Scientific Sales Representative
What this job does:
Sells laboratory instruments, reagents, and scientific products to researchers at universities, biotech companies, and pharmaceutical firms. Day-to-day, visits labs and meets with scientists to understand their research needs, demonstrates products, troubleshoots technical issues, and negotiates deals - acting as a trusted scientific advisor who also drives revenue. Manages a geographic territory, maintains customer relationships through regular follow-ups, and attends scientific conferences to generate leads.
This job is similar to these lab/research tasks:
Explaining research methods to collaborators and at conferences, troubleshooting experiments and optimizing protocols, building relationships across labs and research groups
Typical starting salary range
$95k to $170k
Salary estimate represented as 25th to 75th percentile. Gathered from recent job postings, Glassdoor.com, and Salary.com
Daily task breakdown
- Customer meetings, product demos, and on-site visits (35%)
- Prospecting, lead generation, and territory planning (20%)
- Technical consultation and scientific troubleshooting (20%)
- Administrative tasks: CRM updates, reporting, quotes (15%)
- Training, conferences, and continuing scientific education (10%)
Skills you'll use in this job:
CRM software proficiency (Salesforce); laboratory techniques and troubleshooting; scientific product knowledge; territory and pipeline management; contract negotiation; consultative selling; clear communication of complex science; strategic thinking; self-motivation; relationship building; presentation skills; time management
Talk about these PhD skills in your resume and interview:
Talk about explaining research at conferences, lab meetings, and to collaborators - you have already practiced translating complex technical information into clear, compelling narratives for specific audiences. Talk about troubleshooting experiments daily - understanding why a protocol failed, identifying the right reagent - and the collaborative relationships you built across labs during your PhD.
Alternative job titles to search:
Technical Sales Representative; Life Science Sales Specialist; Territory Sales Manager (Life Sciences); Account Manager (Scientific/Lab Products); Inside Technical Sales Specialist; Field Sales Representative (Scientific); Laboratory Sales Consultant; Application Sales Specialist
*Note:
-Job titles are inconsistent between companies. Try various keywords.
-PhDs tend to undershoot seniority level. Target higher than you think.
