| Breaking
Into Pharmaceutical Sales
By Pat Riley
How do I get into Pharmaceutical Sales?
As a 6-year veteran of pharmaceutical sales
recruiting, I hear this question at least 77 times a day.
Breaking into pharmaceutical sales is hard work.
Throughout life, you learn "life rules" like "respect
your elders" and "wear a shirt at the dinner table".
Likewise, there are pharmaceutical job-hunting rules...secrets.
Only nobody has told you them. However, I'm going to tell
you a couple of my secrets, but not all of them, because I
still want to earn a living in my industry of choice.
1. Speaking with a pharmaceutical sales representative
or district manager is probably the best way to break into
the industry. You want to build a relationship with existing
pharmaceutical sales representatives and district managers
for several reasons. The referral usually carries more weight
than a resume from any other source. Second, they know the
industry and might be able to provide you with a list of contact
names (i.e., other sales representatives, hiring managers,
or recruiters. Working through recruiters and career jobs
boards should also be fully utilized to maximize your job
search efforts.
2. Accomplishments are crucial to a great resume
because they articulate your professional performance or results.
Hiring managers use your past performance as a key indicator
to predict your future performance (i.e., if you were a quota
buster in your last position, you will most likely be a quota
buster in your next position). Accomplishments should be objective,
quantitative, and measurable. Hiring managers like to see
"dollars, numbers, and percents" on your resume.
Also, use bullet points to set off your accomplishments. Do
not bury your accomplishments in paragraph form.
3. A pharmaceutical sales interview is like
no other type of interview. You must be prepared for the SITUATION,
ACTION AND OUTCOME type of interview questions. Situational
questions will be asked and your answers must include the
actions taken and the outcome of your actions.
For example:
How did you turn around a "hostile"
relationship into a sale?
SITUATION: I inherited an account that had our
equipment in it ten years ago. The equipment, billing process,
and the sales representative were horrible and now the clients
will not return my calls. He said he would never buy another
piece of " X " equipment.
ACTION: First of all, I did not take it personally
but listened, and let him know I understood his ill will toward
our company. Over the next several months, he opened up to
exploring how our company had changed for the better. He allowed
me to explore his account's needs and demonstrate our solutions.
OUTCOME: Ten months after taking over the account,
I sold $$ worth of equipment to this client.
About the Author
Pat Riley is the president of 10
Abbott Street L.L.C., an executive search firm specializing
in pharmaceutical and medical sales and the author of "Secrets
of Breaking Into Pharmaceutical Sales", and "57
Most Frequently Asked Pharmaceutical Sales Interview Questions
...and Answers that Win the Job".
Both E-Books are available at by Clicking
Here
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