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Sales
Sales is converting awareness of products and services into purchases. Learn all about working in Sales.
- 50+ years experience
- Deep subject-matter expertise
- Global Life Sciences network
Sales is converting awareness of products and services into purchases. Learn all about working in Sales.
When you work in pharmaceutical sales you represent your company and sell their products and services. You initiate and develop contacts with healthcare professionals (HCPs) such as doctors, pharmacists and specialist nurses, to promote your product or services. Sometimes you are also involved with insurance companies (Healthcare payers). To be effective in sales, you need good knowledge of the diseases your company’s products are aimed at, the different treatments and products, what the competition is and what the latest developments are. You can start at the entry level and be trained not only on the products concerned, but especially in communication skills and sales conversion techniques. Personal skills are important. Do you like challenges and interacting with people? Can you combine your background in Life Sciences with using your positive attitude and enjoying meeting targets and executing new projects? You may need work both independently and in a team, working together to achieve agreed goals. The recruiters in our organisation have experience in working as a sales representative, which makes it additional attractive to contact them for more information.
The terms ‘Sales’ and ‘Marketing’ are often closely associated, and are considered virtually identical; ‘Sales and Marketing’ is usually one department in an organisation. But they are not the same function. Where Marketing is longer-term building of product awareness and communicating this to the right people, Sales are all about conversion of this awareness into customers purchasing products. Within the pharmaceutical market, products are not directly sold. With exception of General Practitioners who own their own pharmacy. Instead of direct sales, you influence the prescription behaviour of Healthcare professionals. As instruments you use arguments based on scientific claims. In order to do so you must be trained in the products that are usually are used for the indications that you are talking about. Internal training is intensive, you will become the professional for the indication that you are communicating about. With your knowledge you are able to gain inside in the prescription behaviour of the healthcare professional, creating a challenge for some of his / her patients, and bring the solution with your own product. Due to all the phases in this process (recipe, pharmacist, wholesaler, buying from the pharmaceutical company) it is a very interesting challenging job which is not suitable for the majority of starters. They apply without really knowing what comes with this profession.
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You can start off a career in pharmaceutical sales as a Account Manager or Product Specialist. Currently companies use a variety of names for a sales representative. With sufficient sales experience, you can progress to Key Account Manager where your relationships extend to a broader range of key players in the hospitals such as Department Managers, Finance Managers and Buyers. It is important to note that the options of growth after being successful as sales representative vary per company as well. Sometimes you have acquired and demonstrated the necessary skills and experience to move into a more senior role within sales such as a Sales Manager, with your own team of Product Specialists. The start of leading people.
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