
The Ultimate A-Z of Becoming a Medical Sales Rep
Does the idea of being a medical sales rep excite you? This crucial position lets you make connections with companies and practitioners in the medical field. It’s also a growing and dynamic industry. In 2023, the global market for medical devices was USD $536.12 billion, but it’s expected to grow to $799.67 billion in 2030.
IQVIA medical sales positions are waiting for you right now. Before you apply to one, though, you need to know what these jobs are all about.
If you’re thinking about stepping into one of these medical sales rep jobs, you’ve got to know whether you have the skill set this position requires. You should be eager to travel and learn new skills. You should also be enthusiastic about hitting your target numbers and meeting people.
IQVIA knows you need more information before tackling medical sales as a career. That’s why we’ve put together this handy A-Z guide. Keep reading to discover what this position has in store. You might be one of the lucky few who can drive the future of healthcare toward new frontiers.
Accreditations Help Medical Sales Reps
The proper accreditations are a must if you want to get into medical sales. You'll learn how to highlight a product's features while pursuing certifications like Professional Certified Marketer or Certified Sales Representative. You’ll be well-equipped to point out what each new technological innovation can do for your potential customers. The more certifications you have, the more confident you’ll feel as you break into the medical sales field.
Determination Lets You Meet Your Goals
As a medical sales rep, you will have targets and activity goals for your territory that your reporting manager will assign to you. They’ll be there to cheer you on and help you to meet your quotas. Being determined will also be a huge benefit. Part of being a medical sales rep is having a strong desire to succeed.
Identify Target Customers and Maintain Records
Stay on task in healthcare sales by always having an up-to-date list of target customers within your geographic territory. At the same time, you should constantly maintain and analyze customer records. This lets you stay on top of what medical products you have already sold to each target customer.
Know About Software Relevant to the Medical Sales Rep Position
This role requires you to stay on the cutting edge of technology. That means knowing how to use the latest CRM systems, Electronic Territory Management Systems, and others that IQVIA provides. The best reps don’t fear technology. They embrace it.
Maintain Communication with Your Points of Contact
Medical sales representatives working for IQVIA stay in constant contact with their direct supervisors to let them know when they make sales. Your reporting manager or line manager can help advise and encourage you. They’re always available to discuss market changes and competitor strategy developments.
Progression is Expected of the Best Medical Sales Reps
A medical sales rep career involves progression. You might start in this profession with a specific skill set, but IQVIA expects you to add to it the longer you’re on the job. This is necessary because the medical industry is always moving forward. Your maturation as a medical sales rep should mimic the industry’s growth. We’ll always provide the tools you need to facilitate your development.
Remote Work is No Problem for Medical Sales Reps
Reps spend plenty of time on the road. Because of this, you should enjoy traveling and seeing new places. You’ll likely get to check out cities, states, and even countries you’ve never visited before. On these trips, you’ll meet with healthcare providers, general practitioners, and others in the medical field. Your job will be to sell them the latest and most innovative technologies.
Self-Analytical Medical Sales Reps Have the Best Chance to Succeed
The position requires you to conduct sales calls with potential clients and to meet with them in person. You’ll need to spend time prepping for these calls and meetings. A self-analytical approach will allow you to learn from each meeting or sales call and use this experience to grow.
Train Colleagues
The best medical sales reps are both students and teachers. You’re always trying to learn new facets of the medical industry and updated sales techniques, but you’ll also be called upon to pass along what you’ve learned. You might even be interested in helping colleagues upskill, sharing your techniques, experiences, and ideas so they can progress.
Is Becoming a Medical Sales Rep the Best Career Choice for You?
We created this A-Z guide to let you know what being a medical sales rep is all about. This is only a quick overview, though.
The medical field always grows and changes, so it makes sense that the medical sales rep position does as well. As new developments emerge, your job will evolve. For instance, if you get into this field, expect to work with AI and other emerging technology.
IQVIA is excited to be a part of this evolution, and we hope you’ll come along for the ride. We want to drive healthcare forward by providing medical entities with clinical research services, technology solutions, and advanced analytics. We hope you’re as enthusiastic about this mission as we are. As a medical sales rep, you’ll be a part of our workforce, and we can’t do it without you.
Please explore more related content if what you’ve read here has piqued your interest. You can also head straight to medical sales rep jobs if you think you’ve got what it takes to become part of the IQVIA family.
Find out more about life at IQVIA
Did you know IQVIA has
86,000+ employees
from clinicians to data scientists each transforming healthcare in 100+ countries
Did you know IQVIA has
Countless development opportunities
for personal and professional growth
Did you know IQVIA has
4,600 data scientists
including statisticians and analytics developers
Did you know IQVIA has
56+ petabytes of unique data
including 1.2B+ non-identified patient records
Did you know IQVIA has
Excellent work-life balance
and is committed to this kind of culture
Did you know IQVIA cares about
Health and Wellbeing
for all its employees
Did you know IQVIA has
1,900+ epidemiologists
and real world insight experts
Did you know IQVIA has
Countless development opportunities
for personal and professional growth
Did you know IQVIA has
56+ petabytes of unique data
including 1.2B+ non-identified patient records
Did you know IQVIA has
86,000+ employees
from clinicians to data scientists each transforming healthcare in 100+ countries
Did you know IQVIA has
1,900+ epidemiologists
and real world insight experts
Did you know IQVIA has
4,600 data scientists
including statisticians and analytics developers
Did you know IQVIA has
Excellent work-life balance
and is committed to this kind of culture
Did you know IQVIA cares about
Health and Wellbeing
for all its employees
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Since joining IQVIA I have had unrivalled support and development from my manager to enable me to aspire to move into secondary care. I feel like my career is strongly supported by my manager in order to maximise my potential.
A quick note to say thank you for your time this morning discussing my future career options. As you know I was feeling very conflicted about the right decision. Discussing the role with you gave me chance to clarify what is important to me.
Just following on from the amazing news I got yesterday I wanted to say a really special thank you for all the help and support you have provided throughout the entire recruitment process.
IQVIA has been behind my development to become a MSL. The contracts that I have worked on have allowed me to push clinical projects with a recent opportunity to manage a pilot scheme integrating e-detailing into an established field based team. The result was an increase in sales.
Once again I cannot thank you enough for not only approaching me with this opportunity but also for all the support you’ve given me along the way!
IQVIA has been behind my development to become a MSL. The contracts that I have worked on have allowed me to push clinical projects with a recent opportunity to manage a pilot scheme integrating e-detailing into an established field based team. The result was an increase in sales.
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