Without one going back to school What jobs or trades have you seen other prior pharma reps transition into successfully and not so successfully? If you could so kindly share this information many of us may benefit by learning from others. Genuine Thanks! Please indicate the job, age and ball park income
The honest truth (verifiable by a quick perusal on LinkedIn) is that very few industries are a good fit for what we do. If you look up former colleagues that departed several years ago, you'll see that many either work for Otsuka, Eisai, Amgen, Shionogi, or Novonordisk. A good number that are still in this industry also work for Publicis Touchpount, which is top-heavy with some outstanding ex- Pfizer executives. What I have heard from my friends is that sales people from this industry have a bad reputation as true sales people because so much money is spent above our heads getting the message out about our drugs. Marketing dollars, media dollars, studies, DTC money, medical meetings, key opinion leader-schmoozing, research dollars, etc. They know that in the past that we had 4-6 counterparts, and a short message where we really weren't allowed to hammer (sell against) our competition. We don't do any cold calling (what doctor has never heard of Pfizer, or our great pipeline) we don't develop a business plan, we don't have long sales cycles, we don't work off of commission, we don't call on purchasers or the C suite. Maybe my friends are trying to scare me, but I can think of a bunch of multiple COE winners and people constantly at the top of the GAR (remember THAT?) that were grateful to go to a contract company that offered $70K. Someone please prove me wrong?
Most pharma reps could not handle a device or diagnostic sales job. Those jobs pay well into the six figures, but most of what pharma teaches you goes against what a real sales job is (developing relationships, servicing clients ect) Most of the time, if you get to know a customer at Pfizer you are doing something wrong in the eyes of the company. Jealous counterparts will complain if you go back to an office too soon if you break "routing". If you want any resources to really help a customer you have to go down a rabbit hole and work with your "KAM", where all the answers are stored but they want you to do all the work so they can take over the initiative (and take credit for what you do) Sorry to say it, but you face an uphill battle that amounts to a vertical cliff getting out of pharma and having anyone take you seriously
I can give you my experience. I was a downsized as a manager at Pfizer a few years ago. I found work at a device company at a lower base but more total compensation pretty quickly. I knew a few people in the company and didn't really have to go through the interview process so the Pfizer label didn't come into play. After spend a couple of years with a device company, I longed to do something different. I really wanted to get out of the medical sales business altogether but my resume was so focused on pharma/device, it was hard to position myself with outside industries. I got a couple of phone interviews with healthcare consulting companies, but I really wasn't qualified in the hiring companies eyes - and I couldn't really argue. The many years in the same field, doing pretty much the same thing, really gave my skill set a very narrow view. I finally did land a job in an entirely different industry and unlike other interviews, the Pfizer/medical device experience really didn't come up. The industry is so different that, frankly, the people I interviewed with (for the most part), didn't really know what pharma reps did and they saw Pfizer as big, well-known company. It was weird how little I talked about my previous experiences - it was more about my skill set and vision into being successful in this new role. From my experience, I can tell you that, for me, interviewing in the medical industry was tough. It's amazing the labels and opinions people had. Since I was a Pfizer guy, they assumed I was aggressive, arrogant and whatever it takes salesperson and leader. And the salaries and bonus they are paying, even for managers, is eye opening. Very low. I would, after double-digit years as a manager, had gone back to almost entry level money. With my new company, the overall comp package is much better than my best days as a Pfizer DM but I work harder, have fewer benefits and have had to reinvent myself as a leader in a very different industry. It's been very enjoyable but not easy. Many of the people I know at Pfizer and still stay in touch with, are miserable. They are just hanging on. I hung on for years and frankly, though I loved my time at Pfizer, I should have left five years earlier. Getting up to go to work is not a grind. I like what I do. It can be a tough road and my road had more than a few bumps on it...but in the end, if you really want to leave the industry, you can. You just have to be patient and think about your skills and how they translate. And frankly, get a little bit lucky. I cherish my days at Pfizer. I really do. But I am so glad I have left. It's still a little bit scary but honestly, I am a little bit proud of myself for taking a positive action to get out of a situation that found me miserable. Pharma and device sales simply aren't the jobs they used to be. I was ready to die from boredom! I just got tired of selling my soul for a steady, good income. Best wishes to you.
If you're young, start taking classes that will support you outside of the pharma industry. Older, you should have went back to school years ago. I'd like to here more successes outside of the industry too! Thanks! With Pfizer being so big there's so many reputations others have of the company from great to terrible!
Guess why? Here is a test. Go to FB or another site and track down the ex-Pfizer managers or senior-level reps that you know from your time here. As many here have said, unfortunately our experience here doesn't translate well to many jobs that pay anywhere close to what tenured people here make. Many industries outside of pharma have the impression that our drugs sold themselves, but they seem to be ESPECIALLY wary of those of us that came aboard after 1999 when our reach & frequency silliness was as its peak. They've heard (from those cut 5 or 8 years ago) how we had more than a handful of reps shilling Lipitor and Viagra and Celebrex in every office back then. Now, name me an high-paying industry that sends waves of sales reps calling on the same exact customers, and has a salary/bonus potential ratio of 5:1? In most high paying sales jobs, companies expect you to bring in well over a million in sales if they're going to pay you what my manager made 5 years ago. And that million in sales aint like what we have here, with doctors already familiar with a product because of what they read in a journal or heard at a symposium. THIS million is found money, sales that did not exist for your company in your territory before you got there. Ive been here for over 14 years, and don't know one person that has broken out of the industry in sales or management. I know two that are day traders, a few (like me) that own more than one rental property. The rest are unemployed, at CSO companies, and small and teeny pharma.
I was in pharma for 16 years and got laid off. I wanted out of the industry as well and got a job with Granger, selling tools to commercial businesses. Could not be any happier! You call on the same accounts and develop good relationships and also have the ability to establish new accounts thru networking. Granger really appreciates the professional training and presentation skills that pharma reps have. Check this industry out! Good Luck!
Here are some thoughts: Think about an industry, including health care, that will expand over the next ten years. I have friends who are multi-millionaires who started home healthcare businesses a few years back. Get experience in the industry of your choice doing any and all jobs. It might be both culture and financial shocks, but it may be worth it. Consider selling your house. Most people who struggle with career choices are driven financially, not based on what they want to do. Move next to Bubba for a period of time and see what life is really about. Be careful about opening your own business. It sounds enticing, however, it is a major grind for much less money than you might think. Ask anyone who owns 4-5 laundrymat's what they make. How about restaurant franchisees? Make sure you have a passion about the industry and are willing to spend 80 hours a week and go into major debt. While you are figuring all of this out, get a job with another company doing what you are doing now. It is a job, not an identity. Just some thoughts. It is what I am doing.
One thing about Pfizer is that because it is so large you can move to other areas in the company that you might like better - outside of sales. You might investigate that avenue as well.
