Planning for a medical sales representative interview is never easy. But researching questions ahead of time means you’re one step ahead of the game.
Before you go into the interview, remember to practice pitching yourself to the employer. You also need to have a solid understanding of what a medical sales representative does, so read on.
What Does a Medical Representative Do?
A medical sales representative is someone who travels around to different medical practices and promotes the sale of medical products on behalf of their company.
You’d be selling everything from prescription medication to equipment, depending on what your company focuses on. And your goal is to build a relationship with the clinic, hospital, etc.
If you’ve ever been at the doctor’s office and seen a business individual walking around with a suitcase (looking very out of place among the medical staff), then you saw a medical sales rep.
8 Medical Sales Representative Interview Questions
Here are our top 8 medical representative interview questions that you should remember. We recommend grabbing a notebook and planning your answers accordingly as you read through them.
1. How do you feel about traveling often?
One of the main tasks involved in being a medical sales representative is travel. You will be on the road a lot, probably traveling dozens of miles in a short time span. If you get asked this interview question, frame your answer as if traveling won’t be an issue. Because if you don’t want to travel, it’s probably not the job for you.
2. How would you approach a new client and get to know them?
You might be asked this medical representative interview question, “Walk me through your process of approaching a new client.” A medical sales rep will plan pre-calls, make the call, and hopefully visit the client on-site to close a deal. Learn as much as possible about the client and their practice beforehand.
3. What would your process be like for communicating with clients?
Communication is key for all sales reps. Unless your prospective employer has a unique communication process, it might be left up to you. Consider how often you communicate with existing clients. Also, make a note of any tools you’ve used in the past that keep track of client communications. This will be helpful to mention in the interview.
4. How would you end a sales call with a client?
Unlike other sales roles that require meeting quotas or signing contracts, the medical sales rep realm is a bit different. Instead, you should end the sales call by navigating what they need the most. Perhaps it’s a trial use of your product, a repeat prescription, continued usage, or something else.
5. What would you do to reach a doctor who doesn’t see reps?
In some cases, physicians do not see reps, or they are simply too busy with their practice to directly visit with reps. In that case, you could try working with the staff and nurses. Also, you can send product brochures and information via email and drop them off at the clinic in person. You might even be able to catch him/her out of the office at professional events.
6. Tell me about your sales experience.
This medical rep question might be obvious, but you’ll be asked to talk about your product sales experience. Have you ever sold medical products? Maybe you’ve been in the sales industry but for something different- like software or cars. Either way, highlight your experience and frame it relevant to the position.
7. Haver you ever lost an account? Tell me about it.
You can’t win them all. 80% of business comes from 20% of clients, and that’s true in the medical industry too. Be honest if you’ve ever lost a client for your company. However, always finish your answer by highlighting what you learned and would do differently next time.
8. What do you think a major challenge will be in this role?
This is another medical representative interview question that has a solid answer. The biggest struggle will always be convincing the doctor to switch from a product or drug they are already using. Again, end your answer on a positive note and emphasize how you’d resolve this challenge.
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