In the world of medical sales, the power of building a solid network cannot
be understated. A study found that sales reps who surpassed their quotas by
more than 25 per cent found that
trust between buyers and sellers
was the single most important aspect in closing a sale. Although the idea
of selling yourself at events can be daunting, networking is crucial to
career progression as a medical sales representative.
Despite some of its potential undesirable connotations, networking is all
about forming long-term relationships and a good reputation over time. It
involves building a web of connections who you can help, and who can
potentially assist you in return. In the healthcare industry, networking is
everything to successful sales reps, and here, we’ve listed the top tips
for building and maintaining a professional network.
Identify the right network targets
It goes without saying, but identifying appropriate clientele is the key to
building a successful and efficient network in pharmaceutical sales.
Although it may seem contradictory, it’s beneficial to adopt a quality over
quantity approach. A broad network of connections that are not relevant to
your field will yield little reward, therefore it’s vital that you focus on
attaining higher quality connections.
Conduct detailed research and invest time in finding people you’re certain
will be interested in your medical products. Prioritise finding people who
are directly related to the goals that you are trying to achieve and reach
out to them with a concise message about why a collaboration would benefit
both parties.
Attend medical networking events
Attending events is a brilliant way to find contacts, however, networking
events you attend should be appropriate to your professional role. Research
the chosen event in advance and ask your colleagues for some feedback if
they have been to the event before.
Try to find out who is going to be attending the event, as this can provide
an indication as to whether it is relevant to you. If the attendees have
similar job roles or interests to you, then it’s likely that the event will
have some great network candidates.
Get used to introducing yourself
Over the past 18 months, most of the networking events have been virtual
and many will remain that way, adding a new dynamic to relationship
building. However, whether you’re meeting a connection face-to-face or via
virtual means, one of the key aspects of building a productive network is
introducing yourself and making a good first impression.
The more you introduce yourself, the more confidence you should gain in
approaching people, starting conversations, and
building relationships. Before you attend an event, try setting yourself a goal of introducing
yourself to five new people.
To introduce yourself effectively, prepare a short series of points about
who you are, your medical field, key details about what you do and a few
important skills. Once you perfect your introductions, you’ll find it
easier to add quality connections to your network and advance your medical
sales career.
Give something back
One-sided networking is never a good tactic, and not many people will
appreciate being used solely for someone else’s benefit. Even though you’re
trying to connect with people to get help or boost your chances of a sale,
it’s important for you to be prepared to give back too. This will make for
stronger and more productive professional relationships, while your good reputation will allow for smoother connections in the
future.
Remember to reconnect
Building rapport is one of the
top skills of a medical sales rep
and professional relationships can strengthen over time if you take the
right measures; so make sure you stay in touch with your network.
Maintaining relationships is a critical component of networking, so it’s a
good idea to make time to stay in touch with your close contacts.
For example, put a reminder on your calendar every few weeks to catch up
with your top networks and find out what they are currently working on.
Connect on social networks to congratulate contacts on achievements, life
milestones and to wish them a happy birthday. Making a habit of
communicating in a genuine way will be beneficial for your relationships in
the future.
Start a medical sales career with IQVIA
At IQVIA, we want to improve the healthcare industry by finding the best
candidates for jobs. In all of our available roles, you will play a crucial
role in the development of healthcare.
If a medical sales job is right for you, we’ll give you everything you need
to find your perfect role. Browse our latest
medical sales rep jobs
and help us on our mission to develop the healthcare sector.
