How does pharmaceutical sales rep make commission?
Asked by mlp
I am looking into being a pharmaceutical sales rep and I was wondering how they log their sales number and get paid commission.

Best Answer:
Don't be a drug rep. I just got out of the field. The industry is in turmoil, there are 1,000's of qualified, experienced people per open position, and it's high-pressure, high-volatility, and there are many, many factors out of your control. But, to answer your question. Each company is different, and each has a different commission structure. You will have a base of anywhere from $30,000-$60,000 and then a bonus on top of that. Bonus is mainly based on the number of prescriptions in your territory. Some companies do this by zipcode and script filled, some by "target" doctors only who write, etc. Also, you will probably have metrics you will have to meet in order to get that commission, such as number of practitioner/pharmacy calls per day, amount of budget utilized, number of target practitioners seen to non-targets, etc. Most companies will not pay you squat until you have met 100% of your scripts. That means if you need 1,000 scripts in 6 months for your bonus and you get 990 . . . whoops, you're out $15,000! Everything else can line up, but in the end it comes down to the sales numbers, which are heavily influenced by practitioner accessibility (which is increasingly difficult) and managed care coverage (a nightmare in my territory). Did you know that promotional/marketing items can no longer be left at offices? www.phrma.org. Many offices believe lunches will be next (and believe me, unless you shell out to feed the ENTIRE office - yes all 60 of them in some cases - you ain't getting 20 seconds with a doctor!) The "good old days" of pharmaceuticals ended probably 5 years ago. Now every rep I know in the field wants to get out.