What did a new rep make per year back in the 70's through 90's?

Re: What did a new rep make per year back in the 70\'s through 90\'s?

I started in 1988 at 31,000 for merck and about 7-8 K in bonus. Now 140,000 all told -after a couple of jumps.

 

Re: What did a new rep make per year back in the 70\'s through 90\'s?

1978 @ $18,000 plus the usual perks.

 

Re: What did a new rep make per year back in the 70\'s through 90\'s?

To the Knoll posters, go to Lost civilizations look at Boots, you will find some old Knollers posting interesting comments.

 

I was hired by Eli Lilly's Dista division in September 1973 for $850.00/mo plus $64.00 C.O.L.A. (cost of living allowance.) COLA was adjusted monthly to partially defer monthly cost of living increases. COLA was folded in several years later into our salary. We were also paid an annual bonus based upon company performance (Contingent Compensation) in February for the previous year. That would make my first 12 months total paid compensation at about $12K. With all the benefits including the company car which was 3 cents a mile for personal use I was a pretty well paid business grad.

 

Out of college in '76 and offered 18K plus car, benefits, don't remember the bonus plan, but also a monthly "clothing allowance" to pay for dry cleaning, help with clothing purchases, and other costs and this allowance was huge. To a college kid in '76, I was rich compared to the 12K to 14K salaries that accounting majors were offered by the big accounting firms (some of the highest salaries offered to college graduates at the time were for accounting majors) so I thought I was in hog heaven. My chosen field was the oil industry and as a "project engineer" I turned down the pharma job offer to make 18K with no perks (full benefits but no car, clothing allowance) and work for a big oil company. When the oil industry bottomed out, I decided to try the pharma industry again. In '88 I started at 28K (below my pay in the oil industry, but the pharma industry was stable and growing) plus bonus, my company car was a two-door Thunderbird and two-door cars for reps were unheard of at that time, and I received the best sales training possible with a company called Stuart. Have never looked back and enjoyed my years with this industry until the recent years. Have had both great and no-so-great managers along the way, but you find that in any industry. The industry just isn't the same. I've found more lax reps now than back in the early days. Maybe it was because we were so glad to have jobs and we expected to work hard - we WANTED to work hard. But there are so many reps now that it may be the same percentage of slackers, you just see more of them because you see so many more reps! Times have changed, good or bad, and change is to be expected. You make the best of any given situation, period.

 

Started in 1982 at $19,000 made almost as much bonus. All that money and no signatures to worry about. Had 8 products, manager road with me at most 3 times per year. Drove a Bonneville for my company car. Where in the hell did the industry go wrong!!!

 

I started in 1973 at 12k per year with Lilly. Retired in 2006 at @130K per year. Retirement with Lilly is about 40% of annual earnings. I hope this helps.

 

I started in 1975 right out of college. My salary was $10,200. and went up to $10,800 six months later after training. My first car was a Chevy Impala that was "loaded" for those days. It had: AM/FM, regular tires and snow tires, power windows, AC and wood grain paneling. Bonus was between $1,000 and $3,000 depending on whether or not the company hit special goals as a whole.

 

My story is a little different...I started as a flex time rep in 1991 for Schering Plough Health Care Products at age 41. Made about $20,000...In 1993, went to SmithKline Beecham. Starting salary was $32,000 plus about $8,000 bonus, and a brand new Toyota Camry. Had awesome products to sell...Augmentin, Paxil and Relafen. Had 2 podmates on a 3 week cycle, but each of us led with a different product. Other than one moron DM that I had there, I loved it. 15 years later I am now a DM with a smaller specialty company (OBGYN) a little off the radar screen. We start reps with 2 yrs of B to B at $48 to $52 and they drive Chrysler 300s. My reps are all newbies between the ages of 25 and 30-love working with them because they don't have any bad habits- yet. Because our products are not nearly as well known as those old SKB products, they have a tougher time in front of physicians. They say that it is the "easiest hard job that they have had". But for me, it is great. Pays well, and I do not have to put up with the micromanaging stick-up-the-ass-bean counters, who are running the major companies. (Somewhere along the line they forgot about the most important part of the job...engaging physicians.) I am hoping that we will not get gobbled up by one of them in the near future. But for now my 15 year career is still going great, and I am most appreciative.

 

Re: What did a new rep make per year back in the 70\'s through 90\'s?

Started with SKF in 1987. I bet we know each other.

 

PFIZER rep here. Started in 1994 & base pay was $32,000. Thought I struck it rich coming from a different industry where I was making only $25,000 with no bonus. My first real calendar year with PFE, I made almost 40K in bonus. I have seen a major shift in bonus payouts and also starting salaries. Today my base is well over 100K. Bonus, okay......and I am a top rep. Chose not to go the DM route, we all know why. Did not want to drink that Kool-Aid.

 

Re: What did a new rep make per year back in the 70\'s through 90\'s?

This is very true...had an uncle who was a rep (who was the sole company man in territory, covered all bases for company/products) telling me what a great career etc.., told me as a senior rep he was making about $75K year with the usual benefits..not bad...especially over 20 years ago!

 

Hired in at 36K,bennys,stock options, and a car in 1997
pretty good after making 22-28k in biomedical research for years.

 

1992, base of $30,000, bonus was capped at $25,000 per year. Drove a Dodge Dynasty. Was hired to overlap two other reps and here's the funny part...one doctor (who later became one of my best customers) took me in his office and said, "I really don't need another rep from your company; I already have one." I was able to win him over, but I've laughed about that many times through the years that followed with up to 11 counterparts calling on same doctors! Those really were the days....

 

1989 - starting base of $30,000 and an '88 Buick Century. FIrst year bonus was around $10,000. On the drive home from picking up the compnay car and signing the paperwork I cried tears of joy. Worked my way through college driving a piece of shit car and waitressing. Thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

 

1992...$32,000. 14 years later on my 3rd company and am in management with a $140kbase plus bonuses and stock. 2006 was my best year ever in the industry from a learning and a financial perspective.

The industry has been great to me, but I also never stopped looking for opportunities to improve my skills and always worked hard to exceed expectations. I think there will always be great opportunities in this industry but things are going to get tougher.

This is one of the few enjoyable forums on this website...thanks !

 

Started in 1991 with Mead Johnson Labs (BMS women's health division at the time) made $31,000 base and about $6k bonus. Got a 1990 Chevy Lumina (4 cylinder). I thought I died and had gone to heaven. No podmates, fun meetings, experienced managers, no computers. I make about 4 times that now but no where near the job stisfaction/

 

Started in 1970 at $9,500/year, with the potential of a 1-2K bonus. Retired in 1999 at around $90,000/yr. I experienced 5 mergers (waiting by the phone to see if I would still have a job) Defined benefit plan changed to defined contribution plan. The company would put 17%/yr. into the plan. I retired in 1999 at the ripe old age of 57. My plan was to work until 62 but, be financially able to retire at 55. For the first 22 years I really love this job, but for the last 5 the fun was gone, I felt more like a glorified caterer, my territory was being changed almost yearly and the final straw was when my manager downgraded my performance because I did not spend all of my wine and dine money. My sales were fine but in my performance report he stated that I "did not fully utilize the resources available to me" because I did not use my full entertainment budget. Retirement is great and even though I did not like my final 5 years, how many people can say they loved their job for 22 years.

 

started in 1976 with base of $12,000 + 25% more in bonus. drove a 1975 Ford LTD. retired in 2006 with base of $125,000 and bonus of a few thousand more.
loved the early years and had some great managers along the way. the last few were no fun at all. i have a new career now outside of the industry.(real estate) life is sweet again.

 

Re: What did a new rep make per year back in the 70\'s through 90\'s?

Could you pick up women with that car?