Sales and Marketing

Introductory Resources

” I’m sure you have all found yourselves in this situation: You are busily working in the lab and suddenly, an unknown person shows up at your door. They introduce themselves as a sales rep from some company that you either don’t care about or have never heard of. You think to yourself, “Oh no, what’s he going to try and sell me now?” and “How can I get out of here?” You get rid of the person as soon as you can and think to yourself, “Boy, I’d hate to have that job.”

At least, that’s what I used to think as a PhD student. But now I find myself filling the shoes of the dreaded sales representative? and I love it!” (Duane Mendis, Have PhD, Will Travel, Science Careers, 2003).

• From a PhD in Quantum Physics to a Sales Manager Job, 8-min video.
• Marketing managers – general info, description, skills… (BU Vault).
• From Biophysics PhD to Technical Sales.
• Career profile: Dr Gary Kusdian, Account Manager, EMBL Career article.
• Career profile: Nadine Thaler, PhD, MBA, Team Leader Product Manager Applications, EMBL Career article.

Venturing further in this career area

• Advice for moving into sales after a PhD/Postdoc, Addgene Blog Article.
• The succession of life science sales (or, what makes life science sales uniquely challenging) with Harrison Waid, GenoWrite.
• From Lab Rat to Sales Rep: Navigating the Science of Selling to Life Scientists (LinkedIn Pulse, by Vibhu Jain, PhD).

Learning by doing job-related tasks

Job Simulations are job-related tasks that can be completed in a few hours, to help you assess how enjoyable and how much of a good fit a specific job could be for you. To make the most of job simulations, please set up SMART Goals to perform each simulation in a reasonable timeline. When you have completed the task, fill out the Self-Reflection Sheet, which will help you reflect on what you enjoyed (or did not enjoy) about the simulation, and how it can help inform your career exploration efforts.

• Communications: Social Media Marketing Job Simulation.
• Application Specialist Job Simulation – Give a pre-sales seminar.
• Presales Virtual Job Simulation with HPE.
• Sales Virtual Job Simulation with CBRE.
• Digital Sales Virtual Job Simulation with HPE.
• Application Specialist Job Simulation – Troubleshooting Customer Questions.
• Client Engagement Virtual Job Simulation with Bloomberg.
• Virtual Job Simulation – Sales data analysis towards supporting sales growth.

Preparing your transition into this career area

• Focus on your skills, Nature article.
• Growing your network and having informational interviews with PhDs who have transitioned into careers of interest to you will enable you to learn more about the job’s daily responsibilities, hiring process, career progression, etc., and the sector as a whole.
  • Look for and join relevant thematic groups on LinkedIn, online communities, etc.
  • Look for GMS Alumni who have transitioned into this career area.
  • The Social Scientist enables early-career scientists to receive mentorship from folks who have transitioned into various careers – connect with industry mentors (scientists, founders, product managers, etc.).
• Analyze job descriptions to learn more about what institutions and organizations are currently looking for.
• Study company websites, follow them on social media and YouTube.