Medical device sales is one of the most rigorous and demanding of sales professions… but it is also one of the most rewarding. As a medical device sales rep, you may be selling artificial hips and knees, the plates and screws utilized in spinal fusions, arthroscopic products used in ACL or rotator cuff repairs, or osteobiologic products that stimulate bone growth and healing. Medical device manufacturers are continuously developing newer, better, and more innovative products. The pace of change in this industry is staggering…
As a medical device sales rep, you will be interacting with a very sophisticated audience – namely surgeons, members of their surgical teams, hospital administrators, and other healthcare professionals. You provide support to the surgeon in the operating room – acting as an expert resource, offering guidance and counsel as necessary.
As a result, it is just not enough to be a talented sales professional. You must also be able to function in a hospital environment, you must be able to converse with medical professionals, and you need to understand how the orthopaedic implants you sell will impact a patient’s anatomy, pathology, biomechanics, and function.
This is why it is so hard to get into this industry… You need to know A LOT!
You might think that it takes years to prepare for this career, but it doesn’t. Over the course of our short 8-week programs, students develop very specific technical and sales skills that provide a foundation for success in device sales. Upon successful completion, graduates are prepared to step into a new territory and make an immediate contribution. Hiring managers recognize the investment that our students make and know that they have proactively positioned themselves for success. This is often what separates an MSC graduate from other applicants, and is why hundreds of hiring managers across the country are specifically looking for MSC grads to fill their open positions.
Just think… How different might your next interview be if you are able to discuss the surgeons in your territory, the products that you will be selling, and the competition you will be selling against? How different would that interview be if you are able to show that you have a specific plan in place for starting conversations, moving the sales forward, and converting business? How different would that interview be if you could talk with a hiring manager, on their level, about their products and their business?
We know how different that interview can be, because hundreds of our graduates have successfully demonstrated that preparation and are now representing some of the largest and most reputable companies in the industry.
At MSC, we also recognize the investment that our students make in developing the skills for success. You may be wondering, is it worth it? Can I afford to take this risk? Will it pay off?
The real question may more accurately be… Can you afford not to? If you’re happy in your current position, if you’re satisfied with the opportunities afforded to you, then perhaps medical device sales is not right for you. This industry is certainly not right for everyone and there are alternatives. However, compared to those alternatives, you will likely find that this is the most affordable, most convenient, and most expedient path into the medical device industry.