How to Become a Medical Sales Rep

If you’ve ever considered working in the health care industry but aren’t interested in a clinical position, medical sales may be a good career choice for you. As a medical sales rep, you’ll sell medical products to doctors, clinics, and hospitals. This role is often fast-paced and rewarding because the products, equipment, and services being sold are meant to help people better their health and lives.

Find out more about what medical sales reps do, how much you can earn in this position, and the steps you can take to pursue this exciting career choice.

Read more: Medical Sales Jobs: A Definitive Career Guide

What is a medical sales representative?

As a medical sales representative, you will develop and maintain relationships with customers in the health care industry and help match them with the medical supplies they might need to run their businesses. These customers include:

• Clinic administrators

• Hospital personnel

• Medical doctors

• Health care executives

What does a medical sales rep do? 

In this role, your goal is to boost the visibility of your company’s medical product or products and meet sales goals. By selling the latest medical products, you'll ensure professionals have the pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and medical equipment they need to service patients, clients, and customers. 

Examples of daily duties

Your daily duties as a medical sales rep will vary depending on where you work, what you sell, and who your customers are. Some job responsibilities might include: 

• Identifying the needs of customers

• Developing sales strategies

• Arranging meetings with customers or potential customers

• Using customer relationship management (CRM) software to store customer contact information and track customer interactions

• Supplying customers with product information

• Providing medical equipment and device demonstrations

• Communicating with customers and maintaining relationships after making a sale

• Traveling to meet with customers in person

• Attending trade shows, conferences, and other job-related events

• Conducting research to help you stay ahead of the competition 

• Preparing medical sales reports

Salary and job outlook 

According to Glassdoor, a medical sales representative in the US earns an average base salary of $67,793 per year [2]. With bonuses, commissions, or profit sharing, you have the potential to earn more. Keep in mind factors that influence your salary include location, education level, years of experience, and certifications.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) also reports that wholesale and manufacturing sales rep jobs will likely grow slightly between 2022 and 2032, with about 148,000 sales jobs opening up annually due to worker attrition [3].

Read more: High-Paying Sales Jobs: What Are They?

How to become a medical sales rep

To become a medical sales rep, consider the following three important steps:

1. Earn a degree.

Whether or not you need a college degree for a medical sales rep position depends on the company that's hiring. While many companies require a sales rep to have a degree, you will need at least a high school diploma or the equivalent. Taking coursework in business, statistics, and sciences such as biology or chemistry is also helpful. 

If you pursue a bachelor’s degree to become a medical sales rep, you may want to consider one of these fields:

• Business

• Pharmaceutical business

• Communications

• Marketing

• Health care-related fields 

• Biology or other life sciences 

• Pharmacology

You may choose to pursue a master’s degree as well, such as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or a graduate degree in life sciences. An advanced degree has the potential to increase your job prospects.

Read more: A Guide to Pharmaceutical Sales Jobs: Salary, Resume, and Skills

2. Get a certification.

Some professional certifications can help you get a medical sales rep job or advance in one. Examples of certifications you might consider include:

• Certified Professional Sales Person (CPSP) from the National Association of Sales Professionals: This certification is designed to teach learners how to consistently achieve sales goals in a cost-efficient way.

• Certified National Pharmaceutical Representative (CNPR) offered by the National Association of Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives: The CNPR is designed for entry-level sales reps looking to meet product and regulatory industry requirements to enter the pharmaceutical sales field.

3. Learn on your own.

You can also boost your chances of getting a medical sales rep job by continuing to learn independently. To expand your knowledge for this position, college courses in business, negotiation, life sciences, and pharmacology can be helpful.

In addition, you can gain internship experience and participate in workshops or conferences.

What workplace and technical skills do I need to work as a medical sales rep? 

As a medical sales representative, you can benefit from a number of workplace and technical skills, including the following:

• Ambition

• Confidence

• Communication and interpersonal skills

• Persuasiveness 

• An aptitude for business

• Customer service

• Time management 

• Problem-solving 

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and CRM software

• General medical terminology and knowledge

Read more: What Are Job Skills and Why Do They Matter?

Where do medical sales reps work? 

In this role, you’ll likely work out of your employer’s office or remotely. You may also spend much time traveling and meeting with customers in health care facilities, such as clinics, hospitals, and private medical or dental practices. Your job may also require you to meet with the manufacturers who make the products you sell.

You can find medical sales rep jobs in many specialized areas. These include:

• Biotech companies (products developed with natural, living materials such as cells)

• Medical device companies (products used to prevent, diagnose, or treat diseases, like artificial limbs and pacemakers)

• Medical equipment companies (products used for medical purposes excluding diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of disease, such as hospital beds and IV stands)

• Pharmaceutical companies (products like medications and vaccinations)

Medical sales rep career path

You may have several different options for advancing your career from a medical sales rep position. One possible career path might look like this:

• Medical sales rep → Senior medical sales rep → Medical sales manager

As a senior medical sales rep in the US, you can expect to earn an average base salary of $91,735 per year, with the potential for higher pay from bonuses, commissions, and profit sharing [4]. As a medical sales manager, you may earn an average base salary of $87,469 per year, with the potential for higher pay from bonuses, commissions, and profit sharing [5].

While you might be able to advance your career by working your way up through experience, some positions may require continuing education in the form of certifications or advanced degrees. 

Getting started with Coursera

Medical sales can be a rewarding and exciting career that allows you to work in the health care field and help patients without taking on a clinical position. You’ll find various options for pursuing an education and choosing a career path that’s right for you.

To get the sales background you need for a medical sales rep position, consider taking Sales and CRM Overview offered by the professionals at Salesforce on Coursera. This course will introduce you to fundamental sales concepts and help you build a solid background in using CRM software and other sales tools. You can complete this course according to your schedule, and you’ll receive a shareable certificate of completion when you’re finished.