Pharmaceutical sales salary can range from city to city but generally can allow for a very comfortable lifestyle. If you are a pharmacy technician you may have met some pharmaceutical sales reps or at least know about their jobs. Maybe you are curious about the type of income one can earn in pharmaceutical sales.
According to salary.com, in 2010 the average salary for a person in pharmaceutical sales was about $59,000. There are many factors that affect this number including the city one lives in, the specific company one is selling drugs for, the bonuses one may be eligible for etc. However, it's clear that this is significantly more income than one may earn as a pharmacy technician.
The typical responsibilities and day-to-day tasks for a pharmaceutical salesperson are quite different from those of a pharmacy tech. There is alot of travel, visiting different doctor's offices, and the constant pressure of making more sales and meeting quotas. There is not as much of a need to do pharmacy calculations and work with dosages but having a general knowledge of the various drugs on the market and their possible benefits and side effects is very helpful. So, while there are important differences between some skills required for these two jobs, there are also some skills and experiences that overlap and can be used for each role. If you are a CPhT, it may be a relatively easy transition for you if you are considering a change to pharmaceutical sales.
There are many large, well-established pharma companies that offer opportunities for sales positions. Some of the best known include Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Schering-Plough, Abbott Labs, AstraZeneca, Merck and Johnson and Johnson. These companies are constantly researching and developing new medicine and drugs and almost have an ongoing need for salespeople to help them market and sell their existing and new products.
Digging deeper into the income for a pharmaceutical sales rep, it generally consists of a base salary and strong incentives and bonuses. The base pay may be in the range of $40,000 to $60,000 depending upon the years of experience and skill as a salesperson. The opportunity lies in the huge possibilities for bonus pay which can equal or exceed the base pay, bringing the total income into the $80,000 to $120,000 range.
In addition to the base income and bonus potential, sales reps generally also have generous car allowances or reimbursement for gas as well as generous spending accounts for food and entertaining potential customers. The total Pharmaceutical Sales Salary "package" offers substantial opportunity.
As a pharmacy sales representative, you would be promoting multiple drugs at the same time. You'll need a comprehensive knowledge of the drug benefits, costs and possible drawbacks and side effects. You'll go through training to gain this knowledge and you'll need to have the ability to absorb this type of information.
Maybe this career sounds interesting to you. The transition from being a CPhT is likely easier than it would be for others since you already have alot of the pharmacy industry knowledge and skills. If you have a "sales personality", you could earn signicantly more by transitioning to pharmaceutical sales and earning a Pharmaceutical Sales Salary.
Learn more about a Pharmacy Technician Job Description