Medical sales representatives promote and sell their company's products to key healthcare professionals
Your role, as a medical sales representative, is to sell your company's pharmaceutical products (such as medicines and prescription drugs) and medical equipment to a variety of customers in the healthcare sector. These include GP surgeries, hospitals and private practices.
As well as working strategically to promote your company's products, you may share product knowledge through presentations and other meetings and events, and answer questions from healthcare professionals.
You'll usually cover a specific geographical area, known as a 'territory', and specialise in a particular therapy area or product group. The role is target driven, so you'll need confidence, resilience and the ability to explain technical information clearly.
What does a medical sales representative do?
As a medical sales representative, you'll need to:
- act as a key link between medical and pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals
- arrange appointments with doctors, pharmacists and hospital medical teams using warm leads, introductions or 'cold' calling
- make presentations to doctors, practice staff and nurses in GP surgeries, hospital doctors and pharmacists in the retail sector to sell and demonstrate products
- organise conferences for doctors and other medical staff including managing budgets for catering, outside speakers and hospitality
- develop strategies for increasing opportunities to meet and talk to contacts in the medical and healthcare sector
- build and maintain positive working relationships with customers, medical staff, support staff and administrative staff
- keep detailed records of all contacts
- meet and, if possible, exceed sales targets, regularly monitoring your business plans to make sure you achieve this
- plan work schedules and weekly and monthly timetables with the area sales team or area sales manager
- regularly attend company meetings, technical data presentations and briefings
- keep up to date with the latest clinical
- data supplied by the company, and interpret, present and discuss this data with health professionals during presentations
- research new products, breakthroughs, and trends
- analyse sales data to improve results and make sure resources are effectively allocated
- monitor competitor activity and competitors' products
- keep up to date with new developments in the NHS and health service activities in your area, anticipate potential negative and positive impacts on the business and adapt strategy accordingly.
How much does a medical sales representative earn?
- Starting salaries for medical sales representatives typically range from £25,000 to £35,000.
- With experience, you can typically earn between £35,000 and £55,000. Salaries for managers can rise to around £80,000.
- Pay is supplemented by bonuses or performance-related pay, and you can achieve high earnings if you're successful in meeting and exceeding sales targets.
A science degree or clinical background can help you earn the higher end of the salary scales. You may work as part of a team of sales reps, sharing the same sales results, or independently.
Many companies offer other incentives and benefits such as a company car, laptop, mobile phone, pension and private health insurance.
Income figures are intended as a guide only.
How many hours does a medical sales representative work?
Typically, your working pattern will include regular extra hours and some evenings.
The working day can be long due to the travelling time involved, so you may need to socialise with clients, attend breakfast meetings or conduct presentations in the evenings at a local hotel or conference venue, for example. You’ll usually be given responsibility for a specific geographical area or region.
Hybrid working is common for planning, reporting and virtual meetings, but you'll still spend significant time visiting customers. Part-time roles may be available, while freelance and self-employed work is uncommon.
How do I become a medical sales representative?
Although this career is open to all graduates, the following subjects may improve your chances:
- dentistry
- life sciences
- medicine
- medical engineering
- nursing
- pharmacy.
You don't need a science degree to become a medical sales representative. Degrees in subjects such as business, communications or marketing can also be useful, particularly if you can demonstrate an understanding of the medical sales role and the healthcare market.
Most employers prefer candidates with a degree or equivalent qualification, or a strong background in field sales. If your sales experience is in another sector, you'll need to understand how medical sales works and be able to learn the relevant scientific and medical information.
Sales apprenticeships can also provide relevant experience. In England, options include the Level 4 Sales executive apprenticeship and the Level 6 Business to business Sales professional integrated degree apprenticeship. You may then be able to move into medical sales, or you could apply directly to a graduate scheme with a pharmaceutical or healthcare company.
A pre-entry postgraduate qualification is not necessary, although a relevant Masters can be an advantage for medical sales positions requiring specific technical knowledge.
What skills does a medical sales representative need?
You'll need to have:
- excellent communication and presentation skills to build relationships with customers and suppliers
- an outgoing and persuasive manner with strong negotiating skills to secure sales
- a flexible approach to adapt to changes, e.g. in the healthcare system or product and drug formularies
- commercial awareness and product knowledge to understand customer needs and identify appropriate solutions
- the ability to work well under pressure to meet or exceed targets
- a full driving licence is usually essential, as you'll typically travel regularly within your sales territory.
Medical sales representative work experience
Try to gain pre-entry experience and find out as much as possible about the realities of the job by working in a commercial environment. Experience in a general sales, retail sales or customer service role is particularly useful, as well as summer internships and placements.
Work experience in a hospital placement or in the healthcare sector is also valuable experience. Consider job shadowing opportunities in the medical field or at your local pharmacy.
Research the pharmaceutical industry and keep up to date with developments in the NHS. Talk to chemists and pharmacists.
Professional bodies may have local groups, and networking opportunities may be provided with student membership of organisations such as The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).
Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.
Who employs medical sales representatives?
Pharmaceutical and healthcare companies are the main employers of medical sales representatives. These companies develop and produce pharmaceutical goods or products, including drugs, medical products and equipment.
Some medical sales representatives specialise in a particular therapy area, depending on their employer's product portfolio. These can include:
- gynaecology
- neurology
- oncology
- rheumatology.
Many pharmaceutical and healthcare companies are international, allowing a choice of possible employers and the potential for an international career.
Look for job vacancies at:
Specialist recruitment agencies also handle pharmaceutical sales vacancies, such as:
Pharmaceutical companies also list roles directly on their websites, along with any graduate recruitment schemes. Search the ABPI List of Members for companies to approach. LinkedIn also advertises vacancies.
What does learning and development look like for medical sales representatives?
The Prescription Medicine Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA) requires medical sales representatives to take the ABPI Medical Representatives Exam within one year of commencing employment and pass all units within two years. If you want to work as a medical representative (rather than a generic sales representative) you must pass the Level 3 Diploma. To pass, you'll need a broad understanding of the:
- human body, structure and function
- development and use of medicines
- provision and promotion of prescription medicines within the NHS.
You'll also need to take two or three optional units in a range of disease areas such as diabetes, arthritis and oncology.
Continuing professional development (CPD) is vital at every stage of your career and involves keeping up to date with new products, developments in research, changes in the NHS and competitor behaviour. Initial training on general sales techniques and products is provided by your employer, and you may spend time with an experienced medical sales representative before gaining your own sales territory.
General sales training is offered by organisations such as the Institute of Sales Management (ISM) and The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). They provide a range of awards, certificates and diplomas for new and established sales and marketing professionals.
As you progress, promotion depends, to a large extent, on your ability to deliver on your sales and activity targets. Being able to move to a different geographical region or to move into a specialist area can also help.
With experience, many medical sales representatives move into:
- area or regional management
- product or account management
- NHS liaison
- sales training.
You may also move into other areas such as marketing or related sales fields, for example, medical disposables and equipment. Some experienced reps progress to working as field trainers - training and developing new or more junior medical sales representatives.
Many pharmaceutical companies are multinational, providing some opportunities to work abroad.