3 Reasons Why You Don't Want to Go For Pharmaceutical Sales Manager Job

Becoming a sales manager for a pharmaceutical company could be something that reps were aiming for. It is seen as an accomplishment and something to be proud of. Even I did intend to become one during those days.

Yup, those days...

But today I want to share with you a different view, a different perspective.

I'm not saying that having such an aim is wrong or bad or anything like that. I just want to offer a different angle for looking at this issue. I just hope that this view is given a chance to be looked at. I can't judge how it will appeal to you. You just got to decide that for yourself.

Here go the reasons:


Higher Stress Level


Stress is definitely something we can't run away from.

There's stress at every level of our life. Some forms of stress are unavoidable. For example, you used to be single. Once you decide to tie the knot, you can't avoid the importance of being married (wink!). That doesn't mean being single is stress-free - it has its own stressful issue.

But it's just different ...

Being a pharma rep itself is already a stressful job. Some reps consider their situation as a pressure cooker! That's a lot of pressure, 'cooking.'

And obviously, such pressure is nothing compared to the sales manager's job. If a sales rep pressure is at level 3, the managers are at level 9 or 10. Perhaps more!

So why go through these 'voluntarily'?

Could there be a better way to showcase your achievement?

Getting more incentives as a pharma rep is not bad at all.

Why opt for more reporting, more monitoring, or my all-time favorite, more trekker, when we have enough of that stuff already?

Did you know that as a pharmaceutical sales manager for a pharmaceutical company, you'll be carrying 'bull's eye' on your back all the time?!

I didn't know until it was, somewhat, too late ...

I was leading a sales team of four reps covering the general practitioner sector once upon a time. I was a rep from that sector before, but after the previous boss left for a better job elsewhere, I got to fill in for him.

What can I say - I was the chosen one between two candidates.

Since most of the team members used to be people whom I eat, drink, and went out together with, I was assuming that how they perceive me was just like 'old times.'

I did not, for one sec, doubt how they work and deliver the results.

What a big, fat mistake that was!

They don't say it out loud in front of me, but they did whisper it quite clear to my immediate supervisor during the field visit. To make things worst, the bugger did not bother to counter check with me. Everything was just absorbed as it was.

And I felt the pinch, twice, that costs me my performance bonus! ...

I won't forget this, and I won't forget the small, small event (and people!) that lead to it.

So if you're going for the pharmaceutical sales manager job, please consider this point of view.

I'm not threatening, just offering a precaution.

Living in constant monitoring of yours and someone else backsides are not comfortable, and unworthy of your precious time and energy.

Think about it.

Slightly Better Overall Pay Than Senior Reps


I knew many sales reps, senior sales reps, who would instead maintain their status quo than to engage in the manager's job.

The above reason - high-stress level - mainly causes them to pass such an opportunity.

Why go through all the reporting, coaching, mentoring, not to mention 'backstabbing,' 'bad-mouthing', and other kinds of stuff to hideous to say, to earn a paycheck?

Why indeed, right?

After all, senior reps and new sales manager's pay scales do not world apart.

One universal trick that I know of that you can apply to enjoy this position is to go for a sales job in another company.

You see, when you are at a certain level of seniority in sales, often time it will not go unnoticed. The new company will see this and assign value to it. That's why, when an ex-colleague of mine joins another company, as a senior rep, her pay is just a few dollars different from her immediate boss!

This thing happens so don't blame others for taking the chance.

If you're in this position, it does not hurt to look around. See if what I say holds ground.

Higher workload, higher stress, just for a few buck difference - you do the math.

Riskier Position


While restructuring or 'chopping' jobs that are taking place all over, perhaps being in the 'middle' has its disadvantage.

Despite whatever rules of retrenchment companies are using, for example, LIFO - Last in, first out - middle managers (read sales managers) are in a precarious position. With the amount of pay they command and the amount of workload they're about to be relieved from, there's going to be a severe imbalance.

In fact, if a company goes belly off, sales managers are the people company loves to see leaving, voluntarily.

Well, I don't have hard evidence for this, but I can see it happen every time, without fail. Maybe a manager's role can be outsourced easily.

I don't know ...

But the role is nonetheless easy to replace by program or system.

Or like I said, outsourced!

Imagine being in the middle of retrenchment, and you are a pharma sales manager - how do you see your chance of surviving the ax compared to your team members?

Good? So-so? Big chance?

Now, the next question is, how much can you afford to let go if you're dismissed?

How much can you contribute if you stay?

I got an ex-colleague who just let go of his position as sales manager last week. The questions I asked him were the same questions I've just enlist.

Personally, I feel that he was better off leaving sooner than later.

But he made his choice ...

And now, if you were going for a pharmaceutical sales manager post, you need to make a choice. Making a choice is like making a decision - you would not know everything.

If you do know everything, that's a conclusion.

So now you know three things out of, um, I don't know, but not everything I feel, what's your decision?

Go or 'no go'?

[BONUS] Managing Sales Manager As A Rep


Sales representatives have to manage two critical persons in their working life: customers and sales managers.

Managing customers is essential to move products. It's crucial to selling.

Managing the sales manager is essential for a career move, or simply to maintain the current position.

I won't touch on managing customers in this post. That has been done elsewhere, in this blog.

But I got something to share regarding managing sales manager, and if you heed it well, it might help in your own strategy of managing your own boss.

But I made no guarantee though, so proceed with caution!

I used to report to a different boss, last year. Beginning of 2013, I got a new boss. Even though this new boss used to be my colleague before, but I know all too well that, time changes men, just like a tide to the seashore.

I don't assume ...

... I just prepared.

One thing I notice about "bosses" is they have personalities.


One might not be better than the other.

It's just different.

And I'm about to compare the current boss with his ex-boss: the Sales Director.

Yup, this could be unfair comparison due to ranking, job function, etc. but just stay with me, OK?

I can see that my current sales manager is pretty tight up to about achieving sales quota, or in our company jargon, meeting plans.

Every step of the way, he'll make sure that I do things that lead to achieving the plan.

Hey, no offense there, but I personally believe that, in the first field visit, the priority MUST be to know the field ...

...the battlefield.

Questions that need to be answered like:

How's the whole terrain like?
Where's the hill?
Where's the valley?
Rivers?
Paddy field?
Chicken den?

Most importantly, getting to know the ally, i.e., customers ...

...and convey the message of:

"How can we work together? How can we serve you?"

I've talked about "selling is serving" somewhere, and that's the reality of selling to healthcare professionals of today.

Why am I so hard up with getting to know customers?

I've concluded, from countless engagement with customers, that they buy from those they trust. Customers are, after all, human beings.

We'll do the same thing in a similar situation.

We'll work with people we know and trust.

Where do you think they got the phrase "blue-eyed boy/girl" from?

Not from cows, obviously.

So, comparing this boss and his previous boss, I can say that there's a stark difference in approach.

His previous boss will talk like they know each other for several years, and the overall meeting "climate" is warm and friendly.

Less tension there.

With the current boss:

Well, tension is easy to build up, and at one time, a customer responds by saying, "Why you come so far to ask me all these questions? You talk. I'll listen."

And the tension escalates.

But that happens when we put "plan" and not "people" first.

I sense that my motion of building a strong partnership with customers is evaluated solely on the "time frame" value.

It has never been evaluated, I sense, with "long term return" value.

Perhaps, time is weighted higher than long term returns for this company.

No wonder it quickly lost two "major" Government tenders recently ;-)

Before I bring this to a close, there's a critical point that, perhaps, skips sales manager when working with sales reps on the field, and that is:

When the rep works happily, the manager will also be happy.

When reps are happy, they do more to keep that coming.

That includes better sales results, sales achievements, or meeting plans.

But if they're not happy, well, like a fellow rep of mine from another company once said, "I work to justify to my boss why I couldn't hit budget!"

That's the reality for so many reps.

Think about this for a second:

They work but don't expect to deliver?
How's that going to help with the company's bottom line?

As a parting remark, I say that, when rep under-performed, the fall is not entirely on the manager's shoulder. It's a mix of multiple factors. No one can be really sure of it.

But if the sales manager fails to understand sales reps, that's a sure road to low performance.

It's not easy, but who says that being a manager in sales is easy?

Should've known what you sign up for.

For my fellow reps, it's not easy to manage customers and bosses at the same time, and try to put them in the same boat, but if you got to choose, who do you think will be a better choice of ensuring brighter career path:

Bosses or customers?

It's in your hands.

Choose wisely.

For me, when I put customers first, if I decided to change the boat, I'll be bringing them with me.

On the other hand:

If I choose "da boss," if I decided to "work until I die with the same company," then, all is well. I can't say it will happen with the current pharma industry though :-)

So, if I had to move, and I always put my boss first, who will I be bringing along?

Go figure.

It's all in your hands.

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