Diagnosis
You're ready to make the switch to specialty sales
Prescription
The key to landing that dream job is planning, planning, planning
When it comes to pharmaceutical sales, many think specialty representatives have a dream job. Compared to primary-care representatives,
specialty representatives often enjoy greater physician access, higher pay, enhanced prestige and a lighter sample bag or
no sample responsibilities at all. On top of those perks is the growing trend for pharmaceutical companies to expand their
specialty sales forces, sometimes holding the line on primary-care hires. So, if you want to be a specialty representative,
you are on the right track – and you are also not alone.
Specialty rep checklist
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Competition for these dream jobs can be tough. Knowing when you are ready to pursue a specialty-sales position and how you
can position yourself for the promotion requires more than simply paying your dues with two years of primary-care experience.
What does it take to earn a specialty-sales job? How can you demonstrate you are ready for the challenge? And what are the
secrets to specialty-sales success that all representatives can leverage?
Plan for success
Moving into specialty sales does not just happen. Just like a successful sales call, this career move requires planning. More
than 60 percent of sales professionals have at least two years of relevant experience, according to the Hay Group's 16th Annual Sales Force Effectiveness Survey. Many sales professionals start looking for the next step in their career at the
two- or three-year point. Once they have mastered their current positions, it seems reasonable to ask, "What's next?" Specialty
sales is often the answer. How can you differentiate yourself from the other experienced representatives who are eager to
make the same shift into specialty sales? Try thinking and working like a specialty representative from the very beginning.
There are certainly satisfied and successful sales professionals who prefer the challenge of a primary-care position. Whether
you select primary care or specialty, the principles behind specialty sales will lead to success in any territory and in every
practice.
By mastering specialty skills early, you build credibility and success with your current healthcare providers while mapping
out a career that can include a future in specialty sales. According to Stephanie, a specialty trainer at a major pharmaceutical
company, specialty-sales representatives are "professional and very passionate about what they do, about the impact they can
have on patients and caregivers." In practice, Stephanie said this passion translates into expertise in these areas:
- Demonstrating knowledge of the disease-state and clinical evidence that supports your product, and competitive products
- Knowing the influencers
- Bringing value to every sales interaction while outperforming the competition
- Asking courageous, thought-provoking questions
Demonstrating knowledge of disease state and clinical evidence
Specialty representatives have a deep knowledge of their disease state, including relevant data and clinical studies. "They
don't data dump or deliver a message. They deliver a message supported by data and are very comfortable assessing the data
and its relevancy to the healthcare provider's patients," Stephanie said. Specialty representatives are confident leveraging
the evidence in clinical studies to deliver calls based on evidence-based medicine. In other words, not only can they talk
about the findings of a clinical study, they can discuss how the data was analyzed, the strength of the study design, the
number-needed-to-treat and how the findings translate into information physicians can use to treat their own patients. Specialty
representatives link a study's statistical relevance to the physician's clinical relevance. They also can discuss the competition's
studies and point out holes or areas of potential bias that may impact the validity of the findings.
