How to use LinkedIn to boost your Medical Sales Performance

Whether you’re a professional or a job hunter, LinkedIn is an essential tool for people in business. With 500 million users worldwide and a reputation for being one of the best platforms to network and make contacts, LinkedIn is something that everybody should be familiar with if they want to maximise their chances of performing well in their job, or scouting out their next opportunity.

This is especially true for people in Medical Sales. With a job that relies on fostering good relationships with everybody from doctors to clients, it is vital that a Medical Sales Representative makes the most of every platform they have available to them to cultivate sales leads, keep on top of the changing market and make connections with others. 

With LinkedIn recently having unveiled extensive changes to the way in which the platform is structured, here’s what you need to be doing if you want to increase your visibility on the site and boost your Medical Sales performance as a result.

Be active

One of the things that LinkedIn does so well is allow professionals to connect with other people in the same industry. Given that 80% of B2B leads have come from LinkedIn, and 43% of marketers have sourced a customer there, it makes sense to leverage the tremendous power that the social media platform has. 

Though many people have a tendency to create an account and then ignore it until they need it, the key to being successful on LinkedIn, and on building a strong network, is about getting active online. Post and share relevant articles, comment on other peoples’ social posts, and get involved in Medical Sales or pharmaceutical communities online. If you post things on those groups that are relevant to their demographic, then people will start to seek you out and make connections which you can then turn into conversations. You can even offer services in return for services: for instance, offer to put people in touch in return for a similar favour. 

Before you know it, you’ll be an influential member of the community- and you may even be able to source customers and clients, too.

Be concise

Getting noticed on the new version of LinkedIn is all about being savvy with the way you market yourself. Today, you only have 225 characters that are visible on your LinkedIn feed, or on your profile, in which to describe yourself- after which, users can click to expand your post if you want. To attract the attention of clients, customers and colleagues, it may be a good idea to revamp your profile and learn how to write catchy 225-character introductions to posts that will engage people and make them more likely to click on what you’re offering.

Tailor your profile

On average, a company’s employees have 10 times more connections than the company has followers. However, you’ll be much more likely to attract clients, and cultivate a productive relationship with them, if they see you as somebody it’s worth taking the time to get to know. Your LinkedIn profile should demonstrate your professional approach, and advertise you to whoever happens to click on it: to do that, you need to invest some time into making sure it shows a version of you that you want to portray.

To do this, you need to have the basics covered: for instance, a photo and cover photo, as well as an interesting and concise introduction on your profile. LinkedIn’s new layout means that only the top three skills that you’re endorsed for appear at the top of your profile, so make sure they’re skills that are relevant to the Medical Sales industry: for instance, Account Management, as well as one that shows browsers your expertise in a certain disease, drug or Medical Device. 

To flesh out your profile, you should also take the time to include your contact details and job history: after all, the more people know about you and your experience in the industry, the more likely they are to see you as a valuable contact. Even better, adding your old employers to your profile will also make it easier to find connections, fellow current and ex-employees- some of whom will likely be worth getting in touch with.

Don’t be afraid to get in touch

As a Sales Representative, it’s important not to be shy. The connections that you make on LinkedIn could lead to your next big sale, or a valuable business relationship: to make the most of LinkedIn, get stuck in. Make the most of your existing connections; add people after meeting them at industry events or conferences, and don’t be afraid to send a follow-up email or message to them afterwards, introducing yourself or asking to exchange information or meet up. 

This also has its advantages, as the more people you get in touch with, the more you can ask to flesh out your Testimonials and References on your LinkedIn page.

Are you ready to put this into action?

Taking the time to improve your LinkedIn profile, and the way in which you use it, may be time-consuming, but it pays dividends in customer and client engagement and sales leads. If you’re a Medical Sales Representative, don’t miss out on the opportunities being social media-savvy can bring: get posting.

At IQVIA, we take the time to match the best people in Medical Sales to the best jobs out there. Have a look at our medical sales rep vacancies, and start a rewarding career with us.