How pharma actually sells in the United States
The customer is an organisation, not a person
Whether you supply finished product, act as a distributor or manufacture under contract, the buying decision passes through purchasing, quality and regulatory functions that rarely speak with one voice. A single enthusiastic contact does not create an order, and a deal can be commercially agreed months before it is administratively possible.
Qualification is the real sales cycle
The gap between interest and revenue is usually filled with supplier questionnaires, quality agreements, audits and documentation. Sales teams that treat this as somebody else's problem watch deals stall for a quarter without knowing which document is missing or who was supposed to send it.