Which medical sales career path suits your strengths

If you’re just starting to dip your toes into the waters of the medical sales industry, you may find that your first challenge is finding the career path that’s perfect for you. Just like any career, a fantastic work ethic, dedication and passion is needed to succeed. In medical sales, however, there are some set traits that are more effective and desirable in certain roles.

With the healthcare industry expected to reach a value of over $8 trillion in 2022, now is the ultimate time to work in medical sales. A recent survey found that 75% of workers wanted to be employed by a company that makes a positive contribution to society. The medical sales industry is full of sought-after roles that allow you to have an impact on people’s lives.

Here, we outline the skills and strengths that suit key medical sales roles so you can find your ideal career starting point.

Key account manager

A key account manager’s primary role is to retain top clients and maintain those relationships long-term. In general, KAMs act as a strategic partner and advisor to the client, finding new ways to work together for the benefit of both parties. Key account management is a long-term strategy that can deliver significant value over time.

The most important strength to have as a key account manager is communication. As the contact for the customer and the wider company, a KAM should possess superb communication skills both in person and via virtual means

Key account managers are also leaders, and command respect from both clients and colleagues. They must be adept at directing customers and managing employees at all levels of the business. As KAMs often manage teams, they must be able to motivate groups of colleagues by showing enthusiasm, passion and good decision making. If you feel you have these skills and more, then a key account manager job may be the right choice for you.

Medical sales rep

Medical sales is a demanding area and can be an extremely competitive industry to enter. It may go without saying, but success as a medical sales rep lies in strong selling ability. Unless they make sales, medical sales reps can’t meet their targets and goals or fulfil the job requirements.

The life of a medical sales rep is filled with deadlines and meetings with clients. They must have excellent organisation and time management skills to be able to conduct themselves efficiently. Finally, having an in-depth knowledge of medical products can be the difference between a successful and unsuccessful pharma sales rep career. Keeping up with medical trends is essential and can push you ahead of the competition. Should you decide that sales, organisation and medical knowledge are your strongest suits, then a medical sales rep job could be for you.

Medical science liaison

The role of a medical science liaison is centred around educating clients as opposed to selling products. The main responsibilities of the job are to: inform clinicians about particular drugs or medical devices, answer any follow-up questions about the products and feed the information back to their colleagues.

As a result, MSLs require an abundance of medical skills and business acumen, plus great networking skills to build up a pool of contacts. As it's a medical science liaison’s job to provide clinicians and colleagues with accurate and digestible, being able to effectively articulate key information is an essential skill.

If your strengths lie in researching then this role may be ideal for you. As mentioned earlier, an MSL will spend a lot of time educating and relaying information, therefore a significant amount of accurate research is required to ensure that the data is reliable and up to date. If you possess each of these skills with some determination and a great work ethic on top, then you have every chance of succeeding in a medical sales liaison job.

Start your new medical sales career with IQVIA

At IQVIA, we specialise in finding the best candidates for medical sales jobs. If you have the key skills and strengths needed for a career in medical sales, then IQVIA can help you find the perfect role.

By working with IQVIA, you will embark on a rewarding career and play a crucial role in helping our clients improve the healthcare industry.

Browse our latest jobs and join us on our mission to change healthcare for the better.

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