How To Become An Instruments Sales Representative: What It Is and Career Path

What is an instruments sales representative and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Kevin Buckley

As an instrument sales representative, you are responsible for promoting and selling instrument products to meet the needs of the customers. You will perform product evaluations and demonstrate the value of the products to customers. With your product knowledge, you will resolve product problems and enlighten users and customers on the proper use and maintenance of the instruments. Other responsibilities include processing quotes and bids, responding to customer inquiries, and processing purchase orders.

For this role, employers require at least a bachelor's degree in economics, business, marketing, or a related field. Candidates are required to have proven experience in sales and be familiar with the sales process and dynamics. You must possess skills like customer service, communication, and interpersonal skills. You must be able to use Microsoft applications and work well in a fast-paced environment.

The annual salary of an instrument sales representative falls between $17,500 and $138,500, with an average yearly salary of $69,248.

What general advice would you give to an instruments sales representative?

Kevin Buckley

Professor of Practice, Sales & Marketing, University of Southern Mississippi

The biggest factor in earning potential is performance - salespeople get paid based on their ability to hit and exceed quotas through revenue generation. With a sales career, you have a lot of control over earnings. My advice is to be metrics-driven and have a plan to intentionally grow your sales skills through training, mentors, and personal development. Build a reputation for consistent over-achievement. It's also important to do research and understand typical compensation benchmarks. Some may offer higher base pay, while others offer more earnings leverage through aggressive commission/bonus structures.

ScoreInstruments Sales RepresentativeUS Average

Salary

8.4

Avg. Salary $129,809

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.6

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 5.20%

Black or African American 3.88%

Hispanic or Latino 14.50%

Unknown 3.72%

White 72.47%

Gender

female 33.59%

male 66.41%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress level

7.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an instruments sales representative

Explore instruments sales representative education requirements

Most common instruments sales representative degrees

Bachelor's

66.3 %

Associate

17.4 %

Master's

7.6 %

Start to develop specific instruments sales representative skills

Skills	Percentages
Capital Equipment	33.11%
Mixers	21.36%
Spine	15.42%
Chemistry	12.88%
Instrument Sales	11.46%

Complete relevant instruments sales representative training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New instruments sales representatives learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an instruments sales representative based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real instruments sales representative resumes.

Research instruments sales representative duties and responsibilities

Generate leads and evangelize product to physicians in orthopedics, hematology, internal medicine, surgery, critical care and cardiology.
Spearhead for the sales of high end clinical chemistry systems to hospital and reference labs.
Generate leads and evangelize product to physicians in orthopedics, hematology, internal medicine, surgery, critical care and cardiology.
Present PowerPoint presentations in a classroom environment to regional managers.

Apply for instruments sales representative jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an instruments sales representative job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams