The following is an excellent letter that I received from a fellow that is trying to get into the industry. I believe that these letters are essential to understand what it takes to enter this industry and pursue this career.

The letter…

Hunter,

Here are the questions I have to ask: What can I do to get into this industry? For your company what are the requirements, or daily tasks associated with what you do? What type of person is fit for this industry? (then I would tell him how I am fit for this)

Hunter is this good or what? Are these good questions I really wanted to make this meeting as beneficial as possible. The meeting has been moved to Thursday. I know this informal talk is big because in your book you say informal talks are like an interview although they are not labeled as that.

TME

From this I have to congratulate him on landing this contact and interview within the industry. He also has what really is the second interview with this company so he has already been successful with the techniques that he has learned and utilized to peak the interest of the company.

The advice that I would offer is that he really needs to follow the sales section in the book. He may be concerned with the content of the questions that he is asking. The content of the question is extremely important but the type of question.

Keep the questions open. An OPEN question is one that will require the person that is asked to really speak a lot and elaborate on the answer. I would not tell someone how you are fit for the company with out first being very clear on what that persons perception of what makes a person fit for this position. Keep them talking for the most part and they will tell you exactly what the answers are that they are looking for.

Reviewing the sales section and question types in the book will really help to give some ideas to become an expert on this technique.

Don’t rush ahead. It is such common things that people do. They are always trying to speak and let people know how great they are. Find out what others think a person would have to have that makes them great.

One of my great mentors has always said. Selling is a simple matter of uncovering an unmet need and then filling that need.

What is it that the current business unit is missing currently? What is it that is
holding them back, or if not holding them back, slowing the growth down?

What is it that you will bring that will get the business unit past that hurdle?

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A pharmaceutical sales job is also known as an “Outside Sales” Position.

People hired for an outside sales position must find customers and meet them in their own offices or places of business. You are not going to be waiting for the business to be coming to you.

So how can you make your interviewer feel comfortable that you are enough of a self-starter to get out there and hunt down business on your own?

My eBook covers many strategies to ensure that you are not only comfortable answering this question, but also prepared to focus your efforts on ensuring your responses achieve two goals:

1. Get you onto the interviewer’s “short list”
2. Land you a paying position in one of the most profitable industries in the world!

Outside sales is halfway between cold calling and a retail sales position. Cold calling can be defined as starting out from the very beginning. People who sell with cold calls have next to no sales leads. A door-to-door Encyclopedia sales person would be cold calling. It is difficult at first, but when you get good at it, this skill can take you anywhere in the world.

Pharmaceutical sales can be similar to this in many ways. For example, when you are just starting out, you will not know your clients and they will not know you. It is going to take a while to build up a relationship.

So the first time you knock on that doctor’s door, it is similar to a cold call, – although you DO know that the doctor’s patients are using pharmaceuticals, and it is a pretty good bet that the doctor is prescribing one or more drugs produced by your company.

Now that we know what outside sales experience is, how can we tailor our personal experience to get maximum results?

It is up to YOU to make sure that the interviewer sitting in front of you believes that the experience you have gathered over your working life gives you the ability to go out and be successful as an outside sales person.

In other words, your first big outside sales call is the interviewer!

Sell the interviewer on your strengths, land the position, and move into a well-paid career. The first step really is that simple!

You can have the lifestyle you want, with the income you desire. All of this comes with some well-focused work. I always say: “Work smarter – not harder.”

How do you ace this critical first sales call with your interviewer? If you’re looking for an exact step-by-step guide, you’ll find it right here:

Click here for your pharma career guide!

Happy job hunting!
-Hunter Davis

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Are you from a country other than the USA?

One question that is quite common from people first looking to enter the industry is “How relevant are these tips to people from, say, Britain or Canada, or any other country in the world? In other words, how transferable is the knowledge and skill?

During my work with in the pharmaceutical industry, I have met people from all over the world. It has become clear to me that the job that they do is very similar and transferable. Sometimes there are differences with regulations (how to get the drug to market), product names, and reimbursement issues (who pays for the drug – private or government), but for the most part the people are very similar.

The one thing that unites all of these people is that without exception, every one of them has the ability to sell. Without this skill, they could not have gotten into the place that they are in now. There is not one pharmaceutical company in the world that is not looking for people that can increase market share. The question is of course – How do we do this?

In a previous Pharmaceutical Strategy Newsletter, I discussed the importance of understanding exactly what type of sales experience this job entails. Without this knowledge you will come off as a real rookie to your potential new employer!

Regardless of your country of origin, or the country where you are living now – as long as pharmaceutical companies have offices there, people will be needed to sell these products. The skills to do this are transportable across all borders.

This information will help you land your career regardless of the country you live in. Some countries will not pay as much in pure dollars compared with the United States, but you will definitely be making a much higher wage than the average white-collar worker.

Regardless of the country you wish to work in, you must be able to collect contacts with in that country’s pharmaceutical industry. If you can get that information, you have the power to very efficiently find and target prospects, as we’ll discuss in future newsletters.

How do you get this kind of information about the corporation that you want to work for?

Here is Rule Number One that I cover in my eBook:

ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE

Here’s how you can put this principle to work on YOUR career starting right now:

Click here for your pharma career guide!

Happy job hunting!

Hunter Davis

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