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What is a medical sales representative and how to become one
A medical sales representative sells medical products to healthcare professionals, such as doctors and nurses. They are responsible for building relationships with clients, providing product information, and promoting the benefits of their products. The role involves meeting sales targets, developing marketing strategies, and keeping up-to-date with industry developments. Medical sales representatives often work for pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, or other healthcare organizations, independently or as part of a team.
What general advice would you give to a medical sales representative?
Frederik Beuk
Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Akron
Avg. Salary $74,079
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 4%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%
Asian 5.09%
Black or African American 3.78%
Hispanic or Latino 13.91%
Unknown 3.71%
White 73.28%
Genderfemale 48.72%
male 51.28%
Age - 48American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 48Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
What are the pros and cons of being a medical sales representative?
Pros
Opportunities for career advancement
Flexible work schedule
Access to cutting-edge medical technologies
Opportunity for travel
Ability to build strong relationships with healthcare professionals
Cons
High levels of competition
Pressure to meet sales quotas
Constant need to stay up-to-date with industry changes
Need to be able to handle rejection and setbacks
Ethical considerations in promoting products
Medical sales representative career paths
Key steps to become a medical sales representative
Explore medical sales representative education requirements
Start to develop specific medical sales representative skills
Skills Percentages Patients 16.68% Medical Sales 15.70% Customer Service 8.96% Sales Territory 6.32% Product Knowledge 5.59% Complete relevant medical sales representative training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New medical 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 a medical sales representative based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real medical sales representative resumes.Gain additional medical sales representative certifications
More About CertificationsMedical sales representative certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific medical sales representative certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.
The most common certifications for medical sales representatives include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Medical Assistant.
Research medical sales representative duties and responsibilities
- Lead the sales team in number of CPAP's sell monthly.
- Work closely with manage care plans, Medicare and Medicaid to ensure full coverage of all products in portfolio
- Follow policies and procedures to accomplish responsibilities including following HIPAA regulations.
- Develop customer relationships and achieve sales objectives for product portfolio consisting of CNS products.
Prepare your medical sales representative resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your medical sales representative resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a medical sales representative resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable medical sales representative resume templates
Build a professional medical sales representative resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your medical sales representative resume.
Apply for medical sales representative jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a medical 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
How did you land your first medical sales representative job
Are you a medical sales representative?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average medical sales representative salary
The average medical sales representative salary in the United States is $74,079 per year or $36 per hour. Medical sales representative salaries range between $45,000 and $121,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do medical sales representatives rate their job?
Medical sales representative reviews
Communicating and helping my clients.
The travel was extensive. Sometimes. It took more than month to close a deaĺ.
i enjoy the interaction with people, listen the customer in order to convert him/her into your friend, detect and help customer with his/her needs.
People without vision, dreams and selfishness.
I like helping people and physicians find out about products that can improve their lives. Company car is great too.
Some offices are just rude
Search for medical sales representative jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
