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What is a specialty representative and how to become one
Specialty representatives are the principal point of contact between a business and its customers. They ensure current customers have the right products and services, can identify new markets and customer leads, and pitch prospective customers their products. Specialty representatives work in a wide range of fields, from pharmaceuticals to service providers.
You should possess essential skills to qualify for the position, including great communications skills, flexibility, interpersonal, empathy, closing, negotiation, and organizational skills. You will also be required to work in a fast-paced environment along with traveling on demand. Their duties include answering phones, monitoring competition, maintaining good customer relations, pursuing new sales opportunities, and having background knowledge of the company and the product or service that it is selling. Educational requirements include a bachelor's degree in marketing, promotions, or a similar field, although a high school diploma or a GED may suffice as well, along with relevant work experience.
Specialty representatives earn generously. The average hourly salary for the position is $56.09, which equates to $116,677 annually. The career is expected to grow further and produce various job opportunities across the United States.
What general advice would you give to a specialty representative?
Eric Gjerdevig
Lecturer in Marketing, Director for the Center for Professional Selling and Sales Technology, North Dakota State University
Avg. Salary $49,201
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 4%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%
Asian 5.15%
Black or African American 3.84%
Hispanic or Latino 14.22%
Unknown 3.71%
White 72.85%
Genderfemale 52.29%
male 47.71%
Age - 48American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 48Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
Specialty representative career paths
Key steps to become a specialty representative
Explore specialty representative education requirements
Start to develop specific specialty representative skills
Skills Percentages Patients 26.74% Oncology 10.14% Dermatology 7.99% Neurology 5.92% Educational Programs 5.58% Complete relevant specialty representative training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New specialty representatives learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a specialty representative based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real specialty representative resumes.Research specialty representative duties and responsibilities
- Manage the strategic planning and territory development of neurology accounts.
- Manage the development, productivity and utilization of local, regional and national speakers for hyperlipidemia and hypertension.
- Attract and build strong advocates within large cardiology groups by building a reputation on integrity, product knowledge and accountability.
- Develop and influence neurology and psychiatry opinion leaders by organizing medical education events, residency and speaker programs.
Prepare your specialty representative resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your specialty representative resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a specialty representative resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable specialty representative resume templates
Build a professional specialty representative resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your specialty representative resume.
Apply for specialty representative jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a specialty representative job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first specialty representative job
Are you a specialty representative?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average specialty representative salary
The average specialty representative salary in the United States is $49,201 per year or $24 per hour. Specialty representative salaries range between $26,000 and $92,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do specialty representatives rate their job?
Specialty representative reviews
I like helping people and physicians find out about products that can improve their lives. Company car is great too.
Some offices are just rude
Marketing products from a traceable companies to consumers and providing a good service to the clients .
Working with individuals in general. I'm a huge people person and love the relationships I have now as all of my referral sources are my close friends!
Updated January 8, 2025
