How much can I realistically make in my first year as a pharmaceutical sales rep?

There are always outliers (both on the high and low end), however, you can realistically expect to make between $100K - $150K in your first year.

Your total compensation will depend upon several factors, such as- years of professional experience, starting base salary, target bonus, sign-on bonus, products you’re repping and it's phase in the product life cycle, sales goals, sales incentives, etc… Pharma is not perfectly linear in terms of tenure and compensation. I’ve personally worked with brand new reps who have made $50K+ in bonuses in their first year. It is absolutely possible to exceed 6 figures in Year 1, you just need to know the right levers to pull! (that’s why I’m here!)

In addition, at most major pharma companies, you can also expect to receive added benefits including company vehicle, generous health insurance, 401K matching, various long term incentives/ stocks, sales contests, and more!

What’s the difference between Pharmaceutical Sales and Medical Device Sales?

The main difference is earning potential and fluctuation. I have been in pharmaceuticals (prescription drugs) my entire career, so my focus and teaching in this course will be centered on pharma. Medical device sales tends to be higher risk, higher reward in terms of bonus potential, with low to no base salary, and earnings dependent on you bringing in sales. Pharma is more of an “educational/ consultative” selling process that influences prescribing, whereas medical device is more of a “hard sell”.

How should I prepare before our first live coaching session?

Upon enrollment, you will have access to all on-demand video modules on my Podia course hosting site. You can feel free to watch them prior to our first call to familiarize yourself with the concepts, or you can watch them weekly after each coaching session as we build upon your knowledge. I will send you the client agreement and course schedule prior to our first coaching session. Be prepared to carve out some uninterrupted time each week for our live sessions and associated homework. 

What does a day in the life of a pharmaceutical sales rep look like?

This is difficult because every day can be different, but is also one of the reasons this job is so exciting! The following is the closest to what I’d describe as a “typical” day in pharma sales:

8am- Check email; Prepare for the day- pack your bag/car with educational materials/ samples needed for the day, pre-call plan for the day’s meetings. Dial in to National call on company performance. 

9am-10:30am Breakfast meeting at customer account #1. You assist the staff with education on your new drug, and talk to the Drs about a few patients they recently started on drug.

11:00am- Noon Call on customer accounts, private group practices, clinics, etc…

12:30-2:00pm- Lunch with customer account #3. Conduct an in-service presentation with Drs, nurses, and residents on your new drug.

2:30pm-3:30 Stop in to the local pharmacy, infusion center/ site of care to ensure no issues with filling the drug, enter calls in CRM from earlier calls in the day, confirm appointments for tomorrow. 

4pm-5:00pm- Head home, take calls from manager/ matrix partners, triage issues that may have arisen during earlier customer appointments.

What if I’m away and have to miss a live coaching call?

All live coaching sessions will be recorded and made available for replay.

Will you help us find the roles? Or is that something we will need to do on our own?

Both! When you enroll in Stand Out Break In, I consider us a team, which means I will be active in helping you identify and land roles in your desired geography, tapping into my extensive network of hiring managers and sales directors. As a way to stay organized, I utilize a shared spreadsheet to help clients track the status of their applications and necessary follow up.

What happens after the 6 weeks of live classes?

After the live classes, we will schedule 2 one on one mock interviews to prepare you for your interviews, ideally these will be scheduled a few days before you interview with a company. These sessions will be recorded for you as well. I am committed to providing placement assistance until you land an offer. As mentioned before, my goal is to get you hired and on the path to a new and fulfilling career. I don’t look at this course as a “one and done” transaction, but as an ongoing relationship to help you level up your career!

Why should I work with you? 

You should work with me because not only have I helped several people of various educational and professional backgrounds successfully break into the pharmaceutical industry, but as a 15 year veteran I’ve been trained on the most widely used hiring and sales systems in the industry, including: Targeted Selection, Situational Leadership, Zig Ziegler’s public speaking course, DISC, virtual selling, challenger selling, etc... I have experience interviewing, hiring, training, and coaching hundreds of sales reps across the country.