Would you encourage a friend to go into pharmaceutical sales?

Discussion in 'The Darkened Sample Closet' started by Anonymous, Jan 22, 2007 at 4:07 PM.

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Would you encourage a friend to go into pharmaceutical sales?

  1. Yes, for sure! It is a great job.

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  2. Probably yes.

    33.3%
  3. Probably no.

    33.3%
  4. Hell no, you would have to be crazy.

    33.3%
  1. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    No and due to all the layoffs.
     

  2. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Hiring used car types as above re the Enterprise salesman getting all those interviews. Twenty years ago most pharma reps were professionals (trained in healthcare) as in knowing what medical care was all about vs today not knowing it from their ass.

    If a manager thinks you are a huckster type he will hire you. I even heard of a company hiring a UPS driver who delivered to the home office because they liked his "style",lol,lol. Fits the profile doesn't it?
     
  3. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Definately yes if the friend had zero knowledge of the medical field as most reps have. I would also have to tell him/her that docs have no respect for reps today because of this and would be looked at as just an equal office hustler as they do the cleaning supply sales rep.
     
  4. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    They fail to remember that most people work far harder for far less money. Other sales jobs may pay more but most of the people in this industry are far from suited for it.
     
  5. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    this is scary in its accuracy and truth...i am in this situation (48 year old male - 20 years in) and I am totally screwed...(and i know it.)
     
  6. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Biology. Seriously. Such a small % of drugs that enter clinical development actually get approved by the FDA.
     
  7. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Most of the reps I meet are extremely worried about the industry. I hear from very few reps that really like the job for a long term career choice.
     
  8. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    WOW!!! What appears to be a simple question, spawns so much HATE for the job you do. I am NOT in pharma, I work for a tobacco company and you think YOU guys are looked down on, let me tell you! I am a merchant of death and am getting a bit tired of working for Big Tobacco. I am considering pharma. Its the only job that I think I can secure with the same perks and compensation to what I currently have. My boyfriend is in medical sales and loves it. He recommended me going into pharma but I was skeptical and still am. I am wondering if the industry is truly in such a state of decline that someone who is in their late 20's will be stuck without a job in their late 30's.

    PLEASE someone reply to this. I am really weighing my options at this point.

    I have LOADS of responsibility at my current job and am truly making an impact on my territory. I am in complete control of what happens within my business and no one tells me no, ever. I love the freedom and am afraid that I will not be afford the same control over my world in pharma.

    HELP HELP HELP HELP...please talk to me :)

    THANKS!

    -Big Tobacco
     
  9. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Damn, I think we must have the same DM!
     
  10. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    I don't think a newbie has much chance to get in now. There are too many reps that are laid off that are looking. The only places hiring are the ones looking for the cheapest reps.
     
  11. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Maybe, but not if they were thinking of working at AstraZeneca--truly the armpit of the industry. Thanks, Tony (Adolph) Z., et al.
     
  12. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    bump
     
  13. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    No. I got a friend of mine in about 2 years ago and he is still pissed that he left a good outside sales job right when it was getting lucrative. Luckily he was able to quit this industry after 6 month in and got a similar job in outside sales like he had.
     
  14. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Now that is funny!
     
  15. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Not a chance. For one thing, not many new people are getting in.
     
  16. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    not if they are real salespeople. abosutely not.
     
  17. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    OK here is your help. You have Loads of responsibility. In pharma your responsibility is to drop samples get a signature and cater lunches. You are in complete control. In pharma you have NO control. The HMO, Pharmacist, and patient have more control in the final result than you. Nobody tells you No Ever. In pharma doctors never tell you no because they are not buying anything from you. In pharma you just hope and pray they write your medication. Freedom? In pharma you are a puppet faking calls, and driving around in your free car doing next to nothing. If you are going to pop out a few bambinos in the next few years and might actually stay home with the kids then do pharma. Now if you are looking for an uncapped earning potential with a future then look at some other sales job.

    Good Luck I hope I helped!
     
  18. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    I have always heard there used to be 100K reps in pharma. How many are there now?
     
  19. Drug Dumper

    Drug Dumper Well-Known Member

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    There used to be over 180K pharma reps -- now there is about 75K tops in the US and that's a high estimate. And it's getting smaller -- with the onset of IT capabilities -- pharma will end up depending on reps for new drugs only and then it's a crap shoot if you can even get in the door. After you've spewed the same thing 6 times, they won't see you anymore.
     
  20. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    I left pharma 3 years ago and went into device sales. I do not miss pharma at all.

    I still call my old coworkers at the drug company I worked for and all I hear is "GET ME OUT!"

    I started in pharma in 6 years ago, basically the beginning of the very end. I thought to myself "Man, this can't last like this..." and sure enough I got laid off, got another pharma gig to pay the bills and started interviewing for the job i have now. Been here 3 years. Love it.

    It did take 12 months to find a new gig. I turned down a lot of stuff. Even in this bad economy there are jobs out there. But if you don't apply yourself to find a job, they won't just offer you one.

    I know how hard it is to go from pharma to real sales. You have to prove yousrelf that much harder. But if you get that real sales job out there, it can be very rewarding. and when you start to make a name for yourself in the company and post good numbers, you don't live in a fear of a lay off. IN fact in some companies in device I have noticed, the longer you are there the safer you are because you know high level clinical stuff that simply can't be learned from training. it takes years of application of knowledge.

    Good luck folks.