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Instruments sales representative vs medical representative

The differences between instruments sales representatives and medical representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an instruments sales representative and a medical representative. Additionally, an instruments sales representative has an average salary of $129,809, which is higher than the $36,309 average annual salary of a medical representative.

The top three skills for an instruments sales representative include capital equipment, mixers and spine. The most important skills for a medical representative are patients, customer service, and first aid kits.

Instruments sales representative vs medical representative overview

Instruments Sales RepresentativeMedical Representative
Yearly salary$129,809$36,309
Hourly rate$62.41$17.46
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs159,779176,481
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4747
Years of experience22

What does an instruments sales representative do?

An Instruments Sales Representative is in charge of reaching out to potential clients and businesses, aiming to secure sales. They typically offer products and services to clients through calls, correspondence, or even face-to-face interactions, depending on their company of employment. They conduct market research and analysis to find business and client opportunities, identify and utilize marketing trends, generate leads, discuss product and payment details to clients, and develop sales strategies while adhering to its policies and regulations.

What does a medical representative do?

A medical representative is responsible for selling medical equipment, medications, and other medical supplies by demonstrating benefits and features to patients and healthcare professionals. Medical representatives work closely with their company's marketing department to develop strategic procedures and promotional techniques to attract customers and generate revenues for the business. They respond to the customers' inquiries and concerns, take their orders, and process their payments. A medical representative also analyzes the current trends in the medical industry to identify business opportunities that would establish a market presence.

Instruments sales representative vs medical representative salary

Instruments sales representatives and medical representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

Instruments Sales RepresentativeMedical Representative
Average salary$129,809$36,309
Salary rangeBetween $93,000 And $179,000Between $27,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City-Lansing, MI
Highest paying state-Michigan
Best paying company-Capgemini
Best paying industry-Pharmaceutical

Differences between instruments sales representative and medical representative education

There are a few differences between an instruments sales representative and a medical representative in terms of educational background:

Instruments Sales RepresentativeMedical Representative
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Instruments sales representative vs medical representative demographics

Here are the differences between instruments sales representatives' and medical representatives' demographics:

Instruments Sales RepresentativeMedical Representative
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 66.4% Female, 33.6%Male, 45.2% Female, 54.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between instruments sales representative and medical representative duties and responsibilities

Instruments sales representative example 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.

Medical representative example responsibilities.

  • Achieve market share growth in the psychiatry, cardiovascular, and neurology markets.
  • Lead the nation in new product introduction of ZAC, an anti hypertension medication.
  • Manage the sale of pharmaceuticals to treat hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes, depression, women's health and pain/neurological disorders.
  • Manage specialty sales of psychiatry and other products across Mid-Michigan health-care systems.
  • Manage products in gastroenterology, cardiology, endocrinology, psychiatry, rheumatology, and OB-GYN categories.
  • Achieve sales growth objectives by incorporating product/technical knowledge, teamwork, customer and multi-product focus, innovation and creativity.
  • Show more

Instruments sales representative vs medical representative skills

Common instruments sales representative skills
  • Capital Equipment, 33%
  • Mixers, 21%
  • Spine, 15%
  • Chemistry, 13%
  • Instrument Sales, 11%
  • Trade Shows, 6%
Common medical representative skills
  • Patients, 17%
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • First Aid Kits, 9%
  • Incident Investigations, 9%
  • CPR, 6%
  • Medical Terminology, 6%