Detailmen and detailwomen are salespeople employed by pharmaceutical companies to persuade doctors to prescribe their medical drugs to patients. Drug companies spend $5 billion annually sending representatives to doctors' offices. Detailmen are often seen promoting their drugs to doctors during the doctor's business hours. Pharmaceutical companies say that detailing gives an educational service by keeping doctors updated on the latest changes in medical science. Detailmen have detailed personal information on doctors that include the names of the doctor's family members, golf handicaps, and even clothing preferences. Detailmen get information on what prescriptions the doctor is writing from IMS Health. Detailmen are under intense competitive pressure against other drug companies' medical drugs. Pharmaceutical Representative is a trade journal featuring sales tips for detailmen, such as how to sell to a stubborn doctor, or how to flatter a doctor, common tactics of any type of salesperson.
Detailmen also give doctors small gifts, such as free dinners, tickets to a ball game, clocks, free drug samples, pens, pads, and small toys with the company's logo. In 1990, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) passed laws banning "gifts of substantial value" (like VCRs, etc.) of drug companies to doctors. Minor gifts (like meals, tickets, cruises, and travel) are not banned. Sometimes detailmen will offer the doctors jobs so the doctor will be on the drug company's payroll. Critics say these are bribes that work - the doctor is much more likely to prescribe the drug company's drugs.
Detailmen also work the symposium circuit crowds. At a symposium, a drug researcher lectures about the benefits of a drug to an audience of doctors, while detailmen talk to individual doctors in the audience to get to know what they like personally.
The term "detailman" has not been used in years; pharmaceutical sales representative is now the commonly used term.
The neutrality of this entry is very dubious. Please refer to other sources for a more balanced explanation of "detailman" or pharmaceutical sales representative.
