Most companies consider sales and marketing to be one function, but with two basic areas of activity. Within the sales function, you can typically find three career tracks: field sales, sales management, and managed markets. A fourth track, sales training, is closely associated with sales and is distinct from the broader training and development function, which is usually associated with human resource departments. Sales training groups bridge the sales and marketing function: in some companies, they are considered part of marketing support, and hence part of the marketing function.
Within the marketing function are two main areas of activity: marketing management and marketing support. Marketing management is responsible for introducing products and managing product life cycles. Marketing support is an umbrella-like term that incorporates several distinct groups, some of which are quite large, but all of which serve essentially the same purpose: to provide support services for marketing managers. Depending on the size of the company, the distinction between the two areas may be either blurred or non-existent. Typical marketing support groups include training and development, advertising and promotion, market analysis, customer call center, e-business, and commercialization and strategic Planning.
Fully integrated Big Biotech companies have their own sales and marketing infrastructure and essentially the same job classifications with the same responsibilities. Unlike some of their Big Pharma cousins, biotech sales reps are specialty reps, who market products to specific and highly defined patients groups; for example, promoting specialty injectable protein products to specialist physicians (oncologists) treating a narrowly defined condition. This focus contrasts sharply with those Big Pharma reps promoting small-molecule drugs to non-specialist physicians (primary care doctors, internists) providing general medical care to the mass market.
This is a good time to think about a career in biopharmaceutical sales and marketing, since more biotech-based drugs are moving through the development pipeline. In addition, roles in business development often require a foundation in sales (as well as experience in several other functions). Once hired, many companies encourage valued employees to gain such experience, and incorporate lateral moves in annual career development plans. This is important to know at the outset, since it will help you evaluate the opportunities available in sales and marketing.
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