Tips Any Salesperson Can Learn from Medical Sales: A Guest Post by LisaLivingston

The field of medical device and pharmaceutical sales is a particularly difficult branch of sales and marketing. People working in these positions must have a sophisticated understanding of not only their product but also of the medical field in general. Here are five tips from the medical sales field that can be helpful to any sales professional.

1. Know the Product – In most medical sales companies, the majority of training will deal with learning about the products. However, when you meet with a medical professional, you need to know twice as much as you think you will need to about the products. You’ll need to be one step ahead by knowing alternate solutions for a low budget or competitive products that will get them to choose your company over another.

2. Be Professional – First impressions matter, especially when working with highly skilled professionals in the medical field. Make sure that you dress for success. Dress conservatively and avoid lots of makeup or fragrant products. Be polite and punctual. Don’t chew gum during the meeting, but you may want to make sure that your breath is fresh beforehand.

3. Speak Their Language – Another way to impress a specialized professional in any field is to use their terminology. Healthcare professionals are highly intelligent and very busy, so they want to know that you aren’t wasting their time. Providing them with accurate information in a precise manner will help them make the best decision for their needs. They will also trust and respect you for taking the time to understand their field.

4. Do Your Research – Before you start calling potential clients, you need to do some research and planning. Find out what kind of products they have used in the past and what kind budget they have. You should also find out who actually makes the decisions about buying, so that you speak with the right person. This type of information is also important when doing follow-ups.

5. Be Patient and Persistent – Especially when starting out in a sales job, it’s hard to get clients at first. Set up a regular calling schedule - even after you have many clients, you should check up with them once a week. When working with older medical professionals, you may also need more patience because they often have set beliefs about what works. You may not convince them to get a new product immediately, but you can certainly keep trying!

Lisa Livingston runs the site Radiology Tech Schools. She likes to write articles related to healthcare and has been a radiologist for 7 years.

featured image courtesy of salimfadhley licensed via Creative Commons.