Medical sales reps are a key link between pharmaceutical companies and medical and healthcare professionals. They work strategically to increase the awareness and use of a company's pharmaceutical and medical products in settings such as general practices, primary care trusts and hospitals. Based in a specific geographical location, and usually specialising in a particular product or medical area. They may also make presentations and organise group events for healthcare professionals, as well as working with contacts on a one-to-one basis.
In any setting, the process of selling involves: contacting potential customers; identifying their needs; persuading them that your products or services, rather than those of your competitors, can best satisfy those needs; closing the sale by agreeing the terms and conditions; and providing an after-sales service. Medical sales representatives do all of this and more.
In particular, typical work activities include:
- Arranging appointments with doctors, pharmacists and hospital medical teams, which may include pre-arranged appointments or regular 'cold' calling
- Making presentations to doctors, practice staff and nurses in GP surgeries, hospital doctors, and pharmacists in the retail sector. Presentations may take place in medical settings during the day or may be conducted in the evenings at a local hotel or conference venue
- Organising conferences for doctors and other medical staff
- Building and maintaining positive working relationships with medical staff
- Managing budgets (for catering, outside speakers, conferences, hospitality, etc)
- Keeping detailed records of all contacts, which may involve database management
- Planning work, schedules and weekly and monthly timetables. This may involve working with the area sales team or discussing future targets with the area sales manager.
Generally, medical sales executives have their own regional area of responsibility and plan how and when to target health professionals in that area
- Regularly attending company meetings, technical data presentations and briefings
- Keeping up with the latest clinical data supplied by the company and interpreting, presenting and discussing this data with health professionals during presentations
- Monitoring competitor activity and competitors' products
- Keeping informed of new developments in The National Health Service (NHS), anticipating potential negative and positive impacts on the business and adapting strategy accordingly
- Developing strategies for increasing opportunities to meet and talk to contacts in the medical and healthcare sector
- Staying informed about the activities of health services in a particular area
- Working with team managers to plan how to approach contacts and creating effective business plans for making sales in a particular area.
