This article covers advice for both "bench to sales" as well as cross over from other industries
Are you one of the many with a Ph.D. or Life Science degree, who remain frustrated and confused as to why the phone isn’t ringing for interviews? After all, didn’t you send out scores of resumes? Don’t you have that hard earned PhD after your name, or in some cases, an MD degree or both? Why would any compare ignore you, especially since your scientific expertise fits so well with the company technology? Wouldn’t you be the ‘perfect’ salesperson to represent scientific products?
Or maybe you’ve just been downsized out of your National Sales Manager job from an unrelated industry, winner of every sales award with years of successful sales experience, but no one is calling you for an interview either.
If the above sounds like you, read on, I’m here to help!
There’s rarely a day I don’t get an email from at least one weary job searcher, seeking advice on the “secret” of getting into biotech sales. I try to respond when time permits, but finally realized I could probably help more of you by a “Tweet and a Post.”
Here’s the deal. It’s next to impossible, at least in the Biotech Industry, to go from “bench to sales.” There certainly are rare exceptions, albeit they are usually only made for a very niche scientific expertise, and usually with very small companies. To land a “bench to sales” position into a major biotech company is almost impossible, especially if selling capital equipment.
But…there IS a way, but first let me explain what you are missing. There are several reasons why most companies would never consider hiring a sales person without a prior successful track record in the industry. It’s also the main reason they won’t be calling the job seeking sales professional from another industry either; contacts. In biotech sales, everything is about contacts and established relationships, much of it to major Biopharmaceutical Companies. Ask anyone who has been selling in that industry and you will quickly come to learn that it can take years to get into many of those labs. Another factor is that much of the selling is expensive capital equipment, often costing hundreds of thousands of dollars . The sales cycle for high end capital equipment can takes many months and copious meetings with key decisions makers far beyond the lab. It takes real experience to sell high end biotech capital equipment. Last but not least, there really is an art to selling, and it doesn’t come “naturally” as many like to think.
For the non life science folks who are trying to break in, the best I can offer is good luck! If there is any industry where selling skills don’t cross over, it’s into the biotech industry. While many of you insist “I can learn I can sell anything”, I think if you had the chance, you would be surprised. For starters, most of the customers won’t even take an appointment with someone who can’t “talk the talk.” Much of the success to selling is not only having the technical background but also knowing the competition, “technically” that is. Another factor is the unending mergers and acquisitions within the industry. Knowing the past history of companies and competitors can often be a huge advantage in selling. Quite simply, there is no way a person who has never been in a lab or lacks a life-science background could have these advantages, at least any time soon. If you are still thinking that your sales skills are so good that you can “sell yourself” into the job, be prepared for another disappointment. The competition is simply too fierce, and much of the equipment too expensive, for any company to take that risk. Trust me that the last words a decision maker wants to hear are, “I can learn.”
While there are always exceptions, I only ever remember once in 12 years of ever getting a “non-technical” person into a major position. It’s also the one hope for anyone outside of the industry, and that is, start at the bottom and work up. If you can convince a hiring manger that you aren’t “overqualified” and would be content selling non technical items like consumables, you might have a shot. Just know that it’s still going to be a long road starting back at the bottom.
For the non experienced life science folks, while you may be technically savvy, without selling skills, I advise not to even waste time on going after sales, but to concentrate on getting a Field Application Specialist (FAS) position with a company you find interesting and compatible with your skills and knowledge. If there is any ‘secret’, that’s it! Being an FAS is the fast track, and the most successful way, into biotech sales. FAS jobs often require a lot of travel, like sales, but you don’t have the pressure of “making numbers” every month, something every seasoned sales person knows only too well. Your job is to be the “technical guru”, to pick up where the salesperson (with whom you will be teamed), leaves off. It will be your job to give demos, lectures, go to trade shows, solve technical problems, and be a liaison between sales and marketing. Most major companies have now included commissions to their FAS teams, in addition to base pay, giving even more of an incentive to “sell” when possible. In a nutshell, it’s a “sales job without the high pressure of actually “selling.” After a few years “In the field” as the saying goes, an FAS knows the ropes, the customers, and in many cases, ready for consideration for sales positions within the company. The reality is, most prefer to stay as an FAS.
To find FAS jobs, one of my favorite biotech sites is biospace.com. It’s a good idea to study the companies and after deciding which ones are most compatible with your background, target maybe 5 or so and apply through the company websites. Stay focused and don’t “resume blast”, as everyone can spot a resume blaster a mile away. When companies hire directly, they like to see candidates who have researched and are excited about the company and the technology.
Good luck!
Patricia Dill
President
Biotech Recruiters
San Diego, CA
Biotechrecruiters.com
Stat Counter
Biotech Recruiters
