Indian pharmaceutical industry is playing a key role in promoting and sustaining development in the vital field of medicines. With growing Indian Pharma market, demand for specialized pharma sales professionals has increased.
The pharmaceutical-sales is a lucrative career option because it offers excellent salary potential, opportunity for growth, great benefits and the field makes out a bit of glamour also.
Pharmaceutical companies will have their own marketing and sales strategies to introduce the drugs into the market. A drug company employee regularly visits Medical practitioners, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, health centers and apart from that, they will take care of retail, distributor, and wholesale sales, provides information on the company’s products and maximize the prescribing of products in specific geographic area.
Role of Medical Representative/ Sales professional has become preponderant as with growing Indian Pharma market, with the advent of new product launches increasing demand for the specialized pharma sales professionals and market have turned towards sales professionals with rich experience in a focused sector.
Sales processional is expected to have greater skills and accurate product knowledge to face well informed individual and institutional customer.
The Allopathic formulations market is the largest segment in the India with an estimated 23,000 plus manufacturers, has approximately 70,000 plus brands. There are approximately about 20000 medical representatives in the country promoting products to over 10 lakh doctors. The number of pharmaceutical retailers is estimated to be 5 lakh in near future.
Among the top five therapeutic segments, Gastro-intestinal and cardiac are experiencing both high volume and value growth.
Opthologicals, cardiovascular, anti-diabetics and neurological drugs continue to top the growth list.
The anti-infective, neurology, cardiovascular and anti-diabetic segments have witnessed a high number of product launches in the recent years.
A medical representative who has a flair for marketing and can show extra-ordinary results has a variety of choices to advance into management roles. They can make a very promising career in pharmaceutical marketing on the basis of his sales performance and ability to manage customers. His sales performance is assessed on the basis of his ability to achieve targets fixed by the company. He can rise to the posts of:
Managing Director
Executive Director
President Sales
VP Sales
National Sales Manager
Zonal Sales Manager
Regional Sales Manager
Area Sales Manager
Medical Representative
The other opportunities for medical reps will include: Pharma Marketing and Consulting Services, Health and Clinical business development and etc. Medical reps are also highly preferred for Brand/Product Management roles. They can rise to the highest positions like Group Product Manager, Marketing Manager, GM Mktg, V.P Mktg, and etc.