Personal Attributes and Aptitude Required
for Pharmaceutical Sales Reps

Being a pharmaceutical sales rep is an excellent career but is certainly not for everyone. The right aptitude is necessary for this job.

Education

First of all, for the vast majority of pharmaceutical companies, a four year university or college degree will be required for candidates hoping to become sales reps. Having said this, academic requirements are not limited to science degrees only. Many working reps have degrees in other fields including business and general arts. A background in science will be nice but candidates with other backgrounds can still be pharmaceutical sales reps if other personal qualities right for the job are there.  

Organizational Skills

Pharmaceutical sales reps must be highly organized individuals in planning their work days since booking appointments, visiting different medical offices, servicing pharmacies, answering enquiries, planning what to do for each sales call, recording results and analyzing sales data are all part of the job. Reps have the freedom to schedule and plan their days but they must do so on their own every single work day.

Personality and Social Skills

A pharmaceutical sales job is not for the introverted since after all, it is sales work. Outgoing individuals with good social skills who are not shy in meeting new people on a continuous basis is among the personality characteristics required in this line of work.

Self Motivated, Independent and a Team Player

Although not having a boss looking over your shoulder most of the time is something many people would want, a pharmaceutical sales person must be an extremely self motivated individual. There is a lot of freedom and independence in this type of job but the pharma rep must be self motivated and independent enough to get up in the morning to get out there to make the required sales calls even in bad weather unless all the roads are completely shut down. Representatives must be able to not only work well when alone, but also as a team player when working with others in the company.

Aptitude for Selling

One false impression that many people have is that all pharmaceutical sales reps do is drive around in nice cars and drop off drug samples to clinics. This is so far from the truth. Yes, reps drive nice cars and do distribute samples but the position is still a sales job. Pharmaceutical representatives still have to sell.

Able to Handle Rejection

Although most people that representatives meet in the field are quite friendly, there will be some customers, even important top physicians, who will appear to be quite rude and antisocial. There will be some customers who will be completely indifferent and even refuse to use your product. A sales rep must be able to take rejection from customers on a daily basis without being affected negatively or personally. It’s all part of the job.

Good Driving Record

Since driving a company car to visit customers is required in this job, a good driving record and continued decent driving habits will be necessary. A loss of a driving license will also mean a loss of a pharma sales job.

Willingness to Travel

Depending on the sales territory, some reps have to travel overnight as part of their work. Reps working in very large urban centers probably will not have to travel much as their territories are usually dense and compact enough. But for many territories that include rural areas, many representatives will have to do some traveling either by driving or flying.

If you feel that you have what it takes to be a pharmaceutical sales rep, then that's great because it is one of the best careers out there. The big problem is that there are lots of people who want to get into the industry as hundreds of resumes are sent in for every posted job opening.

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

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pharmaceutical sales reps

 

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