The top 4 medical sales rep challenges and how to overcome them

Stepping into any role in the healthcare sector comes with its challenges, and being a successful medical sales representative is no exception. 

Whether you’re an experienced sales rep and feel confident in your current skill set or you’re new and still finding your feet, being aware of the common challenges that you may face will help you thrive in the field.

Pharmaceutical sales reps will face various obstacles in their line of work so we’ve compiled the top challenges for new pharmaceutical sales reps and how to overcome them.

Meeting sales targets

Meeting a sales target is one of the biggest challenges for new medical sales reps.

Even some of the top sales representatives will admit that they did not meet their first sales target. Although this may seem demotivating at first, the most important thing you can do is to prepare and ensure that you are employing the right methods to meet your sales goals.

To maximise your chances of hitting your targets, it is imperative that you know your target audience and have an in-depth plan for how to appeal to them. 

Many pharmaceutical sales reps will use customer relationship management (CRM) technology to achieve their targets. With the information gained from the CRM technology, you’ll have the data you need to decide what your next actions should be. 

Ultimately, if you meticulously study your customer’s needs. You’re much more likely to build healthy relationships and consistently meet your sales goals

Training

A medical or science degree isn’t essential to become a successful medical sales representative. In fact, one of the most crucial parts of the role is training. 

Proposing the sale of medical technology to healthcare specialists requires a particular skill set and many employers will invest in a medical sales training course for you.

Training can be a challenging aspect of the role as some modules can be intense and require a substantial amount of studying. 

Before and during your course, it’s important that you take all the steps possible to make the most of your training. This includes pre-research, taking detailed notes and setting goals. 

A successful training course often leads to a successful sales career, so the importance of hitting the ground running can’t be understated.

Building trust online

In recent years, sales reps have shifted to building relationships with their prospects through emails, phone calls and video calls. This comes with its own set of challenges, as establishing credibility in the virtual space requires new techniques to make you stand out from your competitors.

The best way to connect with your prospects is to immediately build rapport with them. Connect with them on a personal level instead of jumping straight into sales talk. Once you begin to discuss products, ensure that your knowledge is entirely up to date and you’re ready to answer any questions that they may have.

Finding a work-life balance

The pressure of an increasingly demanding work culture across the world can often make it difficult to find the ideal work-life balance. 

There are many aspects of the job that make work-life balance hard to achieve: the constant search for prospects, the need to meet your quota, and the importance of always being available to talk with a potential customer.

However, there are many practices that you can adopt to achieve a better balance of your priorities. You must ensure that you draw a clear distinction between “work time” and “personal time.” Use a calendar to schedule your work hours and commit to staying away from non-work activities during this period, such as looking through your social media accounts.

By maximising your productivity during work hours, you can dedicate all of your leisure hours to relaxing and unwinding. With this method, you can strike the all-important sweet spot between work and leisure and reduce your daily stress.

Boost your medical sales rep career with IQVIA

At IQVIA, we want to improve the healthcare environment by finding the best candidates for medical sales jobs. 

Browse our latest medical sales representative jobs and join us on our mission to change healthcare for the better!