Hey guys had a quick question for all you knowledgeable BBS'ers out there.... Im trying to get into the pharmaceutical sales industry. As some of you probably know its not the easiest industry to get into. Anywas I was wondering if anyone knew of any advice they could give me. I am a recent college grad with a speech comm degree and the industry looks really interesting to me. Is there anyone out there in it? what are some pro's and con's? Is there anything I should put on a resume that would stand out? I have applied to about 8 companies already with not so great luck. Anywas any advice would be appreciated greatly. THANKS GUYS!
Hmmmmmm let me help you... Linky******How would you like to make $813,600 all profit Of course there might be some risk but all Jobs have some risk How It Works: “Nick,” a top crystal-meth dealer for a decade before getting arrested in 2004, explains the system. Every other month, he’d purchase a pound of meth ($32,000 to $36,000) from producers in the Midwest or the Filipino mob in California, and have it shipped via regular mail or FedEx inside teddy bears, candles, or coffee. In the next 36 hours, he’d sell it in bulk to three or four associates, pocketing a 500 percent profit. The associates in turn would sell to dozens of small-time dealers who’d take to the streets, clubs, and doorsteps of addicts. “If you stay small, there’s not room for profit,” says Nick. “But at the top, I would buy a quarter gram for $5 and sell it for $50. It’s around $65 today.” There are 1,792 quarter-grams in a pound of powder (that’s $89,600 for Nick). Nick ascended to the top organically. He began dealing just enough to cover his own addiction. “You outgrow the little guys you buy from,” says Nick. “You want more than they have. So you go to their supplier. Then their supplier.” Annual Revenue: $1.02 million ($813,600 is profit) with fifteen-hour workweeks and no taxes. DELIVERY MODE OF CHOICE: Rollerblades They allow inconspicuous deliveries and are preferable to bikes or cabs. Annual Overhead Costs: Six pounds crystal meth: $192,000 to $216,000; Cell phone: $2,400. Best Way to Make Money: Sell to many users in small quantities. “It’s like taking a pound of coffee and selling one grain at a time,” says Nick. “If you sell by scoops, you’ll make a couple thousand dollars, but if you break it down into quarter grams and work for a few days, you’ll make tens of thousands.” Most top dealers don’t actually do this, and lazily sell in bulk, as Nick did. Most-Profitable Customers: Wealthy professionals who are hard-core addicts. They’re discreet and always pay. Least-Profitable Customers: Friends. “Nightmare customers are your closest friends. They don’t have a problem calling at 6 a.m., and they expect low prices.” Profit Catastrophes: Prison. “One day you open your door and there are five cops, and they take you to prison for two and a half years, where you spend all your money on lawyers and make 10 cents an hour in the prison shop, like I did. It’s almost inevitable, which is the downside of the business.” Dealers avoid police by using only a small, trusted group of associates, which eliminates selling to undercover cops. Nick went to jail when an associate ratted on him. New Yorkonomics: With data on petty drug dealers, the economist Steven Levitt has taught us that there is an abundant supply of people willing to work in the drug industry at near the minimum wage, so why does this guy make so much? His high earnings flow from a type of social capital that is in short supply on the streets of Harlem: This dealer has the connections to cater to a well-heeled clientele that is willing to pay extra for a discreet and reliable dealer. Of course, since someone with his social skills could also earn a living without breaking the law, his high earnings from meth dealing also provide compensation for the risks of going to jail.
Unless you are very attractive female, your chances of getting in this industry is very small. Doctors don't set time out of their schedule to talk to ugly dudes.
One of my best friends in the entire world is in pharmaceutical sales. He's neither female nor attractive. There is hope. Don't get discouraged. Good luck.
thats a good point. I think all of the reps that my dad sees are female, maybe not that goodlooking, but likable for the most part. every thing about medical device sales? my brother use to work for depuy selling a range of medical supplies but focused on artificial knees, hips, etc. and did really well right out of college.
i dont know, as far as i have always heard drug reps are usually almost all female and usually pretty attractive.
i just had a movie idea...young college grad wants to pursue his dream of being a drug rep, but he has to dress up as a women to do so. It's gold!
I agree 100%, it seems like for some of my better looking girl friends that got out of college around the same time I did and couldn't find a job or didn't want to teach fell into pushing meds.. I think that pharmaceutical pushing is one of the many things wrong with our health care systems today.. IMO most general practice doctors little to no research on the medicines that are being pushed to them and in turn they are over saturating their patients with ill researched drugs.. I have very little respect for most doctors because of their lack of continued research in their field after graduation and even less for the large pharmaceutical companies for pushing the crap to us and doctors.. I think any time in society when you have people going to a doctor with little or no education and asking for a drug they saw on TV and most of the doctors giving it to them there is a huge problem with the system.. I really feel that the pharmaceutical companies need to be better regulated by our government and all advertisements for prescription medicine should be band.. Rant over..
youre right david,its pretty disgusting. i always hear stories of someone going into the office and saying "i need X drug", then its recommened that they take another drug, or a similar one thats cheaper..nope, they want the one from tv.
After having worked in a pharmacy and hospital for about 3 or 4 years, all I have to say is your shots are good if you're female, attractive, and are smart and/or able to memorize and recall information really really well. It also helps if doctors play along...
Heard that too. Friend of mine does it, and he's definitely not attractive. He said the attractive girls usually flame out of the industry. We're all into looks, but I would think doctors would value the message more than the person that delivers it. I heard pfizer was hiring in the Austin area.
I have a friend who is neither female nor good looking and does very well as a pfizer rep. He's very personable though. The kind of guy who talks to and makes friends with anyone. He would likely have done well in any sales job.
I know 3 reps, 2 male, none of them particularly attractive. My understanding is that the industry may put less emphasis on the use of reps in the future, because it is a very labor intensive and inefficient mode of marketing. So, if you're going in, you may want to take a good look at the future of that marketplace; it might shrink, which would put a lot of pressure on the less experienced reps.
