Why Choose Pharma Sales Rep Job?

If you asked me right now, "Why you choose pharma sales rep job?" I'm going to give you answers that were very different if I was asked 10 years ago. There were so much going on lately, and a single post might not be enough to record all of them. But let's proceed and see how much we can cover.

There's always another post, and another, and another...

10 YEARS AGO

I was just graduated. I was hunting for jobs to feed my dream of making lots of cash. There were so many tangible and intangible things I imagined back then, and I believe money can provide them. At least, I can have more with cash.

For example, if I'm happy now, I can be more delighted with more money. If I like to donate, I can donate MORE in amount or to whom I donate. In short, the funds will allow me to have more. It's a philosophy I pick while reading self-help books back then.

And I see sales as an avenue which I can achieve it reasonably effectively.

I did achieve SOMETHING, and I proved to people that my expectation was correct. Perhaps, I could accomplish a lot more with some great tunes, but I guess I got engulfed by "success" and to be honest, success was not the best life's teacher.

Why?

Here's why...

NOW

As of this moment, I've been changing at least 3 companies for the past 5 years. I last about five years with the first pharma company. To change companies in such a short period was an outstanding achievement on its own. As they said, "A rolling stone gathers no moss." That was a very wise saying back in the old days. A recent article I read on Yahoo! announced that on average, an employee changes jobs at least five times or more within their working life, on average of 20 years, according to the article.

And I thought I was the only one...

I know that some of you arrive on this blog while looking for jobs opening in pharma sales. Yes, you can find them all over this blog, particularly, at the top and bottom. Other than that, you can read my thinking on how to effectively do your job, how to improve sales performance and all the other things in between. Since I don't personally know you, I don't know what issue you have when you arrive here, but I do believe, I have something helpful for you herein.

In fact, I don't aim to be everything for everyone. I just doing my best to cover what matters to you. How I know, it matters? I know because some people took the initiative to ask.

And as they said, "Ask, and you shall receive."

I haven't answered the question of why choose a job as a sales rep yet...

Right now, choosing to sell for pharma companies happen for different reasons than it was ten years ago. Right now, I want to work for pharma company because it provides me with enough remuneration to keep me afloat and keep me in the base. It's really tough for me, right now, to consider moving my position and area. I got to take along so much with my - family, big house, big car - and I get tired efficiently doing routine kinds of stuff.

The motivation for me to keep going at this job right now is mine needs to keep things as they are. Of course, I'm only kidding my own self because nothing stay as they are. Things change!

People change, politic change, economic change, President change (wink!), company's GM change...
...everything changes. But I don't like to throw craps at you, so I've decided to come up front. My reason for choosing pharma sales job is personal. That's the whole idea.

If you choose this job, today, you probably have personal reasons as well. Whatever they are, don't let others have the liberty to judge you by your actions. But then again, only steps are visible for them to decide you. Your intentions buried deep inside every action. People can't see that, but they'll assume your purpose based on your activities.

So, be careful with what you're going to say during the interview. Those Bozos at the other side of the table are going to "interrogate" you and uncover your motive. They need to do this before pharma company spent a single dime on you.

But don't worry...

We got people like Dr. Hank Mc Kinnel, former CEO of Pfizer who retire with a handsome payout, and he escaped the scrutiny of people on the other side of the table. Many lower level applicants did replicate the same results. Some of them were sales managers or top management people in pharma companies of today. You got the chance if you can "fake it until you make it."

Sounds like "negative" influence right? Wrong!

If you choose to believe that what I wrote herein were negatives, so they were, to you. If you want to accept what I shared as the reality of pharma industries, you can then do something to either change it or follow along. The choice is yours.

You see, people use to tell me that I should not save for rainy days because it's like we're hoping for it to rain. It's like the self-fulfilling prophecy, they said. I hold on to that until I met a guy who said, "It's going to rain. It's just a matter of when and where!"

And he's right...

All these while, I act like the ostrich and bury my head in the sand when danger approach, hoping that it will pass and things go back to normal soon. It does not always turn out the way it supposed to. In fact, the impact of "rainy day" lasts for weeks, months and even years. I saw friends who never recover from VSS.

And they thought there's always rainbow when the rain stops. Not exactly.

So, right now, the pharma industry is going through some significant changes. Some pharma companies survive the tsunami, and some got carried away into oblivion. If you're thinking of joining this career, really think hard and consider all angles before jumping into the bandwagon. If you decided to back off, I respect and might even envy you, but if you chose to join, be prepared for the rough ride.
The bad can always be made worse (unfortunately, yes, the bad condition of the pharma industry today is "man-made." But that's the topic for another post.)...