Home » Medical sales Careers » Job Search, Job Search Job Search Tips » How to Transition from Pharmaceutical Sales to a Medical Device Sales Career
For the sales professional looking to break into the healthcare market, pharmaceutical sales may seem like a good place to start. Between ads for prescription drugs on television and seeing pharma reps in physician waiting rooms, most people have at least a general idea about what pharmaceutical sales reps do. And from what they can tell, it looks like a pretty nice gig.
So the salesperson, we’ll call him “Joe, ” gets a job with ABC Pharmaceuticals. He is assigned to a territory and his team consistently exceeds its targets. He is compensated well for his contributions, but now that he’s been in the industry a few years, he can see that while base medical device sales salaries are often lower than pharmaceutical sales salaries, the total compensation earned by medical device sales reps can be significantly higher. So he starts browsing industry job boards and inquires about a few positions with medical device companies. Despite his success at ABC Pharmaceuticals, Joe isn’t having any luck. In fact, in some cases he feels like his experience at ABC Pharmaceuticals is actually hurting his chances at a medical device sales career.
Med Rep Job Satisfaction Report
. In fact, he may have even seen the words “NO PHARMA REPS” on a job post or two. So why the stigma? The negative association with pharma reps stems from several assumptions. The first assumption is that pharmaceutical sales reps don’t know how to close a sale. Now whether or not Joe can close a sale is beside the point, the assumption comes from the fact that pharma reps work to influence a physician’s prescribing habits, but they don’t actually generate purchase orders. For this reason, medical device companies may not think of Joe as a “real” salesperson.
But what about his track record of exceeding sales targets? Surely that matters! Well, this leads to the second assumption – that it’s impossible to measure a pharma rep’s success. Even if prescriptions for his company’s products have gone up in his territory, it’s tough to make a direct correlation to Joe’s individual selling skills. Numbers can be inflated and they often represent the efforts of a team of reps, not an individual. There is also the presumption that pharma reps are “spoiled” with higher base salaries, company cars, expense accounts, etc. They assume they don’t have what it takes to be successful in a
In order to transition from pharma sales to a medical device sales job, Joe will need to overcome the stereotypes associated with pharma sales reps. He should make it clear that he is bored with pharma and ready to take on a more aggressive sales role. Whenever he can, Joe should cite specific examples of times that he used his individual selling skills to produce tangible results.
Challenges For Salespeople In The Healthcare Industry
Medical Sales Recruiter Peggy McKee has done extensive writing on this topic. She stresses the importance of pharma reps owning their successes. They should make an effort to say “I” and “me” (as opposed to “we”) when speaking about their achievements. This may be a challenge for a pharma rep who has always worked in groups, but it is essential if the rep hopes to convince the hiring manager that they are ready to work alone as a device rep. Pharma reps should be armed with stories about their individual contributions, as well as proof to back it up, such as a congratulatory email from a supervisor. Get more advice from Peggy on her blog, Medical Sales Recruiter – Tips & Quips.
Joe may think that his years as a pharma rep have prepared him for medical device sales, but that may not be the case. Medical device sales recruiter Lisa McCallister warns pharmaceutical sales reps that while device and pharma are both medical, they are very different. Pharma sales reps should be prepared to “pay their dues” as an associate while they learn what it takes to be successful selling medical devices. Sales reps who feel they have already paid their dues in pharma may find this hard to accept, but it’s necessary to make the transition. Read more from Lisa on her blog, My Job Scope.
Pharma sales reps may also be disappointed by the base salaries associated with medical device sales, but they must hide their disappointment if they have any hope of getting the job. They should appear eager to accept a lower base salary because they are confident they can generate much more in commissions than they ever could in pharma.
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So despite what Joe may have hoped, medical device sales is not always the natural progression of a pharmaceutical sales career. So what’s a pharma rep to do? Pharmaceutical sales reps are more likely to find success if they pursue device positions in a field related to their current role. For example, a pharma rep that has called on cardiologists and cardio surgeons should pursue cardiology device sales jobs. Of course, if no obvious correlation exists, pharmaceutical sales reps may need to consider spending a few years in medical disposable sales or medical supply sales. They may consider this a step backward, but it may be necessary in order to achieve their long-term medical device sales career goals.
Clearly, making the transition from pharma sales to device sales isn’t impossible, but it usually isn’t easy. However, Joe shouldn’t be discouraged by the hard work that lies ahead of him if he hopes to make the switch. He must be prepared to sell himself to medical device companies the same way he will one day sell their products! The tenacity he will need to get the job is just one of the many skills he will use in his future medical device sales career.
So despite what Joe may have hoped, medical device sales is not always the natural progression of a pharmaceutical sales career. So what’s a pharma rep to do? Pharmaceutical sales reps are more likely to find success if they pursue device positions in a field related to their current role. For example, a pharma rep that has called on cardiologists and cardio surgeons should pursue cardiology device sales jobs. Of course, if no obvious correlation exists, pharmaceutical sales reps may need to consider spending a few years in medical disposable sales or medical supply sales. They may consider this a step backward, but it may be necessary in order to achieve their long-term medical device sales career goals.
Clearly, making the transition from pharma sales to device sales isn’t impossible, but it usually isn’t easy. However, Joe shouldn’t be discouraged by the hard work that lies ahead of him if he hopes to make the switch. He must be prepared to sell himself to medical device companies the same way he will one day sell their products! The tenacity he will need to get the job is just one of the many skills he will use in his future medical device sales career.
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