Pharm or Med Device Sales Debate

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Anonymous

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I'm a 7 year pharma rep on the hospital side of the business. My base is $107K and bonus's average 40k a year. There are also opportunities for upward mobility here and stabilty long term career. I see a lot of med device reps switching from company to company looking for the next big thing. It also seems the salary gap is not that big of a difference like it once was. Any thoughts on pro's and cons of current job and possible persuing a device opportunity.
 






It's like playing the stock market. Right now you have safe investments, and your upside is fixed and your risk is small.
Device sales would make it possible to double your income, with that comes risk, and your quality of life will suffer. You will go from a PR job delivering food, to life inside a pressure chamber. If you look at BARD, expect to hate your job. there are some decent DMs, but the corp culture runs downhill and it sucks.
 












Anonymous said:
The device ride is over. The money gap has cloced. Stay in pharma or get into Bio emerging markets.
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Wrong answer. Only career upside is in device. Pharma reps are a commodity and are primarily viewed as lazy and pretty much useless. Better job satisfaction, actually wearing scrubs to do cases instead of waiting for signatures and looking like an asshole are a few of the obvious benefits to device. We wouldn't even interview a 7 yeay pharma rep bc they should have made the jump long ago.

Stay in pharma if you want, but just make sure to keep collecting those signatures and don't forget to order the vegetarian lunch for the Indian doctor.
 






Last post is an idiot. Not all pharma reps sample. And a pharma rep may be waiting for a signature but is a med device rep at Bard really walking a MD through a case or are they trolling to keep and grow business? I'm sure MDs now a days have a very difficult time putting in an access port, PICC line, or how to inflate a peripheral balloon. Its a comodity sale and with cheaper prices on med device, means less commission in your pocket, and it's only gonna get worst. Unless you are in a business that is truely different than the competitor, you are going to have to continue to drop price to get on the shelf in hospitals. At least in pharma if you come up with a cure for cancer, AIDS, alzehimers, parkinsons, etc. you can price it the way you want and more money will be given to the reps based on the profit on each head count. C'mon man, nobody here is saving the world, no need to be so arrogent and condescending...
 






"Stay in pharma if you want, but just make sure to keep collecting those signatures and don't forget to order the vegetarian lunch for the Indian doctor."

To the reply above, it's a great way for the competitors to say, "see what Bard thinks of you". I know I will be doing that!

Need more quotes like this! Come on...Bard employees, you make me proud!
 












You are making $110 and are amongst the top earners in pharma. If somebody is making $140 here, they are at risk of loosing their job.

I've seen this same type of post on so many different boards. There are a few exceptions where Pharma reps are making $140-160. There are a few low end device jobs that pay $140-160 but anyone in device for 7 yrs like OP, would almost always be doing much better than that.

There are exceptions to everything but we all know that typically device pays much better. I don't see a bunch of OR reps trying to break into Pharma.

How many drug reps are making $200 +? .0001%? How many device reps (who are not on a plan) are making $80k?

I don't read the Pharma boards, but my suspicion is that there are not many device reps posting, asking the question above. Why do you think that is?
 






Anonymous said:
Last post is an idiot. Not all pharma reps sample. And a pharma rep may be waiting for a signature but is a med device rep at Bard really walking a MD through a case or are they trolling to keep and grow business? I'm sure MDs now a days have a very difficult time putting in an access port, PICC line, or how to inflate a peripheral balloon. Its a comodity sale and with cheaper prices on med device, means less commission in your pocket, and it's only gonna get worst. Unless you are in a business that is truely different than the competitor, you are going to have to continue to drop price to get on the shelf in hospitals. At least in pharma if you come up with a cure for cancer, AIDS, alzehimers, parkinsons, etc. you can price it the way you want and more money will be given to the reps based on the profit on each head count. C'mon man, nobody here is saving the world, no need to be so arrogent and condescending...
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You are so wrong dude. The only thing that could be "WORST" as you put it...would be hiring your lazy ass. I NEVER sell on price. As a matter of fact...I'[ve gotten some conversions and they are actually paying 25% more for my product then my competitors. That is why you will ALWAYS be a pharma rep and never be able to make it in the device world. What's "WORST" than that? LMAO....
 






Anonymous said:
I'm staying in pharma. 35 hours a week and I make $110k while you are all bustin your asses trying to make $140. Who's got a better gig?
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Great post from a really motivated and extremely hard working person......you have the best gig in the world pal.

I hate working hard and making more money....I should really just vote Obama and apply for food stamps and welfare come to think of it.
 






Anonymous said:
You are so wrong dude. The only thing that could be "WORST" as you put it...would be hiring your lazy ass. I NEVER sell on price. As a matter of fact...I'[ve gotten some conversions and they are actually paying 25% more for my product then my competitors. That is why you will ALWAYS be a pharma rep and never be able to make it in the device world. What's "WORST" than that? LMAO....
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The arrogance from Bard Reps/management is unbelievable. You hand the doctor's stents, filters and balloons, your world is quickly becoming comodotized. You people think you're the rock stars of the sales world, I have news for you, that's kinda like bragging about being the tallest midget in the circus. Most of the reps came from ADP, Paychex, or Xerox, lowest rung on the sales ladder to what they perceive as the highest. There are much better companies to work for, with better comp plans, and where you don't have the Hanz's of the world to deal with. I began this paragraph with arrogance, hubris is more like it. I keep picturing the scene in High Plains Drifter when Clint Eastwood makes the midget the sheriff...Look at me, I'm the sheriff.....
 






A rep is a rep is a rep. In the eyes of docs. you guys are all the midgets and they are the law. who is kissing who's ass. who wishes they could change places with who. just hand over the product. save your b.s. marketing lines that clearly make each rep look retarded and understand your place in the game. tell a funny joke/story, bring the product on time, don't be overbearing=annoying and stop pretending your 4 hour marketing info. sessions allow you to understand the slightest bit about medicine.
 






Anonymous said:
A rep is a rep is a rep. In the eyes of docs. you guys are all the midgets and they are the law. who is kissing who's ass. who wishes they could change places with who. just hand over the product. save your b.s. marketing lines that clearly make each rep look retarded and understand your place in the game. tell a funny joke/story, bring the product on time, don't be overbearing=annoying and stop pretending your 4 hour marketing info. sessions allow you to understand the slightest bit about medicine.
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I think all you pharma morons are missing the point. You make the same argument over and over that being a rep at BARD is on the same level as what you do. That may be true, but being a device rep gives you the opprtunity to move on to better comapnies, better technologies and access to start-ups. I have never met a pharma rep who was part of a med device start up and had the chance to really cash in.

Basically what I'm saying is that by having a lazy attitude and saying your gig is easy, you give up on the opprtunity to move ahead in the food chain. If that is what you want, then great. Device experience gives you career upside where long-term pharma employment goes against you (as it should).
 






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