How to Be an Independent Medical Sales Rep

When you are an independent medical sales rep, this can mean one of two things. Either you work for someone, but you are a freelancer, or you run your own medical sales business. In either case, the same rules will apply, and the same information will be needed. It can be scary going out on your own, but if you know what to do and how to do it – or at least have a plan for how it can be done – it won’t be as hard as it could be. Read on to find out about how to get started and, of course, how to be successful.

Have the Right Knowledge

When you work independently, not only do you need to find clients to sell to, but you also need to find suppliers to buy from (or sell on behalf of). This is why you need to be able to prove that you have not only the necessary sales skills but the crucial technical knowledge as well.

The best way to do this is to obtain a formal qualification from a medical sales college. In this way, you can start your medical device sales career with plenty of knowledge, skill, and confidence. You’ll be able to prove to anyone, no matter whether they are selling to you or buying from you, that you absolutely know what you’re talking about.

Know Who Your Customers Are

To be successful when you are an independent sales rep selling medical equipment, you have to understand who your customers are and what they want – and need. If you have this knowledge, you can make sure you are selling the right equipment to the right people and that you are doing it in the right way.

Although you might not advertise in the same way as a business would do, you will still need to find customers. Ensuring that you put your market research and general knowledge of the sector to good use means that you won’t waste your time with prospects who wouldn’t buy from you in the first place – no matter how good a salesperson you are, you won’t be able to change their minds. However, if you can make appointments with people who are already part of the way through their purchasing journey, your job will become much easier.

Manage Your Time

One of the biggest reasons why people choose to become independent medical sales reps is that they can have a lot of freedom. They won’t be tied to an office or specific working hours, and as long as they hit their targets, they can continue to run their own diaries.

However, although this is certainly a great thing, it does mean you need to manage your time effectively. It can be tempting to squeeze as many appointments into a day as possible, but this could mean you start to run late for them – which can easily snowball as the day goes on – and that would be bad for your reputation, plus people would be less likely to buy from you if you are late and kept them waiting. Or you might find things go the other way, and you take more time off than you should just because you can. If you do this, you won’t be able to build your business or make much money. You need to have good time management and a good balance.