How to Become a Medical Representative

About Medical Representative

Medical Representatives, also known as Medical Sales Representatives or Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives are professionals who promote and sell medical products (mostly medications) for pharmaceutical companies and laboratories. Apart from selling and promoting medications, a medical representative also prescribes drugs and medical equipment to the clientele.
The professionals implement different strategies to build awareness of medical supplies of the employer company. These representatives should be persuasive and have good knowledge of the field of medicine with an educational background in Biology and Life Sciences.  

Eligibility to become Medical Representative

Candidates wondering how to become a medical sales representative can meet the following mentioned criteria. 

Subject Requirements: For basic knowledge of the field of medicine, candidates are required to have an educational background in Biology or life sciences. 

Educational Qualification: 

Candidates must hold any of the following degrees. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Nursing

• Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences

• Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy

• Bachelor’s degree in any relevant field

Experience: Candidates should have proven medical sales experience in the field.

Key Skills Required to be a Medical Representative

Following are the skills that a medical sales representative must possess. 

• Sales skills

• Maturity

• Patience

• Strong negotiation skills

• Commercial awareness

• Confidence

• Organisational skills

• Communication skills

• Strong interpersonal skills

• Convincing

• Complete knowledge of the product

Employment Sector/Industry for Medical Representative

The roles and responsibilities of a medical sales representative include:

• Establishing and identifying new business

• Organising and conducting appointments with clients who are usually community or hospital-based healthcare staff.

• Negotiating contracts and deals with clients

• Undertaking relevant research

• To present and demonstrate products to clients like healthcare staff, nurses, doctors, pharmacists, etc. 

• Maintaining detailed records

• Managing budgets

• Writing reports on sales

• Developing in-depth knowledge and understanding of the company medications

• To follow up on leads that are generated by the company

• To keep abreast of new developments in the field of medicine from a business point of view

Major Recruiters for Medical Representatives

Some of the major recruiters for pharmaceutical sales representatives are:

• Choice Medical Healthcare Inc.

• Paragon 28

• Orbit Medical

• C3/ Customer Contact Channels

• NTT Data Services

• Cipla

• Systopic Laboratories

• Sun Pharma

• Novartis

• Macleods Pharma

• LPCA Laboratories

• Ajanta Pharma

• Fourrts India Laboratories

• Abbott

• Cadila Pharmaceuticals

• Aristo Pharmaceuticals

• Mankind Pharma

Pay Scale/Salary of Medical Representative

Salary details of a medical representative are mentioned below.

Data Credit: Payscale

Books & Study Material to Become Medical Representative

Here is a list of book that will help you in your career as a medical sales representative. 

• Mastering the Complex Sale Second Edition by Jeff Thull

• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

• How to Master the Art of Selling by Tommy Hopkins

• Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar

• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

• The Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Handbook: A Field Handbook for All Current and Future Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives by Todd Bearden and Larry Martin

Pros of becoming a Medical Representative

• High earnings

• Strong job prospects as a result of the fast turnover rate

• Day-to-day based work activities

• Opportunities to travel and meet new people

Cons of becoming a Medical Representative

• Extensive travelling may become hectic form some. 

• The job description may require overtime

• Under stress to meet targets and goals