What does every medical device or pharmaceutical sales team have in common? It isn’t having fancy customer relationship management (CRM) software, continuous education to sharpen skills, and strong leadership.
While these are all important for a successful sales department, the one basic thing they all need is skilled and motivated sales representatives to put in the work of selling products and services while building positive relationships with customers.
However, many pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing companies struggle to find qualified sales talent. This creates a valuable opportunity for people to become medical sales reps.
“Do I need a degree to work in medical sales? Is there some medical sales college I can attend? What are the medical sales job requirements I need to prepare for?” These are all important questions that a potential medical or pharma sales rep might have before trying to break into the field.
So, to help you find a potential career in medical sales (and so we can find fresh new talent to pair up with medical and pharmaceutical companies), we put together some information and advice to help you get started in this industry:
First and foremost, why should you get into medical device and pharmaceutical sales? The industry can be challenging—companies expect both results and a strong adherence to government regulations. Because goals are so important and regulations change, being a medical sales representative can be a high-stress job.
As competitive as the field of medical sales is, it can also be incredibly rewarding, too. Medical sales reps are classified as “wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products” by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Also according to BLS, the median annual wage for these sales reps was $86,650 in 2020. Compare this to the median income of the average retail worker, which was $37,320.
Other sources, such as MedReps, report an even higher average salary for medical sales. According to the MedReps 2021 Medical Sales Salary Report, the median base salary for medical reps is $95,000 (up $5k from 2020) and an average total salary of $172,577 (this includes monetary value of benefits and bonuses).
The discrepancy between the BLS and MedReps data can be explained by the data sets they each work with. The BLS data includes non-medical sales reps under the blanket term of “wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products.” Meanwhile, the MedReps report focuses specifically on medical and pharmaceutical sales reps.
To secure top sales talent, many pharmaceutical and medical companies are offering lucrative bonuses and additional, non-salary benefits—such as:
Also, as noted by BLS, the market for the employment of sales reps for wholesale technical and scientific products is projected to grow 6% over the 2020 to 2030 period.
In short, the medical sales field is a lucrative one with lots of opportunities for motivated individuals who aren’t afraid of a challenge.
Not just anyone can become a medical sales rep. There are certain requirements that a medical or pharmaceutical company will expect applicants to meet before they can be added to the sales team.
Requirements may vary from one organization to the next, but commonly include items like:
Many organizations require medical sales job applicants to possess some form of secondary education with a degree from an accredited university. However, they don’t always require a specific type of degree.
For example, in some organizations, a Bachelor’s degree is enough to qualify, even if the degree is in English instead of a degree related to medicine, biology, or business administration. In other organizations, they may show a preference for a given field of study or education level (like a Master’s of Business Administration or a Ph.D. related to a medical field).
A degree is a solid indication of your willingness and ability to learn new information—which is a must when you’re dealing with a field where regulations can change and new products are always being introduced.
As with any sales job, companies hiring medical sales reps will often prefer applicants who have previous job experience. Additionally, proven sales reps with strong track records of performance may be able to negotiate for better salaries to begin with.
However, everyone has to start somewhere. While previous sales experience is frequently cited, it may not always be strictly necessary. Some companies may provide extensive training for new hires.
It is common for employers in the medical sales industry to require their sales reps to acquire specific certifications prior to joining the sales team. For example, a certificate from the National Association of Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives (NAPSR) might be acceptable for many organizations.
However, before entering any certification program, it’s important to check to make sure that it’s a reliable one that will actually provide useful information and training—there are many so-called “certification programs” that do little to prepare you for the realities of being a medical sales rep.
It can help to take a look at potential pharmaceutical or medical device companies and see which certifications they require before applying for a certification program.
It’s not a requirement you’ll see on a job posting, but many companies prefer to hire people who have connections in the industry. This often translates into hiring people that have built a “personal brand.”
This network of connections from both personal relationships and online sources like LinkedIn can demonstrate a strong ability to form relationships with others. This can be a vital skill for sales reps in any industry.
In short, networking and building a personal brand is a must—even if a potential employer doesn’t put it on their job postings.
Okay, you’ve completed your postsecondary education, built a large online presence, formed connections with people, and completed a certification course… now what? Where can you go to get started on finding medical sales work?
There are a lot of avenues you can use to get your foot in the door. For instance, if your education was in a field related to medical sales, you could leverage your school’s connections within the industry to help you find placement with a medical or pharmaceutical sales department.
Or, you could try to leverage some of the connections you made on LinkedIn to get an inside line on new medical sales opportunities.
Looking through job posting sites like Monster or Indeed can also help you quickly find new opportunities in the field. However, when reading online job postings, be sure to carefully review them before applying. Some jobs may have extra requirements or expectations that go beyond the norm.
Another way to find employment in the medical sales industry is to network with a contract sales organization (CSO) like Axxelus. Axxelus is a CSO that specializes in pairing motivated individuals with medical and pharmaceutical companies that need skilled sales reps.
This can be an incredibly easy way for sales reps to get started in the field—instead of having to market themselves to different pharmaceutical companies, they can let the CSO do the legwork. Of course, the CSO will also have standards for the medical sales reps they add—and they will do their best to verify that sales reps meet the needs of each client.
If you think you’re ready for a career in medical sales, reach out to Axxelus now!
