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The differences between senior sales representatives and pharmaceutical sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior sales representative, becoming a pharmaceutical sales representative takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior sales representative has an average salary of $82,550, which is higher than the $68,571 average annual salary of a pharmaceutical sales representative.
The top three skills for a senior sales representative include customer satisfaction, product knowledge and sales consultants. The most important skills for a pharmaceutical sales representative are patients, pharmaceutical products, and develop strong relationships.
| Senior Sales Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $82,550 | $68,571 |
| Hourly rate | $39.69 | $32.97 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 210,521 | 102,935 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A senior sales representative's role is to oversee operations that mainly revolve around engaging with clients to pursue sales targets. Their responsibilities also include devising strategies that would help colleagues to attain quotas and discover new opportunities and trends that would be of help in building a more substantial client base. There are also instances where they must reach out to clients, building rapport to secure sales. Furthermore, as a senior sales representative, they have to lead fellow skilled professionals as they reach their common goals.
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.
Senior sales representatives and pharmaceutical sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Sales Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $82,550 | $68,571 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $145,000 | Between $42,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Eli Lilly and Company | |
| Best paying industry | - | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a senior sales representative and a pharmaceutical sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Senior Sales Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior sales representatives' and pharmaceutical sales representatives' demographics:
| Senior Sales Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9% | Male, 41.0% Female, 59.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |