Medical sales representative vs territory representative

The differences between medical sales representatives and territory representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a medical sales representative, becoming a territory representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a medical sales representative has an average salary of $74,079, which is higher than the $39,761 average annual salary of a territory representative.

The top three skills for a medical sales representative include patients, medical sales and customer service. The most important skills for a territory representative are customer service, patients, and customer relationships.

Medical sales representative vs territory representative overview

	Medical Sales Representative	Territory Representative
Yearly salary	$74,079	$39,761
Hourly rate	$35.61	$19.12
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	206,149	155,926
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	4

What does a medical sales representative do?

A medical sales representative, also known as a pharmaceutical sales representative, is an individual who is responsible for selling and promoting medications and medical equipment. Medical sales representatives set appointments with doctors, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals so that they can promote their company's medical supplies. They are required to build and maintain relationships with their customers so that they can encourage repeat purchases. Medical sales representatives should obtain a bachelor's degree in nursing, pharmacy, life sciences, or a related field.

What does a territory representative do?

A territory representative is responsible for selling the company's goods and services within a designated area, negotiating offers with potential clients, and identifying business opportunities according to market trends and customer demands. Territory representatives analyze the sales performance and strategize techniques to reach sales targets by coordinating with the whole sales team. They must be highly knowledgeable of the products offered by the company to demonstrate features and functionalities and respond to the inquiries and concerns the customers may have.

Medical sales representative vs territory representative salary

Medical sales representatives and territory representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Sales Representative	Territory Representative
Average salary	$74,079	$39,761
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $121,000	Between $31,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Intuitive Surgical	-
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	-

Differences between medical sales representative and territory representative education

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

	Medical Sales Representative	Territory Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Medical sales representative vs territory representative demographics

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

	Medical Sales Representative	Territory Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 51.3% Female, 48.7%	Male, 62.6% Female, 37.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between medical sales representative and territory representative duties and responsibilities

Medical sales representative example 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.
Present clinical information and lead discussions on various types of treatment for hypertension and acute coronary syndrome.
Utilize CRM database to manage and track prospect interaction to ensure accurate documentation of window requirements and ongoing communication.

Territory representative example responsibilities.

Manage and develop an extensive sales pipeline using SalesForce CRM products and phone-orient lead development techniques.
Accomplish this by actively prospecting new business, maintaining accountability on all sales efforts, and actualizing attentiveness to detail.
Design and facilitate educational and informative sales presentations and workshops for patients, family members, physicians and nurses.
Promote portfolio of products from multiple therapeutic classes to internal medicine, cardiology, allergy and pulmonology and family practice.
Develop product advocates in the cardiology space to influence usage at the primary care level.
Use computer systems (CRM) to track opportunities, update customer records, and record sales activity.

Medical sales representative vs territory representative skills

Common medical sales representative skills

Patients, 17%
Medical Sales, 16%
Customer Service, 9%
Sales Territory, 6%
Product Knowledge, 6%
Ventilation, 5%

Common territory representative skills

Customer Service, 12%
Patients, 10%
Customer Relationships, 9%
CRM, 9%
Territory Development, 6%
Food Handling, 5%

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Medical Sales Representative
Medical Sales Representative vs Territory Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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