Decline in Drug Rep Sales Force: What it Means for Pharma Reps

The headlines are full of medical company layoffs.  Big laboratory companies like Merck, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and others are cutting back drastically in pharma sales rep numbers. It’s partially in response to an economy and a market that demands streamlined efficiency, and partially a response to changing requirements of physicians.  Doctors are severely limiting the visits of pharma sales reps, and the ones who still do often require appointments.  Physicians are rebelling against an over-saturation in sales calls and ‘canned’ revenue pitches from a sales force traditionally less disciplined in the science of the product and more focused on the ‘freebies.’

There are still pharma sales jobs to be found, but candidates for these career opportunities are competing with the thousands of other pharma reps who are looking to replace the career opportunities they lost.

So what should you do?

• Paul Hartigan’s article “A Healthy Future in Clinical Sales?” offers some good advice to these still considering a career as a pharmaceutical revenue rep:  be especially careful about researching the company you’re considering working for.  Check out their product line, their market analysis, and how they treat their employees to see if it’s a company with a future for you.

• Be conscious of how companies will be reinventing the revenue rep’s role.  Physicians are demanding a more knowledgeable rep–an expert in the product rather than a sales-pitch-with-a-lunch delivery system.  That requires a solid background in the science and technology of what you’re selling, as well as adaptability to a changing sales approach that includes internet-based product detailing.  Know what the market is moving to, and find out what different companies are doing to meet the changes.

• If you wanna be in the medical sales field, it’s more important than ever to package yourself as a top-notch candidate.  Get a career coach, research ways that successful candidates get into clinical revenue, and use out-of-the-box techniques like 30/60/90-day revenue plans.

• If you’ve decided that the pharma revenue category is no longer for you, the same advice applies–but more.  Conventional wisdom is that medical sales reps are on the low end of the clinical sales rep spectrum, for a couple of reasons:  (1) the lack of a science background of most pharma sales reps; and (2) the sales model in pharma sales doesn’t include the “close” that other sales areas require.  That makes it harder for some pharma reps to transition into other pharmaceutical sales areas, but not impossible.   If you’re a pharma rep who’s willing to move on, I help pharma reps move into pharmaceutical device, medical supply, and other clinical sales roles as a career consultant in clinical sales.  In fact, here’s a link to an audio piece from a pharma rep who transitioned to surgical sales with some career coaching help.

Article courtesy of  Peggy McKee - Owner / Senior Recruiter at the nationally
recognized pharma and clinical sales recruiting team of PHC Consulting.
© Copyright 2008 PHC Consulting | All rights reserved

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Decline in Drug Rep Sales Force: What it Means for Pharma Reps