In a medical devices sales role, the goal is get the purchase order, rather than to increase the number of prescriptions, as in Pharma sales. Working within medical device sales, you know at the end of your day if you did a good job, because you either gained the purchase order or you didn’t, whereas Pharmaceutical sales can be a “slow burner.”

 

Medical device representatives will spend much of their time prospecting for new hospitals, medical offices and clinics within their territory. With prospecting, there is a lot of cold calling. It is critical to network and ask for referrals in medical devices jobs. The sales cycle is usually longer, and medical device representatives have to work harder to maintain relationships. Once a purchase is completed though, a hospital may go five or ten years before they need to replace the equipment. This is especially true of capital equipment purchases. In device sales, you will usually cover a larger territory than in a Pharmaceutical job, but the bigger the territory, the greater the opportunity.