exploring medical device sales
When choosing an industry in which to jump-start your sales career, medical device, and supplies sales are a great choice for someone looking for a challenging, dynamic environment. A medical sales representative markets products to doctors, insurance companies, or hospital buyers to convince these medical professionals of the value of the device. These representatives typically represent one particular company and focus on a specific field of medicine, so there is plenty of room for specificity and granularity in your work.
As a medical device sales representative, you will come across many of the same tasks associated with most sales roles, such as prospecting, generating and managing pipeline, using a customer relationship management (CRM) system, and arranging demonstrations and further components of the deal cycle for other members of your team. What makes this role unique is that it also consists of a lot of work out in the field. This includes visiting hospitals, surgical offices, and other medical establishments to demonstrate the functionality of the product in question. Medical device representatives will frequently attend seminars and conferences to educate themselves on the specifics of the products they sell, so you’ll never stop learning.
Medical device representatives typically operate in a specific territory, forming lasting relationships with a network of doctors and other healthcare professionals. Their objective is to keep these clients satisfied and ensure that they continue purchasing their equipment from that representative’s company. Because safety and patient well-being are at the forefront of every health care professional's mind, it is imperative that decision-makers have the utmost trust in the devices they choose to stock their facility. Building this trust and establishing rapport is a crucial aspect of this role, along with the ability to take accountability and provide a comprehensive and honest representation of the product in question.
Sales representatives tend to become experts on the products they are selling, and a background in sciences such as chemistry and biology help candidates have an advantage in this field. Individuals with a background in sports medicine, kinesiology, anatomy, and physiology also can excel. Having a strong understanding of how the body works and moves and being familiar with basic scientific concepts makes it easier for representatives to educate themselves and their prospects on the advantages of using their product. This pre-existing knowledge makes it much easier to earn clients’ trust by being able to answer many of their sophisticated questions about specific product details with concrete explanations and confidence.