How to sell to Heads of Sales at Biotech companies
Heads of Sales in biotech are primarily measured on revenue growth from new client acquisitions. They respond to outreach that demonstrates a clear understanding of the unique challenges in selling complex life sciences solutions, particularly how to streamline sales cycles and improve collaboration with clinical teams for better outcomes.
Written and maintained by the SoloRiff team, who build outbound software and run outbound with it. The figures below are our own: we measured 573 biotech company domains over public DNS on 2026-09-03. Last updated 2026-09-03.
What actually hurts
- extended sales cycles
- regulatory compliance delays
- collaboration with clinical teams
- high customer acquisition costs
The playbook
- 01
Identify recent funding rounds
Filter for biotech companies that have recently secured Series A or B funding. These companies often have increased budgets and urgency to scale their sales efforts, making them more receptive to outreach that highlights growth-driven solutions.
- 02
Research product launch timelines
Look for biotech firms that are preparing to launch new products or services in the next quarter. Tailor your outreach to emphasize how your solution can enhance their sales strategy during this critical time, addressing any potential obstacles they might face.
- 03
Highlight regulatory challenges
Craft your messaging to address common regulatory hurdles in biotech sales, such as navigating FDA approvals. Showing an understanding of these challenges in your outreach can resonate deeply and encourage engagement from the Heads of Sales who are keen on compliance.
- 04
Leverage industry-specific case studies
When following up, reference specific case studies from the biotech sector that demonstrate successful sales strategies. This approach shows that you comprehend their unique environment and can provide tailored solutions that have proven effective.
- 05
Schedule after quarterly reviews
Plan your outreach to coincide with the conclusion of quarterly sales reviews, which typically occur in the first week of the month. This timing allows you to connect with Heads of Sales when they are evaluating performance and considering new strategies for improvement.
Can biotech companies even receive your mail?
We measured the DNS of 573 biotech companies, sampled evenly across company sizes, to see how many authenticate their own email. It matters in both directions: a domain that does not authenticate is a domain whose team is used to mail going missing — and if your own domain is in the gap, yours is the mail going missing.
Publishes a DMARC policy of quarantine or reject — the domain actually asks receivers to act on failures.
The gap is the finding: 27% of 1–10-person companies against 84.3% of the largest — 57 points apart. Small companies are where the unauthenticated domains are, and small companies are who most cold outreach is aimed at.
Where does your domain sit?
Same three lookups, run live against your domain. Nothing is stored and nothing is emailed to you.
How this was measured
Company domains were sampled within employee-count bands, then queried over public DNS for SPF (TXT at the apex), DMARC (TXT at _dmarc.) and MX. One domain per company, deduplicated. Anyone can reproduce any single row of this with dig.
DKIM is deliberately absent. A DKIM key lives under a selector that cannot be enumerated from outside the domain, so a company with flawless DKIM under a name we did not guess would be counted as having none. That would measure our guess list, not the industry.
Domains with no MX record are excluded rather than counted as failures — parked and redirect-only domains would otherwise drag every figure down and make the result an artefact of the sample.
Sampled within bands, so this describes the population of companies, not of employees: a 10-person company counts once, as does a 10,000-person one. Each band is at least 60 domains; bands below that are not published. Figures are percentages of the sample, not of the whole industry, and we publish no company names — only counts.
Measured 2026-09-03. Re-measured monthly.
The full census across every industry — sortable, with sample sizes, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
Subject lines that fit
- Navigating biotech sales challenges
- Accelerate your sales growth
- Strategies for biotech product launches
Questions
- Why do Heads of Sales in biotech ignore outreach about generic sales tools?
- Heads of Sales in biotech often ignore generic outreach because they require solutions that address the specific complexities of their industry, such as regulatory compliance and lengthy sales cycles. They are looking for tailored insights rather than one-size-fits-all sales tools.
- What common mistakes do sales teams make in biotech?
- Sales teams in biotech often underestimate the importance of understanding clinical data and its implications for sales conversations. Failing to align sales strategies with the scientific and regulatory landscape can lead to missed opportunities and stalled deals.
- How do biotech Heads of Sales prioritize leads?
- Biotech Heads of Sales prioritize leads based on factors like the potential for strategic partnerships, alignment with clinical trials, and the readiness of prospects to engage with complex solutions. They seek leads that can translate into long-term relationships rather than quick wins.
- What influences the decision-making process for biotech sales leaders?
- The decision-making process for biotech sales leaders is heavily influenced by the need for compliance with regulatory standards, the urgency of product launches, and the competitive landscape. They require solutions that demonstrate a clear understanding of these dynamics to make informed decisions.
Or have it run itself
SoloRiff does every step above on its own — finds the companies, finds the people, writes each of them individually, and handles the replies. Drop your URL and watch it work before you sign up for anything.
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