A day in the life of Medical Sales Representative or Pharmacy Sales Representative

The profession of medical sales representative or Pharmaceutical Sales Representative comes at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to selection of a job to start a career. A medical sales representative apparently looks quite happy because of his neat dress and a pleasant demeanour. But behind the pleasant appearance lies a much maligned soul because of continuous exposure to all kinds of job related pressure. Nevertheless the day to day life of a medical representative can be full of funny surprises and full of many lessons during the journey of life. I had been witness to many interesting incidences and coincidences. While most of them helped me in learning a lot in the life, many of them were so funny that even today I can barely manage not to chuckle when I reminisce about those good old days. All the stories are inspired by real life experiences. Some of them had been experienced by me. Some others were narrated by someone else. These stories can work like a good stress busters; not only for sales professionals but also for people in other professions. Moreover, these stories can be quite useful for learning the fine nuances of the life of a sales guy.

Being a medical representative (MR) means mastering the art of waiting, dodging aggressive clinic receptionists, and pitching lifesaving drugs to a doctor who just wants their cup of tea. 

Here are a few funny, highly relatable stories from the chaotic world of pharma sales:

1. The Detailed Janitor

An exhausted MR had been waiting outside a busy doctor’s cabin for four straight hours. The clinic was finally empty, and the tired rep rushed inside the cabin, pulled out his visual aid, and launched into a passionate, high-speed pitch about his new anti-allergic molecule. He explained the pharmacokinetics and clinical trials in stunning detail.
When he finally paused for breath, the man sitting in the chair looked at him blankly, pointed to the mop in his hand, and said, "Sir, main yahan safai karta hoon. Doctor sahab toh ek ghante pehle pichle darwaze se nikal gaye." (Sir, I clean the place. The doctor left through the back door an hour ago.)

2. The Wrong Pocket

A veteran rep was notorious for carrying a dozen different samples, branded pens, and sticky notes in his oversized blazer pockets. During a high-stakes meeting with a strict, elderly senior physician, the MR wanted to hand over a sleek new pen for the prescription pad.
Instead, he nervously fumbled into his pocket and accidentally pulled out a half-eaten banana, a crumpled foil of antacids, and a small toy car belonging to his toddler. The doctor stared at the pile on his desk in dead silence, adjusted his glasses, and said, "Young man, are you prescribing the banana or treating my hunger?"

3. The Manager Joint-Visit Disguise

An area business manager (ABM) decided to pull a surprise joint-working day with a notoriously underperforming MR. They reached a busy rural clinic on a blazing hot afternoon. To avoid the doctor recognizing the manager immediately and shutting the door, the MR whispered to the manager, "Just hold my bag and pretend to be my patient with a severe backache so we can sneak inside."
The plan worked too well. The moment they entered, the doctor took the manager seriously, made him lie down on the examination table, and proceeded to give him a painful, twenty-minute physical adjustment and a strict lecture on posture before the poor MR could even say the name of his brand.