Becoming a Medical Sales Representative

Medical Sales Representatives are responsible for selling pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, medical device, or consumable products on behalf of their employer. As such, they will act to identify sales leads and provide support to clients. Medical Sales Representatives are responsible for educating prospective and current clients through presentations, calls, and training. Salaries for Medical Sales Representatives are varied depending on the scientific area and how specialised the product is. Generally, there is an element of commission involved.

What does a Medical Sales Representitive do?      

Medical Sales Representatives can be internal or external. Internal Sales Representatives correspond with clients through calls and online, whereas external Sales Representatives interact with clients face-to-face. External Sales Representatives often work within a specific geographical location known as a “territory”. It is important that Medical Sales Representatives are knowledgeable about the product they are responsible for selling in order to educate clients and answer their questions. Some examples of the types of responsibilities that Medical Sales Representatives are listed below:       

  • Responding to customer queries
  • Educating clients through presentations and calls
  • Building strong professional relationships with clients
  • Potentially organising conferences
  • Analysing sales data
  • Managing product pricing
  • Sourcing key products
  • Communicating scientific and commercial information to colleagues and clients
  • Identifying new business opportunities
  • Attending meetings, symposia, seminars, and exhibitions
  • Preparing quotes
  • Collaborating with wider operations teams
  • Responding to client complaints
  • Highlighting market problems and providing solutions
  • Potentially writing technical content for marketing material such as webpages and brochures
  • Assisting in market research

What do I need to become a Medical Sales Representative?    

  • A bachelor’s degree in a relevant scientific field (a 2:1 is commonly required)  
  • Preferentially, some experience in industry, as working in an industrial scientific position will give a better understanding of consumable management   
  • Superb verbal and written communication skills  
  • Excellent interpersonal skills  
  • Ability to speak confidently to a variety of highly skilled professionals
  • Willingness and means to travel (if external)
  • Ability to travel on occasion to conferences and client meetings 
  • Capable of quickly understanding a range of scientific areas
  • Excellent organisation and time management skills

How do I apply to become a Medical Sales Representative?           

Vacancies for Medical Sales Representatives are typically advertised online, either on job-seeking websites or the companies own website. As part of the advertisement, many companies may highlight a preference for previous industry experience. Gaining this experience could be achieved through first attaining an industry role such as QA or QC Scientist or Technician.

How does the career and salary of a Medical Sales Representative progress?                

Some will work for commissions, meaning that their base salary may appear low, but with uncapped commission, could be much higher. These supplements and bonuses mean that Medical Sales Representatives can achieve high earnings if they meet and exceed sales targets.

An example of a Medical Sales Representative can be found below:     

Estimated Year into Career   Title    Average Salary Range1    
0 – 2   Medical Device Associate Sales Representative    £28,678   
2 – 5   Medical Device Sales Representative   £35,211
5 – 7   Territory Manager – Medical Device Sales   £38,683   
7 – 9    Business Development Manager in Healthcare   £43,444   
9+Senior Business Development Manager in Healthcare  £56,096 
1: Average stated on glassdoor.com [Accessed 17/10/2021]  

Tips for applying to become a Medical Sales Representative:                

  • Ensure that your cover letter and CV are well written and free of typos and errors 
  • If possible, demonstrate previous experience in industry to strengthen your application
  • In your cover letter, identify the “values” of the company (usually stated on their website) and highlight how you align with them 
  • Research the standards the company you are applying to follow and demonstrate your knowledge of these in interviews
  • Demonstrate on your CV any experience you have with verbally presenting your work, such as at conferences or poster sessions