Biotech In-Demand Job: Regional Sales Manager

Not every biotech job is heavily rooted in science. Some rely on additional skills, like those of communication, organization and more in order to play a crucial role in the industry. After all, the more science-oriented workers can conduct research and create new medications and technology, but all of that is somewhat trivial if there is no way to get those items to the public who will purchase and use them. A regional sales manager fulfills this important niche.

Regional Sales Manager

Regional sales managers play a crucial role filling in the gap between the inventing and manufacturing side of the business and the customers. Supervising sales employees, ensuring that sales targets are met and working to solve any issues that clients have are just a few of the tasks that a sales manager must do. Many of them oversee a specific region, such as the Midwest or Northeast, although this can vary based on the company.

Here is an overview of a regional sales manager career:

Minimum Education Requirement: Master’s degree

Median Annual Salary (2019): $126,640

Expected Job Growth until 2029: 4%

Often, a regional sales manager starts out as a salesperson for the company, hired right after graduating with a bachelor’s degree. As they move up in the field, a master’s degree (usually an MBA) is usually necessary for those in management positions.

Job Description of a Regional Sales Manager

Good with People?

Regional sales managers need to be “people persons.” After all, they work very closely with others on a daily basis, whether those people are their sales employees or their customers. They also need to communicate with those in the office in order to determine how the medications or therapeutic products work, how those items have been updated and who they are targeted to help.

Although many sales people, who later become regional managers, have degrees in business, they often have a science background of some kind, which helps them understand exactly what they are selling. Many have a college certificate in a science field, have taken college-level courses, or double-majored in subjects like biology or chemistry as well as business.

Compensation and Job Growth

According to the most recent figures produced by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which were for 2019, regional sales managers make a median wage of $126,640 per year, or $61 an hour. Some may receive a commission and bonuses as well, based on whether or not they and their sales employees meet their monetary goals. Overall, this particular part of the biotech field is expected to grow at a rate of 4% over the next ten years, which is average.

Crucial Skills for Regional Sales Managers

Although a regional sales manager position for a biotech company places an emphasis on both business knowledge and a solid understanding of the science involved, they must possess some additional required skills as well. The importance of being extroverted, having a passion for what they are selling, and being able to communicate with their sales team and customers are some of the main characteristics that someone with this job must hold.

Extroversion

Salespeople, particularly those who hold management positions, are usually extroverts. They need to be, as they communicate with others all day long. A regional sales manager is either speaking to their client contacts, their bosses in the biotech company who they work for, or their salespeople, making sure that everyone has the information they need to be successful. An introvert would be exhausted by the end of the first hour, not to mention, overwhelmed by all of the required verbal contact with others. This makes the job ideal for someone with extroverted tendencies who gains energy and enthusiasm from speaking to people.

Passion for the Products

Not only does a regional sales manager need to be good with people, but they also must have a solid passion for the products that they are selling. Biotech companies are truly changing people’s lives through innovations in technology, medications, and more. In order to effectively sell the products, as well as convince their sales people to do so as well, the regional sales manager must show to the world how happy they are to be representing these life-changing products.

Communication

Communicating with others is another crucial part of working as a regional sales manager. Workers need to be able to express themselves clearly both in writing and verbally. They may have to give sales presentations to clients, report sales figures to their bosses, and introduce new products to the sales team. By communicating effectively in writing (through emails, memos, and PowerPoint presentations), as well as verbally, a regional sales manager will be able to do everything that their job entails.

Regional sales managers are the vehicle for getting important biotech medications and products from production to the public in an effective and innovative manner. They are “people persons” who ensure that everyone stays on the same page from start to finish. So, if you share a love for both science and business and are a highly organized and communicative extrovert, a career as a regional sales manager may be the highly in-demand job in the booming biotech world you’ve been looking for.