Being a pharmaceutical sales representative is more than the daily commerce
of drugs and medicine. It's a way to use your skills to provide a better life
to others.
"My job satisfaction is very high," says Mike Klaric. He is a pharmaceutical
sales rep in northwestern Pennsylvania. "I know that patients have their illness
completely or at least somewhat controlled because of a medicine that I sell."
Klaric started his career after graduating from high school in California
and earning a bachelor's degree in marketing from Slippery Rock University
in Pennsylvania.
Coverage of his six-county area demands at least a 50-hour workweek. "I
always wanted to be a part of medicine or to be a physician, but it just didn't
work out," he says.
"But this is the next best thing. I'm constantly calling on physicians,
keeping up to date with what's going on and being part of the healing process."
Klaric was involved with the introduction of Glucophage, a prescription
medication that controls blood sugar for certain diabetics. Glucophage has
meant a much-improved life for many diabetics.
Vivian Mario Gunter wanted to become a doctor or pharmacist, but didn't
have that opportunity. So she went into drug sales.
"This position gives me the chance to influence the health care of my country
by convincing the medical professionals to prescribe and dispense medicines
that I promote."
She entered the profession many years ago and moved on to
marketing. "Our pharmaceutical industry here is small. And there is a trend
to keeping the health-care cost as low as possible," she explains.
"This is tough because many people are getting sick due to poor lifestyle
and bad habits.
"To succeed today in the market, there's continuous pressure to innovate
and keep down costs with an essential drugs list. There's intensive competition
but everyone has a share of the market because of the variety of medicines
needed to sustain health-care delivery."
Friends in pharmaceutical sales got Scott Berghoff interested in the profession.
"Now I'm working and making a difference in people's lives. A real difference,"
says the Arizona State University graduate in psychology.
"This is no comparison to what I did before. The things that I was involved
with in over-the-counter sales really didn't have any impact on their lives."
Persistence got Juergen Mueller into the profession. When he came to Canada
from Germany about 40 years ago, Mueller first toiled in uranium mines. But
he desperately wanted to be in sales and put his degree in science to use.
Mueller eventually was hired as a sales representative for a pharmaceutical
company based in Buffalo, New York. The job, which was the start of a long
career, came only after he "talked" his way into several interviews.
"I didn't give up. I knew what I wanted and went after it. I try and explain
this to people every day -- you have to stand out. You have to really present
yourself well to whomever you get to talk with."