Pharmaceutical Sales/ Drug Rep.

[redlite]

Does anyone have any experience as a drug rep? I am currently in the process of a career change after 5 years at this "prison" to drug reppin and was lookin for some more information about it. A couple of my buddies have been doin it and enjoy it, plus make a lot of loot to boot.
Just lookin for some info on benefits/ negatives of certain companies. Dealing with Aventis right now. Seem pretty good as far as benefit packages go. Just wondering what else is out there Working some inside connections right now, but if they don't pan out, lookin for any advice to gettin hired or at least an interview.
Thanks.

[beachwalker]

not sure if Pfizer is hiring this month

[Finesse 23]

What field are you coming from??
Have you ever had the opportunity to do sales calls??

[tynan19]

Do it, my cousin does it and she is 27. Makes good money and great benefits. A friend of hers gets around 2,000 a month to spend on patrons. He ended up just buying himself Red Sox tickets because he couldn't spend the money.

[Joe]

They prefer hotties.....Dotors tend to buy more off attractive young women....

[redlite]

I look good in pumps. Ask some of the Rhody crew.

[Strider]

[Finesse 23]

Originally posted by Joe
They prefer hotties.....Dotors tend to buy more off attractive young women....

Funny thing is ...that’s not a joke !!!

I have a bit of experience in this field, on one side of the fence more than the other. I’ve gone on sales calls and I have had to deal with reps !! I’ve also seen the herds of recruits coming in for sales training and vying for these positions. A vast majority of the recruits are extremely attractive young women. Regardless of male or female …. They are all extremely presentable, well groomed, articulate people with excellent interpersonal communications skills …They are the spokesman for their company so their image is synonymous with that of the company.

And its not that the Doc's buy from you its that you put the "seed" in their head about your company’s product. Just about every sample that anyone gets from a Dr's office went through the hands of a drug rep. It is then the hope that the Dr's will write a script for that drug (in the case of antibiotics they all but have to write for the same drug). Reps leave all sorts of trinkets (pens, pads, magnets, clipboards, penlights etc etc ) and occasionally bring lunch in for the office and nursing staff. This has even become a topic in the news of late. Its a huge marketing game. Bottom line a drug reps ultimate goal is to make sure the Doctors, Pharmacists, Nurses, .P.A.’s etc etc are fully aware of and will recommend, prescribe and even change prescriptions to their companies products.

[179]

My brother works for Abbott Labs as a rep, his job is really easy during the day he just visits doctors offices leaves samples and answers any questions they may have. He says most of his day is spent in waiting rooms. The downside is that he has to fill out daily reports and activity sheets when he gets home which can take up to 2 hours. I guess when you factor in the commute, the workday, and the report time he is working 13-14 hour days. I want to say he is making 55-60k a year.

Perks include company vehicle although you pay for personal mileage, training trips, and meals on the company.

The above post was right, you better be an attractive male or female, you better have a bachelors degree, and you better have sales experience otherwise most companies will not even consider you.

Hope this helps.

[zacs]

just to add my .02,

finesse is exactly right. hits the nail on the head. I am very close with two drug reps, and they are both drop dead gorgeous mid to late twenties. One real, one silicone. Both intelligent, well spoken. Same stuff. No actual selling or order taking. All about shmoozing, flirting, etc....

_Z_

[redlite]

So if I get implants I should be fine?? Then again, if my dog looked like me, I'd shave its butt and teach it walk backwards. That's why I only fish at night.
Thanks guys.
P.S- Any one got some contacts that I could zip my resume to?

[Big Vern]

My wife works in Pharma sales, and it's both easy and tough at the same time. It's easy from a sales perspective in the fact that you don't have to make a hard sale, and get someone to sign on the dotted line. You are more of a glorified order taker and promotor. However, at the same time, your sales goals are very arbritrary and based off of your manager's projections. If you don't hit these numbers, and you can and will get fired. Sometimes, the projection is way off and you suffer for no doing of your own.

Althought there are a lot of hotties out there doing well in pharma sales, the real key is organization and persistance. My wife works for a company that only hires very seasoned and successful pharma reps. From what I've seen, they come in all shapes and sizes at her company and her company is clearly one of the best.

Best of luck in your search. Sure beats the hell out of counting beans.