Hi all. I wanted to know more about a career in wholesales. I have heard that for internals the gig is pretty much 9-5, very lax, and has a 1 hour lunch break (from another forum). I know that most internals transition into an external role later on and many take exams to look better when they apply. Im assuming external is also a very lax job too. Would you please tell me if these are correct compensation estimates? 120k-150k(Y1-Y3) 180-210k(Y4-Y6) 310-350k(Y7-Y9) 400-500k(Y10-Y12) 500-600(Y13-Y15) 600-800k(Y18-Y21) 850-1050k(Y22-Y24) 1200-3000k(Y25-40) Im coming from a pharmaceutical background. So Im assuming I can get a little higher than the average compensation for a regular applicant. I recently gave up a career in ER bc I was informed I would be making more than this at 60 to 80 hour work weeks and I want it easier.
Just a guess but not seeing how your PharmD will help you get a higher starting comp for a sales role. For you to receive a starting comp above market you need to have a special education above that of a normal person specific to that role.
You have a special education that can be helpful at getting in to ER as you will know more about the drugs etc than a lot of people (however there are tons of pharma/bio/etc people in finance anyway so its not like you are one in a million) but I am not making any connection to how this will set you up for a sales role. The company is not going to just pay you more for this role because you have a lot in debt, when they can pay a kid who went to some other school and has a finance/marketing/sales background.
Also again you presume this linear growth in a career and most people will cap out at certain numbers there and dont make anywhere near that.
So this level of growth is unlikely?
^ Yes.
Sweep the Leg can probably provide some insight here.
Very well. Then how about this: 120-150k (Y1-4) 150-210k(Y5-10) 220-300k (Y11-15) 300-400k (Y16-Y25) 400-600k (Y25-Y40) This seems more realistic for an above average performer. This means most wholesalers have accrued up to 15 million by retirement. With a wife, a couple could have made 30 million by retirement age.
You can make this much working at Costco wholesale? Sign me up!
My time to shine!
Internal gigs vary greatly by firm. Assume you’re going to spend 2-5 years as an internal before going external, so you better like the culture. Things to consider are, obviously, pay - it can range anywhere from $75k to $150k depending on experience and how well of a year you had. But other things matter nearly as much. How many calls per day are you expected to make? What’s the work/life balance? Depending on firm, it’s not necessarily a 9-5 job. It’s metrics based so many places just care that you hit your numbers. So long as you do, your hours don’t really matter. Another thing to consider is travel. How often are you expected to get out in the territory and do they have hybrid positions for those that want to get on the external track.
Once you’re external, your pay doesn’t increase with years on the job. You’ll get little bonuses based on years at the firm - company stock, maybe a slightly higher salary, etc - but the bulk of your comp will be based on your sales. Expect to make anywhere between $250k (if you had a really, really bad year) to over a million if you had a great year. The days of wholesalers regularly pulling down seven figures are over, unfortunately. But, on average, you’ll make $400k-$600k a year. Not a bad living, especially if you enjoy golf.
PM me if you want additional info or have questions about the interview process. So far I’m 4/4 getting AFers hired as wholesalers.
Wait, do externals start making 500k as soon as theyre promoted from the internal level? Or is it more of…you eat what you kill. In other words: the better you get at sales, the more you’ll make assuming a relatively constant, good economy. Also, is it unheard of for people in their 30s to make 500k, or do most people hit that number once they’re in their 40s? Lastly, you said hours vary according to employer. Is it likely that externals will be working 9-5 making 500k? If so, why do ppl bother with ER or IB if theres this much easy money in wholesaling? Im talking about Bulge Brackets btw.
Sign me up! I highly doubt you can make that much without significant sacrifice of your work/life. Sales guys at my firm are always on the road.
Yeah Ive done some extensive research into careers in banking and most that pay over 250k by peak career usually require significantly more than 40 hours per week. That being said, a person I know does internal and makes decent money (70-110) with just 3 or 4 years experience. But he said it’s 9-5. I assume as you rise up the ranks the responsibilities ecomes pretty similar to IB MDs–persuade wealthy people to buy your product/shares. At that point Im guessing most people spend their time outside the office wining and dining. But Im guessing its significantly more than 40 hours at that point. Im only wondering why many people even do IB in the first place then. Even though externals probably work more, the MDs are probably putting in double the hours and are more stressed out, but getting paid similarly.
IB is more prestige in the finance circle, if you are in sales you’ll always be considered the "sales’ guy.
Lol Id rather be putting in 50 hours a week playing golf and wining and dining making 500k rather than putting in 90 making 600k.
@kferdy - You’re first couple years in the field you’d make toward the lower end of the range I gave, probably around $250-300k. But, that’s just because you’re building relationships and won’t have the sales. If, say, you cover the wirehouses and stumble into a huge team that makes your year, sure, you can easily make $500k your first year as an external.
Age has nothing to do with it. We have a 29 year old external that’s crushed it last year. Probably pulled down $600k easy. It’s just sales. Age, experience, certifications…all that can and does help, but it’s mostly about getting people to buy your products. If you’re young and like to party, you’ll find a crowd. If you’re older and experienced, you may find a niche in value-add and help advisors build their practices (and then they buy your products). There’s a lot of ways to skin this cat. But in the end, it’s just a sales number that determines your pay.
The economy doesn’t have a lot to do with it. 2008 was a great year for me. Depends on what products you sell and when they’re in favor.
IB is a much harder road to pave. I rarely work 40 hour weeks and even then most of the time I’m having fun. IB is rewarding and you can say you have a BSD, but I’d never put in the time the first 3-4 years. 80 work weeks can suck it. And, as for ER, that typically takes a different personality.
You mention this being a BB job. Are you talking about wholesaling their products to advisors at other firms or wholesaling your products to your firm’s advisors? If it’s the latter, you’ll make significantly less money. For example, you can be a JPMorgan wholesaler that calls on RIAs, or you can be a JPMorgan wholesaler that calls on Chase banks. Those are two very different jobs.
@klaudnine - The work/life balance is great IMO. It definitely depends though. If you’re a wholesaler that covers, for example, just Chicago you’re golden. Home every night for family dinner. If you cover six states, that’s another story. But you’re directionally correct. We don’t get paid well because we do something amazingly difficult. We get paid to travel and be away from our family. However, the guys that cover a small area, or, in my case, don’t necessarily have a geography so much as key accounts and don’t have to travel that much; we still make the same. Best of both worlds.
Youre responses have been very informative and I appreciate the time youve taken to write it up. My acquaintance, all I know about him, is that he’s registered as a FINRA broker and passed the 6, 7, and 63. But he took these exams several years ago and failed a couple of times lol. In your experience, which one is he? Also, are there people who just decide to stay internal bc it’s much less work?
You need the same licensing either way, so can’t tell.
Yes, there are career internals. It’s not a bad job if you like the company you work for and have a good relationship with your external. Some firms value internals more than others. I think they make a big difference, especially now when advisors want to do more via email than in person or over the phone. The internal role has become more important than it was years ago.
Still, there are some shops that are fine burning through internals, paying them $65k a year to make 70 dials a day. That sucks, hard. Find a shop with good product, only requires you to make about 40 dials a day, and understands the whole work/life balance thing? Yeah, people will happily stay at that kind of firm for 20 years and make $115-150k a year. Especially women. Women are better internals anyway and that’s a great second income with flexible hours.
Lastly, Ive heard that it’s becoming pretty competitive to become an external these days. Will more certifications help? From wallstreetoasis I heard that having a Cfa was not a requirement in the past. But now it’s pretty much expected.
^Depends on who you work for, but generally, no, it’s not expected. CIMA and if the firm sells Alts, the CAIA, are more common. However, it really comes down to who you’re calling on. If you’re working the wirehouse channel, or the traditional independent broker-dealers you don’t need your CFA. Many of them barely know what it is.
If you’re calling on large RIAs or move to institutional sales (that’s what I did) then it’s much more common because the people sitting across the table from you are either getting their CFA or already have it.
Based on the very little info you’ve provided, I seriously doubt any mid-to-large shop would ever hire you as an external right out of the gate. Maybe, maybe you’d be able to get on with a small asset manager. Sounds like you have sales experience (if that’s what you meant by pharma) and you have industry knowledge (ER background), but you have no relationships. Provided you’re a personable dude, you probably would get promoted off the desk pretty quickly (2-3 years).
The order externals get hired goes like this: 1) Try to poach an external from another shop that’s currently calling on the same territory you’d want them to cover (i.e. bring built in relationships); 2) promote an internal that knows your products, ideally the internal that worked the territory you’re trying to fill since they’ll know they advisors; 3) take a flyer on an external from a smaller shop.
he’s done a Pharma degree and hasn’t worked in the securities industry before. he’s just looking at the highest paid, lowest work jobs and trying to get in without putting the time in.
thanks for the great summary on wholesaler jobs though.
Check his other thread, he has neither of the things you assumed. He has a PharmD, not sales experience in Pharma. he also has little knowledge of finance & ER in general. he may be personable, who knows. He might make the best sales guy ever, but I cant imagine a PharmD and no sales experience will lend itself to helping get one of the positions. He is going to have to start at the bottom for sure.
OP why dont you just take job as a pharmacist at like walgreens? My GF has a bunch of friends in a program who didnt get an industry job who work at walgreens/cvs/rite aid and they make >100k and have a pretty easy gig. Why do all the work to go through a pharmacy program not to enjoy the benefits of the jobs it sets you up for?