Medical sales representatives typically enjoy a financially rewarding career that can be full of variety in opportunities and travel. Additionally, it is predicted by the Bureau of Labor statistics that sales representatives in this area will experience growing demand in the coming years.
What Medical Sales Representatives Do
Medical sales reps are in direct contact with doctors’ clinics, medical centers, and hospitals, marketing medical products and medical services.
As is the case in most sales positions, a medical sales representative is responsible for a specific territory.
Some sales representative positions require a fair amount of traveling to meet with potential and existing customers while other positions require little to no travel. The ability to communicate the value of new medical products and services while maintaining a strong relationship with existing clients is of high importance. Additionally, once a new product or service is in place, a medical sales rep will frequently contact clients on a regular basis to ensure satisfaction is maintained and to nurture the client relationship.
A medical sales representative will need to fully understand what they are selling so they can communicate the benefits of the products as well as answer questions from doctors and their staff in an educated manner. This requires continual education of developments within the medical community related to the products and services as well as the competition.
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Education Requirements
Employers of medical sales representatives typically do not require formal education; however, a background or college degree in a related field such as life sciences, pharmacy, medicine, nursing, or dentistry is generally preferred in a candidate.
There are opportunities for certification and professional training:
- Certified Sales Professional (CSP)This certification is offered by MRERF (The Manufacturers’ Representatives Educational Research Foundation).This program is 3 ½ days in length and teaches the participants how to be more effective consultative sales representatives as well as business skills such as account management, territory planning, and new business strategies.For more information, visit:https://mrerf.org/certifications-and-training/csp/
- National Association of Medical Sales Representatives (NAMSR)This organization offers ongoing training for sales representatives in the medical field and is the largest association in the world for medical sales reps.NAMSR offers a course for those interested in entering the field of medical sales. If you are a more experienced sales rep and you’ve been in your medical sales territory for more than two years, they have a course designed to enhance selling skills and to update information on medical trends. They also have a course for those who will be entering into a regional or district-level sales management position.Their courses are provided in a distance-learning format.For more information, visit:http://www.medicalsalescareer.com/trainingcourse.html
Medical Sales Reps Salaries
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, sales representatives for wholesale and manufacturing, technical, and scientific products nationally average $41.16 an hour.
In Arizona the mean wage for sales representatives in this category as of May 2013 was $87,770 and the top 10% earned $157,520.
The Phoenix, Mesa, Glendale area was one of the areas in the United States with the highest employment level for sales reps, with an hourly mean wage of $42.58.
According to GlassDoor.com, the median salary for medical sales representatives was $78,500 in May 2013.
Related Information
Medical Sales Representative Jobs in Arizona
Desert Medical Careers has worked with Arizona Medical Sales Reps for over 19 years to find them the best salaries, work environments, and positions. We staff healthcare related jobs in Central Phoenix, North Phoenix, Anthem, Peoria, Scottsdale, Tempe, Queen Creek, and West Phoenix. Read More.
Additional Sources
http://www.bls.gov/oes/CURRENT/oes414011.htm
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/medical_sales_representative_entry_requirements.htm
http://www.businessinsider.com/4-legendary-benefits-of-working-in-medical-sales-2013-11