Many medical sales jobs lie at the happy intersection of three robust industries: healthcare, sales, and biotechnology. If you’re considering a medical sales career path, you may be motivated knowing that there’s great potential to earn a lucrative salary and enjoy a rewarding, long-term career.
Medical sales jobs can also offer tremendous work flexibility. As with other careers in sales, medical sales professionals often work from a home office and enjoy latitude to set their own work schedules. Far from being a desk-bound, traditional office job, a medical sales job can offer travel, a varied schedule, and opportunities to interact with a variety of other professionals in related fields.
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For the most part, jobs in medical sales require a college degree. There’s often a high level of knowledge required to succeed in medical sales in fields including science, health, math, biotechnology and, of course, medicine and healthcare. Medical sales professionals often interact with doctors and high-level corporate executives, making an advanced degree an asset employers seek for many job openings.
Overall, education requirements depend on the specific field of interest in many cases. For example, a medical engineering degree may be the perfect credential if you’re looking for jobs with companies offering medical products that use cutting-edge technology.
If you’re breaking into medical sales and have a proven sales track record in another profession or in business-to-business (B2B) sales, all the better. Entry-level sales jobs, including internships, can be your best bet if you have the personality traits employers seek in sales professionals. Knowing your personality is a key part of a successful job search. In sales, your personality can play a serious role in meeting and exceeding your sales goals.
As with many sales careers, travel can be a significant part of the job. Medical sales professionals may be on the road offering products to physician’s offices, medical centers, hospitals, and at conferences or other gatherings of medical professionals.
Often, a medical sales professional may be assigned a territory and expected to build a pipeline of customers that help their employer meet revenue goals.
Here are a few broad categories in the medical sales sector:
And if you’re curious about more medical sales jobs, you can explore the FlexJobs database for additional opportunities, such as CVS jobs, Working Solutions jobs, and more.
An annual survey of medical sales salaries by MedRep.com, a website for professionals seeking medical and pharmaceutical sales jobs, shows the industry’s tremendous earning potential and career growth potential. A medical sales salary pays an average base of $95,296 a year, the report found. With additional earnings including commissions and bonuses, the average total income reaches $156,785.
Generally, medical sales jobs that are focused on outside sales trend toward the higher end of the salary spectrum. These jobs usually involve more travel, and in some cases (a surgical sales representative, for example), may entail observing product use in a clinical or even surgical setting.
Medical sales careers are built largely on relationships, which means that networking can play a huge role in growing your medical sales career. Forging strong relationships with your customer base (e.g., doctors, hospitals, and healthcare companies) can be a good way to land your next job. For more expert advice to help you land your next job, read Sales Resume Tips: Essential Skills to Include and More.
And, as with any position in sales, having a documented, successful track record can be the make-or-break asset in advancing to a management position in medical sales or finding another job that builds on your proven sales prowess. You’ll also need to show, by your resume and during any job interview, that you’re hungry for success, competitive, and ready to take on the next career challenge.
Ready to launch your search for a flexible medical sales job? FlexJobs can help! We offer members exclusive access to our extensive jobs database, which is updated every day with new jobs in more than 50 career categories. Take a tour of our platform to learn more about the many benefits of membership!