ISF careers were once known for impressive salaries and the relatively glamorous lifestyles that go with them. However, news of mass layoffs of ISFs and changing regulations regarding physician relations have not put ISFs in a very attractive light. Despite the negative news, the pharmaceutical occupation still has high incomes. The MedReps.com Salary Survey Tool confirms this. A closer look at income associated with jobs reveals that for FSIs, pharmaceutical sales base salaries in the US are generally higher than base salaries for medical device sales processes. But the overall income from selling medical devices is usually higher than selling drugs. Why?
The answer lies in the different kind of "selling" that is required for drug sales careers. Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives work to inform and educate doctors so that they prescribe their product, but doctors do not actually buy drugs from sales reps. Due to this unusual type of "selling", commissions cannot be based on buy orders. Instead, incentives for an ISF can be based on the number of prescriptions made for their product in a particular region. This type of indirect incentive is often less profitable than the more traditional commissions associated with the sale of medical devices or equipment.
