Closing the Deal
Sales and marketing jobs at pharmaceutical(制药的)companies offer the opportunity to combine science with social skills and creative talent. Hannah Hoag investigates the pitch.
For Georgina Smith, a career in medical sales combined her dual interests in science and business. After completing her bachelor's degree in biomedical science, Smith joined Astra Zeneca as a junior medical representative. Today she drives around London visiting physicians, pharmacists, nurses and practice managers, promoting gastrointestinal(胃与肠的) and respiratory(呼吸的) treatments.
Smith feels her science training gives her an advantage in sales. "Not everyone has that background. It allows me to talk on the same level as the physician and to understand the broader picture," she says.
Like Smith, many science graduates choose to move into the pharmaceutical industry but leave the lab work to others. Sales and marketing careers allow science graduates to interact with a variety of people in the pharmaceutical chain, from researchers and regulators to physicians and patient groups.
In the United States, the pharmaceutical industry employs more than 100,000 people to pay visits to physicians and promote medicines. There are another 100,000 or so of these sales representatives in Europe. This face-to-face contact sells billions of dollars worth of drugs annually. From 2000 to 2005 the number of sales reps(representatives的缩写) continued to grow—by as much as 60% in Europe. But now companies are downsizing teams and investing in sales quality instead.
"Sales drives the bottom line for these corporations," says Tom Ruff, president and chief executive of Tom Ruff Company, a firm based in Manhattan Beach, California, that specializes in medical device and pharmaceutical sales, and sales management recruiting. "The sales representative plays a critical role."
Sell Culture
The primary purpose of a pharmaceutical sales rep is to promote the company's products to customers. These are usually groups of physicians, hospitals or other healthcare providers. In these entry-level positions, the rep learns about regulatory guidelines and presenting the product to the customer. They are generally expected to make eight calls per day. "As the sales rep moves up in level from entry to senior medical representative, they become more knowledgeable about their customer market, take responsibility for pre-and post-call planning, and have more advanced analytical skills," says Michele Crocco, director of human resources, commercial operations at Roche in Nutley, New Jersey. They may become divisional sales managers, she says, coaching and evaluating other sales reps.
A career in sales requires the right sort of personality. Those who excel are outgoing people who enjoy the challenge of "making the close", says Chris Jock, vice-president and general manager for global operations at Kelly Scientific Resources in Troy, Michigan. They are persuasive, competitive and confident self-starters. Ultimately, performance is judged on the number of prescriptions sold and contacts made, which can make pharmaceutical sales a high-pressure job.
Even entry-level sales positions frequently demand previous sales experience. "Companies want a proven track record of success in sales, "says Ruff, who adds that experience selling in the healthcare industry isn't necessary. In fact, Ruff recommends fresh graduates gain a couple of years sales experience at a Fortune 500 company known for its sales training before entering pharmaceutical sales.
But people with science backgrounds, or who are good at communicating a message and building relationships, may be able to talk their way into an entry-level position without any sales experience. Clinical experience, in particular, is rapidly becoming a valuable asset for prospective

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