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The differences between pharmaceutical sales representatives and sales 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 representative, becoming a sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a pharmaceutical sales representative has an average salary of $68,571, which is higher than the $56,591 average annual salary of a sales representative.
The top three skills for a pharmaceutical sales representative include patients, pharmaceutical products and develop strong relationships. The most important skills for a sales representative are sales process, product knowledge, and customer service.
| Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $68,571 | $56,591 |
| Hourly rate | $32.97 | $27.21 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 102,935 | 205,456 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 4.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 85% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
The job of pharmaceutical sales representatives is to inform and educate doctors about a company's medical and pharmaceutical products. They serve as the link between a company and healthcare professionals to hit sales targets. They have varied responsibilities, including assessing clients' needs and presenting suitable products, delivering product samples, and working sales teams to develop and implement brand strategies. This role's qualifications include relevant work experience, excellent communication, sales, negotiation skills, and a bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
Sales representatives primarily sell the company's products and services to businesses or organizations. They should be adept at closing out sales, negotiating, and providing customer service. They should be knowledgeable about the products or services of the manufacturer or producer they represent. They must also have strong analytical skills that would help them in coming up with cost-benefit analysis in assessing the current roster of clients and even prospective ones. Sales representatives should also be able to maintain good working relationships with all involved stakeholders, especially clients.
Pharmaceutical sales representatives and sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $68,571 | $56,591 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $110,000 | Between $33,000 And $94,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Eli Lilly and Company | |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a pharmaceutical sales representative and a sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 85% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between pharmaceutical sales representatives' and sales representatives' demographics:
| Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.0% Female, 59.0% | Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.3% 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, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |