Useful Advices - Business

Working as a pharmaceutical sales representative is a great career but is not for everyone. I’ve seen individuals succeed and I’ve seen others fail in this environment. Having been a pharma sales representative for many years myself and also having been in the

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

capacity to hire, train as well as manage reps, I know for sure what personal attributes are required to do well in this field. A certain aptitude is necessary for this line of work.

Education

First of all, for the vast majority of pharmaceutical comp

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

anies, a four year university or college degree will be required for candidates hoping to become sales reps. Having said this, academic requirements are not limited to science degrees only. Many pharmaceutical representatives have degrees in other fields inclu

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

ding business and general arts. A background in science will be nice but candidates with other backgrounds can still be pharmaceutical sales reps if other personal qualities right for the job are there.

Organizational Skills

Pharmaceutical sales repres

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

entatives must be highly organized individuals in planning their work days since booking appointments, visiting different medical offices, servicing pharmacies, answering enquiries, planning what to do for each sales call, recording results and analyzing sales d

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

ata are all part of the job. Reps have the freedom to schedule and plan their days but they must do so on their own every single work day. Doing things in an efficient manner to make the most of the available working hours of the day takes good organizational

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

skills.

Personality and Social Skills

A pharmaceutical sales job is not for the introverted since after all, it is sales work. Outgoing individuals with good social skills who are not shy in meeting new people on a continuous basis is among the persona

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

lity characteristics required in this line of work. The selling process in pharmaceuticals involves building business relationships with customers who can sometimes be tough individuals to deal with.

Self Motivated, Independent and a Team Player

Althou

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

gh not having a boss looking over your shoulder most of the time is something many people would want, a pharmaceutical sales person must be an extremely self motivated individual. There is a lot of freedom and independence in this type of job but the pharma rep

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

must be self motivated and independent enough to get up in the morning to get out there to make the required sales calls even in bad weather unless all the roads are completely shut down. Representatives must be able to not only work well when alone, but also

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

as a team player when working with others in the company. Those who work well alone and with others will do very well.

Aptitude for Selling

One false impression that many people have is that all pharmaceutical reps do is drive around in nice cars and d

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

rop off drug samples to clinics. This is so far from the truth. Yes, reps drive nice cars and do distribute samples but the position is still a sales job. Pharmaceutical representatives still have to sell. For most therapeutic areas, there will be a number o

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

f different product options or treatments that doctors can choose from for their patients. It is up to the pharma rep to convince the doctor to prescribe the company’s product whenever an appropriate patient shows up.

Able to Handle Rejection

Although

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

most people that representatives meet in the field are quite friendly, there will be some customers, even important top physicians, who will appear to be quite rude and antisocial. There will be some customers who will be completely indifferent and even refuse

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

to use your product. A sales rep must be able to take rejection from customers on a daily basis without being affected negatively or personally. It’s all part of the job.

Good Driving Record

Since driving is required in this job, a good driving record

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

and continued decent driving habits will be necessary. A loss of a driving license will also mean a loss of a pharma sales job. On top of that, there must be the willingness on your part that you will have to get in and out of your car all day as well as deal

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

with whatever weather patterns that exist in your local region.

Willingness to Travel

Depending on the sales territory, some reps have to travel overnight as part of their work. Reps working in very large urban centers probably will not have to travel

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

much as their territories are usually dense and compact enough. But for many territories that include rural areas, many representatives will have to do some traveling either by driving or flying.

If you feel that you have what it takes to be a pharmaceutical

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

sales rep, then that's great because it is one of the best careers out there. The big problem is that there are lots of people who want to get into the industry as hundreds of resumes are sent in for every posted job opening. My book, "How To Get A Dream Job I

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

n Pharmaceutical Sales - Direct Inside Advice and Guidance from a Sales Manager" will give you the knowledge to conduct the most effective job hunting campaign and get an upper edge over your competition even if you have no prior health care or sales experience.

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.usefuladvices.org.ua/article/10560/usefuladvices-Personal-Attributes-and-Aptitude-Required-for-Pharmaceutical-Sales-Reps.html">Personal Attributes and Aptitude Required for Pharmaceutical Sales Reps</a>

BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.usefuladvices.org.ua/article/10560/usefuladvices-Personal-Attributes-and-Aptitude-Required-for-Pharmaceutical-Sales-Reps.html]Personal Attributes and Aptitude Required for Pharmaceutical Sales Reps[/url]

As the New Year approaches, have you thought about your career goals? What worked to years ago in planning and managing your career will not work for your career development in the 21st Century. Managing your career in the 21st Century requires preparation, career goal planning and career guidance and ensuring that your time is directed meaningfully.

I had the best retail experience of my life today because the man who waited on me had passion for his job. He made me feel like the purchase of my suit was as important to him as it was to me. He had passion for his job that he has been doing for over 50 years.

Tags

Links

Useful Advices - Personal Attributes and Aptitude Required for Pharmaceutical Sales Reps

Related Articles: