Sales representative vs medical sales representative

The differences between sales representatives and medical sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a sales representative, becoming a medical sales representative takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a medical sales representative has an average salary of $74,079, which is higher than the $56,591 average annual salary of a sales representative.

The top three skills for a sales representative include sales process, product knowledge and customer service. The most important skills for a medical sales representative are patients, medical sales, and customer service.

Sales representative vs medical sales representative overview

	Sales Representative	Medical Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$56,591	$74,079
Hourly rate	$27.21	$35.61
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	205,456	206,149
Job satisfaction	4.33	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	2

What does a sales representative do?

Sales representatives primarily sell the company's products and services to businesses or organizations. They should be adept at closing out sales, negotiating, and providing customer service. They should be knowledgeable about the products or services of the manufacturer or producer they represent. They must also have strong analytical skills that would help them in coming up with cost-benefit analysis in assessing the current roster of clients and even prospective ones. Sales representatives should also be able to maintain good working relationships with all involved stakeholders, especially clients.

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.

Sales representative vs medical sales representative salary

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

	Sales Representative	Medical Sales Representative
Average salary	$56,591	$74,079
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $94,000	Between $45,000 And $121,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Google	Intuitive Surgical
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Pharmaceutical

Differences between sales representative and medical sales representative education

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

	Sales Representative	Medical Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	University of Pennsylvania

Sales representative vs medical sales representative demographics

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

	Sales Representative	Medical Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9%	Male, 51.3% Female, 48.7%
Race ratio	Black 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, 13.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between sales representative and medical sales representative duties and responsibilities

Sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage prospective leads and existing accounts through a CRM platform to accurately forecast revenue and develop long-term business partnerships.
Manage and create all content distribute via various social media outlets: Facebook, twitter, feedback blogs, etc.
Search for procurement contracts, attend trade shows, design flyers, postcards, etc.
Utilize POS sales software to maintain monetary sales information produce reports for organizational review.
Develop and maintain business relationships with businesses and policyholders using establish methods such as customer relationship management CRM.
Handle administrative and sales duties as Jr.

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.

Sales representative vs medical sales representative skills

Common sales representative skills

Sales Process, 9%
Product Knowledge, 9%
Customer Service, 7%
CRM, 6%
Business Development, 6%
Sales REP, 5%

Common medical sales representative skills

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

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Sales Representative vs Medical Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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