Overview of Pharmaceutical Sales Jobs

 

Prescription Drugs

Pharmaceutical sales jobs can be split into a few different sectors. The most important sector will be prescription drugs where most of the action will be. This is where most pharma sales reps work in with the main target customer base being doctors. Depending on the type of drugs promoted, sales forces target family physicians and/or specialist doctors as their main customers. Some giant pharmaceutical companies like Glaxo and Merck have large numbers of promoted products requiring several sales force divisions within each firm. There can be separate divisions promoting completely different products to the same or different customer groups. Sometimes different divisions can have the same products but they have different groups of target customers to focus on. Each pharmaceutical rep might be promoting an average of three different primary drugs with a few secondary products as well.

There are also smaller companies that focus on niche specialty drugs. The sales forces for these companies will probably focus more on specific medical specialties as target customers rather than on general practice doctors.

 

Over-the-Counter Products

Many companies have over-the-counter (OTC) products such as cough and cold medications which are non-prescription drugs which represent another main sector. Larger companies who have both prescription and OTC products may have separate sales forces for each sector. Some companies may be strictly OTC focused. Sales forces selling just OTC products will likely be calling on only family physicians rather than specialists as target customers. There may be more calls to retail pharmacists too since these health professionals are often consulted by patients in regards to product selections (for example, customers asking a pharmacist to recommend a brand of cough syrup).

 

Generic Drug Products

The generic drug companies represent another kettle of fish altogether. Since they usually market product equivalents to brand name drugs that are already successful and well known, sales forces with generic companies generally do not call on physicians at all. Instead, they would concentrate on pharmacies, both retail and hospital based. Pricing alone is usually the main selling factor. This sector is therefore a very different type of pharmaceutical sales job and is actually quite unrelated in regards to the type of work that pharmaceutical sales reps from brand name companies do.

Pharmaceutical sales jobs are some of the most rewarding in the working world.

Click on the link below for useful tips and important information on how to successfully enter this pharmaceutical sales field.

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