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Specialty sales representative vs medical representative

The differences between specialty 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 a specialty sales representative and a medical representative. Additionally, a specialty sales representative has an average salary of $67,605, which is higher than the $36,309 average annual salary of a medical representative.

The top three skills for a specialty sales representative include patients, product knowledge and territory management. The most important skills for a medical representative are patients, customer service, and first aid kits.

Specialty sales representative vs medical representative overview

Specialty Sales RepresentativeMedical Representative
Yearly salary$67,605$36,309
Hourly rate$32.50$17.46
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs174,608176,481
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 86%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4747
Years of experience22

What does a specialty sales representative do?

Specialty sales representatives are responsible for selling products and services using firm arguments to possible clients. Also, they perform a cost-benefit study of present and prospective clients. These representatives support positive business relationships to guarantee future sales. Their main role is to give complete and correct solutions to clients to enhance top-line revenue progress, profitability, and investment levels. Their duties include reaching out to customer leads through telemarketing as well as maximize customer satisfaction by efficiently providing resolutions to their issues and complaints.

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.

Specialty sales representative vs medical representative salary

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

Specialty Sales RepresentativeMedical Representative
Average salary$67,605$36,309
Salary rangeBetween $40,000 And $113,000Between $27,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City-Lansing, MI
Highest paying state-Michigan
Best paying company-Capgemini
Best paying industry-Pharmaceutical

Differences between specialty sales representative and medical representative education

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

Specialty Sales RepresentativeMedical Representative
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 86%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Specialty sales representative vs medical representative demographics

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

Specialty Sales RepresentativeMedical Representative
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 50.9% Female, 49.1%Male, 45.2% Female, 54.8%
Race ratioBlack 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, 14.2% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between specialty sales representative and medical representative duties and responsibilities

Specialty sales representative example responsibilities.

  • Utilize CRM system and other applications to manage all sales within the renewal stages.
  • Collaborate with management, marketing, and training departments to achieve the common goals of Merck.
  • Manage allocated resources and accountable for pharmaceutical samples in accordance with FDA and PDMA guidelines; responsible for expense management.
  • Manage tough relationships with key reimbursement decision-makers in hospitals, renal and oncology clinics throughout territory.
  • Manage the development, productivity and utilization of local, regional and national speakers for hyperlipidemia and hypertension.
  • Perform several educational sales presentations to large audiences on appropriate pain management for patients.
  • Show more

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

Specialty sales representative vs medical representative skills

Common specialty sales representative skills
  • Patients, 14%
  • Product Knowledge, 9%
  • Territory Management, 7%
  • Neurology, 6%
  • Work Ethic, 6%
  • Medical Sales, 5%
Common medical representative skills
  • Patients, 17%
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • First Aid Kits, 9%
  • Incident Investigations, 9%
  • CPR, 6%
  • Medical Terminology, 6%