Brides Helping Brides ™ - Anyone in Pharmaceutical Sales?

dgtlsunshine Posted: Oct 19, 2003 02:33 PM

Anyone in Pharmaceutical Sales?

I have an IT background and I am trying to break into pharmaceutical sales. Is anyone on here in the industry. I appreciate any help I can get.

Thanks Neva

dgtlsunshine Posted: Oct 20, 2003 09:22 AM

Re: Anyone in Pharmaceutical Sales?

BUMP I really need to find someone that does this for a living.

tarakinspa2 Posted: Oct 20, 2003 12:42 PM

Re: Anyone in Pharmaceutical Sales?

I dont but I am in medicine what are you looking to know maybe I can help

NYCMeghan Posted: Oct 20, 2003 04:55 PM

Re: Anyone in Pharmaceutical Sales?

I'm in pharma sales, although I haven't been on the sales side all that long. I am a transfer over from marketing. FM me any questions and I'd be happy to help if I can.

Imagin916 Posted: Oct 21, 2003 04:52 AM

Re: Anyone in Pharmaceutical Sales?

Im not in sales, but I meet a lot of reps working in the hospital and my mom works for a pharmacutical company. I would suggest having strong experience in sales or medical field before applying, because the competition is fierce! At my moms company they had 25,000 applicants for 500 positions available. Have you ever met a pharmacutical rep? They all look like barbie dolls. I have never seen/met a rep that didnt have a 'look' to them. I think this is one of the few industries that looks matters when getting hired.

NYCMeghan Posted: Oct 21, 2003 07:31 AM

Re: Anyone in Pharmaceutical Sales?

Imagin916, I was about to write something truly scathing, but am trying to temper myself because I do see how someone who is not in the pharmaceutical sales industry could develop a seemingly misguided opinion of the profession. And while I respect your right to your opinion I do take offense at the implications you made towards the industry I work in, or rather more specifically the sales role itself.

Pharmaceutical sales reps are required to have AT LEAST a bachelor's degree - and most of the ones I know have an MBA as well. Yes, sales is a lot about image and perception, but unlike a lot of other fields this is an industry that affects human quality of life. Those in it are hired for their ability to present difficult data to a hard to reach audience and for their commitment to improving quality of life through dissemination of quality medical product and information.

I'd love to hear more about this all so common 'look' seeing as my team has a Latino man, a Latina woman, and African American woman, a Caucasian man, and two Caucasian women. My team is representative of my company and the only 'look' I see that is common to us all is our company issued materials. Being in the field I have never seen a more diverse population of people from both within my firm as well as among the other reps I meet in the field.

So I guess being a pharmaceutical sales rep makes me and my counterparts 'MBA Barbies'?

sept20yay Posted: Oct 21, 2003 07:41 AM

Re: Anyone in Pharmaceutical Sales?

Umm, as a pharm rep, I need to jump in here. I went to an Ivy League University as did my best friend, NYCMeghan. I think it is true, they hire a lot of beautiful people, but not a prerequisite for the job. Mostly, I think is prerequisite is friendliness and being poutgoing. It helps in front of the doctor getting your message across. .

Imagin916 Posted: Oct 21, 2003 12:51 PM

Re: Anyone in Pharmaceutical Sales?

First let me start off by saying that not only does my mom work for a pharmacutical company as works with many reps, I also meet many reps in my line of work both at doctors offices and at the 2 hospitals I have worked at. It is well known that pharmacutical sales is a difficult field to get into. Level of education is just the beginning. I have met reps who had nursing backgrounds, military backgrounds and doctors who are now reps. I have met reps who have no medical or health experience who became reps. They were all from different and diverse ethnic backgrounds, but they all had a 'look' to them. I can spot a rep from a mile away. Every rep I have ever met is at the very least in shape, and is usually attractive. Even when my mom was coordinating some type of function for new rep hires in NYC, she met hundreds of the new hires (one of them was a friend of my Aunt's from Florida) and she says the same thing, they are all attractive people. The two of you and I are both coming from opposite sides of the table. You come into my place of work and lecture us on your new product, buy us lunch and hand out goodies. Do you honestly think that as soon as you walk out of there the docs arent talking about your ass or something like that?? It may not be said aloud, but the truth of the matter is, if you send in a salesperson (in any field) that is attractive, it likens the buyer. The doctors that you are lecturing to do not know that you have a degree from an Ivy league university, they just know that you look good and you know what you are talking about. Period. In the subconsious mind if a person is unattractive to the buyer (either physically or socially), it turns them off to the product. This is why these companies hire reps the way they do. JMO

JillMaxim Posted: Oct 21, 2003 02:09 PM

Re: Anyone in Pharmaceutical Sales?

I have too agree with Imag....alot of the reps out there do have to have 'the look'. Sure they have to know atleast something. But we are talking about sales people that attend seminars in Cancun, Bermuda, Vegas, etc...to name a few...it's like Ft. Laurderdale all over again with parties and rubbing shoulders, and whatever may go on in the PM-AM. You can't tell me that these reps that show uup to Grand Rounds with all their pens, pads, tickets to games, free tennis lessons don't know the art of the deal. That's what it is all about with these reps. You want your doctor to push your product, you take them and their spouse to a fine restaurant.....or even give them 12 free tennis lessons, and if they want more??? You give them more. If they are pushing the product and are your best subscribers, you give them more, perhaps that trip they wanted to go to ski. ....I'm getting of the topic here....but in general these sales people have (it helps them) to be an eye catcher. The ones that don't make sales, are generally working in Eckard and CVS. Ever see a good looking pharm. rep there?

sept20yay Posted: Oct 21, 2003 02:41 PM

Re: Anyone in Pharmaceutical Sales?

First part- Working in the field, I agree that the reps doctors like tend to like have 'the look'. We all put ourselves together for work, for the most part and look okay I guess. And I do think it is part of the game more and more, as now we have to get in front of doctors - nyc doctors- who have limited time for us.
I think a common misconception is that we come in with pens and pads and take doctors to dinners and games, wine and dine them, get them laid. In actuality, we are frequently tested on our products, the FDA is on us all to keep track of every sample we give physicians (which is near impossible), and we are supposed to be well versed in our competition which is very fierce. Neda, while I agree that they tend to go for younger, more in shape girls, that is a dime a dozen and wont get it done in todays workplace. The companies today value someone that can sell, someone who is vision oriented rather than task oriented, someone who can analyze the drug trends of their physicians prescribing habits, someone who can follow up with your physicians, and be well versed in the drug. Most importantly someone who can add value to a doctors practice.... And show that to the physician. That is is picture of the all star winner in our company.

dgtlsunshine Posted: Oct 23, 2003 10:36 AM

Re: Anyone in Pharmaceutical Sales?

I just want to say that image is everything whether you are selling or not. A pharmaceutical rep represents million and sometime billion dollar companies. They are suppose to look good.

However the competition is fierce and reps are far from dumb blond barbie types. I met a guy online yesterday and he told me he was hired by a company that I will not name and was sent home when he did not score at least an 85 on one of his test. He missed it by one question.

Also I am 5 weeks away from my Masters as well.

almostmarried Posted: Oct 23, 2003 11:49 AM

Re: Anyone in Pharmaceutical Sales?

My mother is a recruiter and also told me that these positions tend to go to smart people but also those who are very polished and attractive. That's life and no it isn't fair. I don't think it is in the company's best interest to hire Barbie dolls who are not intelligent enough to handle the work and I don't think they do.
As for why they hire people who are not necessarily white - I think it's obvious that there are several factors:
- Minorities can also be attractive and intelligent so this doesn't dispute that assertion that looks matter
- Companies cannot get away with hiring only Barbie MBAs - they also have to hire men and minorities as part of their quotas
- Minorities appeal to other minorities. A Barbie MBA may not appeal to a female Latina doctor but the male Latina sales rep would

I used to go to a physical therapist in NYC who was part of a HUGE medical practice. He told me they wrote more prescriptions than any other single practice in Manhattan.

I was there 3 times a week for 4 months and knew all the reps. At any given time - there were 4 reps in the waiting room. Not all were white females - but they were all good looking.

Imagin916 Posted: Oct 24, 2003 02:49 AM

Re: Anyone in Pharmaceutical Sales?

To clarify my post:

When I stated that they looked like 'barbie dolls' I meant that they were well put together, and attractive, whether it be men or women, of any racial background. I am not in any way disputing that these reps are not intellegent. They are very intellegent people, I have never met a rep that has sounded unintellegent, they know thier product and they are able to answer any types of questions people have about it. They are good speakers, and know how to catch the attention of the people they are speaking to. They are always very friendly, and easy to approach. The point I was trying to make is that intellegence and experience is not always enough when landing a job in pharmacutical sales, especially for a rep who has no medical background. I think it might matter less about looks if the rep was a practicing doctor/nurse/NP/PA before they became a rep, because the doctor they are selling to is talking to someone who has been there done that, and has real life experience with treating patients. Looks do matter when it comes to getting hired, because of the nature of the audience, the amount of money the rep can make for the company, and because of how fierce the competition is to get into this line of work.