 24 | South Carolina | 1,130 | $55,382 |
| 25 | Utah | 1,035 | $61,667 |
| 26 | Alabama | 962 | $34,902 |
| 27 | Connecticut | 934 | $82,395 |
| 28 | Kentucky | 871 | $63,237 |
| 29 | Iowa | 841 | $62,161 |
| 30 | Kansas | 703 | $54,806 |
| 31 | Louisiana | 651 | $66,303 |
| 32 | Nevada | 605 | $79,439 |
| 33 | Oklahoma | 556 | $52,965 |
| 34 | Arkansas | 556 | $45,670 |
| 35 | Nebraska | 552 | $45,535 |
| 36 | Rhode Island | 479 | $77,975 |
| 37 | Idaho | 437 | $56,331 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | 402 | $76,511 |
| 39 | New Mexico | 375 | $67,867 |
| 40 | Montana | 359 | $33,990 |
| 41 | Mississippi | 352 | $46,277 |
| 42 | West Virginia | 305 | $70,484 |
| 43 | Maine | 304 | $74,558 |
| 44 | Delaware | 271 | $72,949 |
| 45 | Vermont | 215 | $78,118 |
| 46 | South Dakota | 185 | $34,059 |
| 47 | North Dakota | 167 | $64,831 |
| 48 | Hawaii | 136 | $39,914 |
| 49 | Wyoming | 119 | $53,174 |
| 50 | Alaska | 106 | $50,902 |
Top Colleges for Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives
2. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
3. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,306
Enrollment
9,394
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-State Tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
6. SUNY College at Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,369
Enrollment
5,229
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
8. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
In-State Tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159
9. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,570
Enrollment
3,721
10. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,853
Enrollment
14,759
Top Skills For a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 21.1% of pharmaceutical sales representatives listed patients on their resume, but soft skills such as customer-service skills and interpersonal skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Pharmaceutical Sales Representative templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Pharmaceutical Sales Representative resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Demographics
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Gender Distribution
Female
59%
Male
41%
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among pharmaceutical sales representatives, 59.0% of them are women, while 41.0% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among pharmaceutical sales representatives is White, which makes up 72.3% of all pharmaceutical sales representatives.
- The most common foreign language among pharmaceutical sales representatives is Spanish at 60.8%.
Online Courses For Pharmaceutical Sales Representative That You May Like
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Best States For a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a pharmaceutical sales representative. The best states for people in this position are Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, and Nevada. Pharmaceutical sales representatives make the most in Massachusetts with an average salary of $93,352. Whereas in New York and Connecticut, they would average $85,964 and $82,395, respectively. While pharmaceutical sales representatives would only make an average of $79,439 in Nevada, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Rhode Island
Total Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Jobs: 479
Highest 10% Earn:
$131,000
Location Quotient:
1.48
$77,975
Avg. Salary
2. Massachusetts
Total Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Jobs: 2,552
Highest 10% Earn:
$157,000
Location Quotient:
1.04
$93,352
Avg. Salary
3. Nevada
Total Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Jobs: 605
Highest 10% Earn:
$136,000
Location Quotient:
1.09
$79,439
Avg. Salary
How Do Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Rate Their Jobs?
5.0
Great Job • April 2020
5.0
Great Job • April 2020What do you like the most about working as Pharmaceutical Sales Representative?
I like helping people and physicians find out about products that can improve their lives. Company car is great too. Show MoreWhat do you NOT like?
Some offices are just rude Show MoreTop Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Employers
Most Common Employers For Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $112,147 | $53.92 | 117 |
| 2 | Eli Lilly and Company | $111,775 | $53.74 | 438 |
| 3 | Novartis | $109,951 | $52.86 | 205 |
| 4 | Bayer | $99,772 | $47.97 | 70 |
| 5 | Boehringer Ingelheim | $98,232 | $47.23 | 206 |
| 6 | Warner Chilcott | $96,798 | $46.54 | 173 |
| 7 | Janssen | $93,882 | $45.14 | 93 |
| 8 | AstraZeneca | $93,701 | $45.05 | 224 |
| 9 | Johnson & Johnson | $91,291 | $43.89 | 171 |
| 10 | Merck | $90,966 | $43.73 | 292 |
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Videos
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative, (Drug Rep), Career Video from drkit.org
Becoming a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative FAQs
How Do Pharmaceutical Sales Reps Get Paid?
Pharmaceutical sales representatives get paid through a combination of base salary, commission, and bonuses. Many pharmaceutical sales representatives have an even split between base salary and their commission and bonuses.
How Long Does It Take To Become A Pharmaceutical Sales Rep?
It takes around five to six years to become a pharmaceutical sales representative. This accounts for the educational and work experience requirements to be successful in this position.
While the minimum educational requirement for pharmaceutical sales representatives is at least a high school diploma or its equivalent, most employers prefer to hire medical sales representatives with bachelor's degrees.
Have more questions? See all answers to common sales questions.