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.
Medical sales representative responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real medical sales representative resumes:
- 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.
- Promote to multiple specialties, including psychiatry, gastroenterology, and pediatrics.
- Conduct clinically brand-specific presentations for 1st-in-class diabetes medication and novel oral anti-coagulant to internal medicine and family practice physicians.
- Work in cardiology, endocrinology, infectious disease, urology and OB/GYN.
- Demonstrate strong product and disease state knowledge within Alzheimer's and Gastroenterology markets.
- Devise strategic business plan down to the pre-call planning, maximizing each selling opportunity within Alzheimer's and Gastroenterology markets.
- Develop business relationships with target physicians and healthcareprofessionals in primary care, psychiatry and gastroenterology.
- Attend surgeries, supplying surgical implants and professional support to surgeons specializing in orthopedic spine and neurologic surgeries.
- Present drugs and medications for sale to hospitals' hematology, neurosurgery, and internal medicine and oncology departments.
- Ensure functionality of the EMR.
Medical sales representative skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Medical Sales Representatives are proficient in Patients, Medical Sales, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Interpersonal skills, and Physical stamina.
We break down the percentage of Medical Sales Representatives that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 17%
Recognized as a subject matter expert with insight into optimal equipment for treating patients with respiratory conditions and sleeping disorders.
- Medical Sales, 16%
Promoted up the corporate ladder from Sales Representative to Professional Sales Representative to Medical Sales Representative to Senior Medical Sales Representative.
- Customer Service, 9%
Generated new sales through prospecting; seeking referrals; penetrating existing customer accounts; and providing exceptional customer service.
- Sales Territory, 6%
Utilize consultative sales techniques to drive quarterly promotions Manage local relationships between manufacturer partners and clients within sales territory.
- Product Knowledge, 6%
Discussed and distributed clinical studies and product knowledge pertaining to pharmaceutical products and medical devices to physicians and medical staff.
- Ventilation, 5%
Lectured and trained physicians on the use of positive pressure ventilation.
"patients," "medical sales," and "customer service" are among the most common skills that medical sales representatives use at work. You can find even more medical sales representative responsibilities below, including:
Customer-service skills. One of the key soft skills for a medical sales representative to have is customer-service skills. You can see how this relates to what medical sales representatives do because "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be able to listen to the customer’s needs and concerns before and after the sale." Additionally, a medical sales representative resume shows how medical sales representatives use customer-service skills: "educated customers with fda and osha regulations and requirements. "
Interpersonal skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling medical sales representative duties is interpersonal skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be able to work well with many types of people." According to a medical sales representative resume, here's how medical sales representatives can utilize interpersonal skills in their job responsibilities: "promoted client satisfaction through interpersonal relationships, consultation and follow-up with the physicians and their patients. "
Physical stamina. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of medical sales representatives is physical stamina. This skill is critical to many everyday medical sales representative duties, as "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives are often on their feet for a long time and may carry heavy sample products." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "schedule and conduct in-services/ sales presentations with physicians and physical therapy groups. "
Self-confidence. medical sales representative responsibilities often require "self-confidence." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be confident and persuasive when making sales presentations." This resume example shows what medical sales representatives do with self-confidence on a typical day: "gained customer confidence and commitments utilizing sales skills, marketing strategies, and disease state mastery. "
The three companies that hire the most medical sales representatives are:
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Compare different medical sales representatives
Medical sales representative vs. Pharmaceutical sales specialist
A pharmaceutical sales specialist's primary duty is to reach out to pharmacies, medical facilities, and physicians to discuss the latest medical drugs in an effort to secure sales. Their responsibilities typically revolve around learning and understanding everything about the products that they are offering, traveling to different areas to deliver samples, and maintaining records of all transactions. Furthermore, as a pharmaceutical sales specialist, it is essential to create marketing materials and build positive relationships with clients to accomplish sales targets, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a medical sales representative are more likely to require skills like "customer service," "ventilation," "sales quota," and "durable medical equipment." On the other hand, a job as a pharmaceutical sales specialist requires skills like "clinical evidence," "diabetes," "business plan," and "sales strategies." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Pharmaceutical sales specialists earn the highest salaries when working in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average yearly salary of $126,357. On the other hand, medical sales representatives are paid more in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $82,458.On average, pharmaceutical sales specialists reach similar levels of education than medical sales representatives. Pharmaceutical sales specialists are 2.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Medical sales representative vs. Territory representative
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.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, medical sales representative responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "ventilation," "durable medical equipment," "medical products," and "medical devices." Meanwhile, a territory representative has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer relationships," "crm," "food handling," and "food safety." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Territory representatives earn similar levels of education than medical sales representatives in general. They're 2.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Medical sales representative vs. Sales development representative
A sales development representative qualifies leads at the sales funnel's initial stages. Sales development representatives need to conduct research for prospective clients and qualify the leads before handing them to the sales team. They develop sales strategies to attract buyers or solicit potential customers. They need to build relationships with their customers to determine their needs and qualify the viability of interests to drive sales. Also, they collaborate with the sales executives making certain that corporate targets and goals are met.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a medical sales representative is likely to be skilled in "patients," "medical sales," "sales territory," and "ventilation," while a typical sales development representative is skilled in "sdr," "lead generation," "account executives," and "linkedin."
Sales development representatives earn the highest salary when working in the start-up industry, where they receive an average salary of $54,512. Comparatively, medical sales representatives have the highest earning potential in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $82,458.Most sales development representatives achieve a similar degree level compared to medical sales representatives. For example, they're 3.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Medical sales representative vs. Sales representative internship
In a sales representative internship, an intern's duties depend on the directives of a supervising staff or manager. Typically, they are responsible for gaining industry insights while performing clerical tasks such as preparing and processing documents, greeting visitors, disseminating and organizing files, and running errands as needed. They may also participate in communicating with clients through calls and appointments to offer products and services, ensuring client satisfaction. Furthermore, as an intern, it is essential to familiarize and abide by the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between medical sales representatives and sales representative interns, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a medical sales representative might have more use for skills like "patients," "medical sales," "sales territory," and "ventilation." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of sales representative interns require skills like "kids," "powerpoint," "sales process," and "outbound calls. "
In general, sales representative interns hold similar degree levels compared to medical sales representatives. Sales representative interns are 1.6% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of medical sales representative
Updated January 8, 2025
