Transform your career in medical sales with insights from my journey in the $800B healthcare market. Having navigated from newcomer to industry leader, I’ll share the strategies that create real success in this dynamic field – from building authentic relationships to adapting through major industry shifts like COVID-19.
In this value-packed episode, discover practical approaches to modern medical sales, including how to leverage social media, turn challenges into opportunities, and build a career that truly impacts patient care. I’ll break down the leadership skills and growth tactics that can help you
thrive in today’s evolving healthcare landscape.
Whether you’re considering a career change or looking to advance in medical sales, join me for an honest discussion about building a rewarding future in this innovative field. Let’s explore how to create lasting success while making a meaningful difference in healthcare.
For more information about how to break into the medical sales industry, visit Evolveyoursuccess.com
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Episode Transcript
00:07 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Hello and welcome to the Medical Sales Podcast. I’m your host, Samuel, founder of a revolutionary medical sales training and mentorship program called the Medical Sales Career Builder, and I’m also host of the Medical Sales Podcast. In this podcast, I interview top medical sales reps and leading medical sales executives across the entire world. It doesn’t matter what medical sales industry from medical device to pharmaceutical, to genetic testing and diagnostic lab you name it you will learn how to either break into the industry, be a top 10% performer within your role or climb the corporate ladder. Welcome to the Medical Sales Podcast and remember, I am a medical sales expert, sharing my own opinion about this amazing industry and how it can change your life. Hello and welcome to the Medical Sales Podcast. I’m your host, Samuel, and today we have another solo episode. It’s 2025. This is a big year. A lot is going on in every avenue of life, and careers are just as important avenue as any other. So we got to talk about why medical sales? Why should medical sales be your career? This is the episode that, if you’re thinking about being into medical sales, you absolutely want to listen to, because we’re going to break down what you’re in for. If you’re in medical sales, you absolutely want to listen to, because we’re going to talk about how you can maximize the opportunity you’re already living in. And if you’re exiting medical sales, we’re going to talk about it because there’s a lot of cool things you can go on and do, so let’s get into it. Why medical sales? I realized that medical sales was my space, not when I got the job. When I got the job, it was just cool right. The company I started with was a pharmaceutical company. It was called GlaxoSmithKline, one of the biggest companies out there. They took me into a home office and I was just thinking, wow, I get the opportunity to work in this med tech pharma company and work on drugs that are going to change these patients’ lives, and I’m working with some of the most educated people you’ve ever seen and they’re entrusting me to go out into the world and educate other educated people on why they should use these types of products for their patients. It was a profound experience, especially at the time I was I was 24 years old, being flown into that huge home office, seeing everybody, everything. It was impressive, the campus back in North Carolina, and it really made me feel like I was part of something important. But I think the impact of what I was actually doing and the fact that I’m in medical sales and what a big deal it was was when I was actually talking to one of my physicians and he stopped me mid-sentence. He said, Samuel, I just want to share with you that you came in here about a month ago and you really talked me into utilizing this for my patients. And there’s this patient that has not been able to sit through a TV show with her family and because of what you shared with me and what I went on to share with her for the first time, she got to sit with her family at Thanksgiving and enjoy them for the entire night. Now, without getting into the details of what that woman was going through, it was when I said wait a minute, you know I’m doing something important. And it went on to take me to a deep journey into pharma and then biotech and then training, and then you know the rest, but it really helped me understand what I was going to be doing.
03:56
Now, fast forward, 20 years later. I’ve worked with thousands of people. I’ve trained them from medical device to medical supplies, to medical testing, all the way to pharma, biotech and heck, even pharmacy sales, and I keep seeing the same thing. You have different types of players. You have the people that they know why they’re there. They have an amazing reason, they have a passion and no matter what the world gives them, they wake up every day and give it their best. You have the people that they thought it was a good idea. They love the value they’re creating, the benefits they get. They’ll never be able to leave, but they’re really not sure they could be there or should be there. And then you have the people that they don’t want to be there. They’re not sure why they signed up for it. If anything, they want to be doing something entirely different, or at least a completely different type of medical sales. But they can’t leave either because they feel so indoctrinated with what’s going on and everything they get and what they’re able to provide their family that leaving now would just feel like a complete loss.
05:08
And it helped me understand that there needs to be more talk around. Why medical sales? Why even consider this career? Who should you be? What should you be about All that? Why medical sales? So this episode we’re going to get into why medical sales, what it does for you, some of the insights, how fast it’s growing, how big it is and how it’s expanding, and we’re going to talk about it. Who shouldn’t be here? Why? You probably shouldn’t consider this if you’re this type of person, and even if you’re not think twice, because this is not for the faint of heart. So, as always, we do our best to bring you innovative information like that spin, innovative information that’s going to enhance your life, help you evolve and do more, be more and show up in a bigger, more powerful way. All right, so let’s talk about it.
06:02
The first thing I want to tackle is just the size of the industry. What is medical sales? Let’s start with that, and how big is it really? So medical sales is literally the sale of anything within healthcare. You have medical devices, you have medical tests, you have drugs. You have drugs slash devices. You have tests with all kinds of different features, whether it be for labs or for individual physicians. You have capital equipment, huge devices like an X-ray machine. You have supplies. You have simple things like bedding or gauze, and you have all the ancillary things around how to make these things work better and be used in a more effective way. This encompasses medical sales, but it’s huge, a very huge industry. Let’s talk about it.
06:56
Number one it’s set on healthcare. When you think of every industry that you can be a part of, healthcare is one of those that stands out the most, because we’re always going to need it right. There’s always going to be people getting sick. There’s always going to be people experiencing things that they never experienced before. The human condition is literally to be born and start dying right away. Some people die at their 80th year, some people die at their 100th year, but the reality is you’re born and life begins and your body goes through all these processes until life stops. That entire process is focused on. Number one can we keep you alive longer so you can enjoy this life? Number two can we make sure the quality of your health is good enough that you’re actually going to enjoy this life? When you put those two things together, of course, you have this huge opportunity, and that’s medical sales. It’s never going to go away, because there’s always going to be sick people and there’s also people that want to improve their quality of life and live longer, and it extends to everyone kids, adults, older adults, younger adults and everyone in between. When you think about that and the opportunity to serve these people in some way when it comes to health care, the medical device and pharma and everything else.
08:19
The medical sales space. It’s upwards of $800 billion. That’s huge. I mean that’s a significant space. When you can command or even be a part of $800 billion of revenue generated in a single year, that is incredibly significant and this is what medical sales should really be considered. When you think about medical sales, this is the first thing you should think about, because it means a lot of things. Number one as I just said, it’s not going away, so you have incredible job security if you choose to play in the medical sales space. Number two think about the time we’re in right now. In 2025, you can be one person, have something to offer. Get on a social media channel, let the world know what the offer is, have the world engage in it like it, get into business with you and you can literally become your own enterprise. That’s the power you have in 2025. It also applies to medical sales.
09:26
So back in the day, you had these huge companies you still do and you had all these people working for these huge companies. Now, with the access and the connectivity and not the ease, but the reality of being able to be one person that has access to tools that can give you, put you in a position to offer your value to hundreds of thousands of people. You no longer have the rep in med sales that says, hey, I am going to work for this company until I die. Of course you still have that, but you now also have a lot of reps that say, hey, I have the relationships. I know how to sell this thing better than anyone. I can sell it on my worst day. I can sell more on my best day. If I had a little bit of capital, I bet I could sell this on my own. I’ll become my own company and then you have another med tech company. So that’s just one avenue.
10:23
Then you have all of your scientists and physicians and researchers that are coming out of school or coming out of an incubator or coming up some opportunity, and they’re putting their heads together and they’re saying, you know what, what about this application? And for that application to reach the masses, what do you need? You need promotion and marketing and sales. And because you need promotion, marketing and sales, and because you need promotion, marketing and sales many a time, you need a sales force, aka a sales rep, aka even more opportunity if you’re in the medical sales space and then on top of that you have the physicians. The physicians are more empowered than ever.
11:01
Once upon a time it used to be you go to school, then you go to med school, then you go to residency, then you open your practice and then you serve the community. Now you can go to school, go to med school, go to residency, link up with some really capable people, practice for just a short amount of time within five years. Discover an innovation, get with these capable people, put some marketing plans together, get yourself a sales force and become your own medical manufacturing company. This is the world we live in. The possibilities are endless, and that is one of the best things about medical sales. There’s so much security in it because you’re always going to have something to do.
11:53
What I love to say about this industry is if you’re someone that cares about how they show up, that means no matter what job you get, whether you’re a janitor, bookkeeper, librarian server, it person, business person, lawyer, doctor, whatever your thing is. If you’re someone that shows up and gives your best work and you get yourself into a medical sales position, you will never be unemployed, and that’s because of what I just said, all this opportunity in this very secure space, you’re always going to have a job period. Now, if you don’t show up and you’re not someone that makes their appointments on time and has a really powerful learning curve and, can you know, is capable to do the job and do it well, then of course you know your experience is going to be a little nuanced. But if you are someone that can show powerfully, no matter what you’re put in front of, you’re never going to be at a job in medical sales. In addition to that, because of how many people are in it, there’s this extreme demand for leadership in medical sales. Being a sales rep is front line and it’s an amazing space, but being a leader first line leader, second line leader, third line leader always in demand. And the beautiful thing about medical sales is the pathways to get. There are endless. So many tried and true pathways and now, with all the access and connectivity with social media and the internet, all kinds of new and powerful pathways. I mean, if you want to go up in medical sales, you really have no excuse. On top of that, if you don’t want to go up, you can live an amazing life. I’ll never forget it.
13:45
Gosh, this was maybe 15 years ago and I was in a meeting Let me say it better. I was at a national sales meeting for the organization and at these national sales meetings, all these employees for the company, they get together and they have fun. Yes, they go to the train eight to five, learning new stuff, new products. How are we going to sell it? What are we going to say? They get together and they have fun. You know, yes, they go to the train eight to five, learning new stuff, new products. How are we going to sell it? What are we going to say? Which customers we focus on? But then, after five, you know you have dinner and you get to really hang out with your people.
14:15
And I remember I was hanging out with about four tenured reps and we were talking about money. You know they I was a young guy at the time so they were like, oh Samuel, you know you got to make sure you’re doing this with your money. And they were trying to teach me investing and you know how to biotech investing, mind you and how to read the companies, what to look for, what to evaluate, how to get involved, what options are. All this stuff. It was really cool and we became friends and over time they would share with me what’s really going on. And, to my surprise, all the sales reps that I was sitting with, they were all millionaires and I couldn’t believe it. I said, wait a minute, you’re a millionaire. How, what is this? I thought you guys were salesmen. I thought to get to that kind of level of income, you got to be CEO status, so you got to be at least an area vice president.
15:05
And I learned that because of medical sales as a sales rep, the benefits in medical sales with a medical manufacturer is so significant that you can truly build yourself a wonderful revenue stream as a sales rep, as a first lineline individual contributor, a revenue stream because of the nature of medical sales. Right, it’s one of those spaces where they need you to be at your best as a sales rep. So, from your 401k to the car you might need to drive, to the benefits to take care of your family and yourself, everything you can think of to empower you to show up powerfully and do what you got to do to get this patient on this medication or on this device, or with this procedure, on this test, you’re empowered to do with these medical manufacturers, especially the large ones. And so, even if you’re an individual contributor and you’re making decent money, you’re taken care of and you have all this discretionary income to save and invest and do things with, and a lot of companies kind of give that to you, as in the advice on how to invest your money, and you stay with that same company 15, 20 years and you are also a millionaire. I don’t think there are a lot of industries that offer that, of industries that offer that, and if there are, I don’t think there are a lot of industries that offer it as comprehensively as medical med tech manufacturers. This is another reason why medical sales is such a great space to be in.
16:40
So let’s recap real quick. So, number one this is a growing industry and you know what I didn’t even go on on that I talked’s been extremely consistent. When you think about that, it means that something’s driving all of this revenue. Well, like I said earlier, you have this phenomenon of people working for companies, spending years learning it so well and then going on to do it on their own. You have physicians coming out and coming up with products, innovations, that are forcing them to go find companies to execute these things with. And then you have everybody else that’s trying to do it, and I didn’t even talk about the venture capitalists that are just looking for any opportunity and pouring a bunch of money into it.
17:39
Even before, it’s nothing more than an idea, and when you look at this, it’s just it’s endless growth. It’s a short and sweet of it. There’s always going to be job opportunities in the mental space and it’s always going to be growing at a crazy rate, and now that AI is here, it’s going to grow even faster. So again, let’s recap A huge opportunity in a space that is never going to go away, because there’s always going to be sick people, there’s always going to be people that want to extend life, and there’s always going to be people that want to live a better quality of life. Whether that mean you’re normal, you want to live a heightened quality or something’s going on and you want to live a normal quality, it’s always going to be there.
18:19
Number two people are so empowered in this day and age that anyone can bring an innovation to the medical sales space. Now, again, I’m not saying it’s easy, I’m not saying any person can just wake up and do it, but a lot of people can put themselves in a position to do this, and they’re doing it. And, on top of that, the people that are working for the behemoths of companies are realizing they can be their own companies and they are also doing it, are realizing they can be their own companies and they are also doing it. In addition to that, there’s something about medical sales that has an aura to it, for lack of a better word. You really are dealing with the most educated people in the world. Doctors, I believe, are the most educated people in the world. Many of them have so much education it will blow your mind. I know I have physician friends that have MDs on top of specialties, on top of a PhD on top of an MD it’s, and then some of them even have um mba on top of that it. I really do believe that, when it comes to physicians, that type of person just craves knowledge. Hence a situation where you have, you know, five or six degrees and and you’re a doctor, so you have this cool reputation and, more than that, you have a challenging field, because if you’re going to be a sales rep and you’re going to be selling to the most educated people in the world.
19:55
You better come prepared. You better know how to get straight to the point. You better know how to back up anything you’re claiming. You better be honest. For lack of a better word, you got to be sharp. There’s no other way to show up. And if you don’t show up anything you’re claiming, you better be honest. For lack of a better word, you got to be sharp. There’s no other way to show up. And if you don’t show up sharp, you’re going to be shown out and you’re going to be asked to leave First the office, then the company, then the industry. So you got to be sharp. So again, an industry that’s never going to go away, that has ridiculous amounts of money for opportunity and that has a cool reputation that will allow you to get any other job if you so want it, because of the fact that you were there. Now again, of course, you have to perform and do what you got to do as an individual contributor. But if you enter medical sales and you do well, there’s not a lot. You won’t be able to go on and do, whether that be climbing the ladder within medical sales or going to an entirely different industry.
20:49
And then another thing that’s not often talked about when it comes to medical sales is there’s a lot of professional development. What am I talking about? So, because medical sales has been, I really do believe medtech manufacturers have some of the biggest pockets. Of course tech has. Now, you know, I mean gosh, I think Apple is going to be you know, they are ready, you know, multiple trillions. You know Elon Musk is literally going to be probably our first trillionaire.
21:20
Tech is huge, but so is medtech. It has tech in it. So I would even argue that it’s right there, with tech been developed into a manager, which was developed into an area manager, which was developed into an area vice president, which was developed into a brand director, which ultimately became a COO and then CEO. And then you know, the list goes on and the different facets of how to get there go on. But the point is there are so many vetted pathways in professional development.
22:05
So another perk about getting into the medical sales space is, if you care to, if you’re truly trying to show up differently, evolve, evolve your success. It’s a great space to do it in because there’s so much data around tried and true ways to get ahead. So the professional development is immense. So what are we talking about here. We’re talking about industry size and opportunity. We talked about the ridiculous level of job security. We talked about the cool reputation and the challenge of needing to be at your best all the time because you’re dealing with the most educated people in the world, and then we’ve talked about the professional development that’s just part of being in this industry, and, on top of all that, there’s the earning potential for yourself. Now, I talked earlier about how there are millionaires, especially if you’re with a company for more than 15 or 20 years. However, there are millionaires in their first year. Now, not entry level, but what I mean is within one year.
23:06
I also think that med sales is the only space where you can have ridiculously varying incomes. It’s a space that if you want to make $100,000 a year, absolutely $200,000, sure. $300,000, yes. $400,000, yeah, if you want to do that work, $500,000, it’s possible. $1 million, yes, I don’t think there are a lot of industries where, if you want to make $100,000, it’s there for you to do, and if you want to make $1 million, it’s there for you to do. Medical sales is one of them, and that’s just a huge opportunity. You can literally be someone. Some of you are listening to this right now and you can be in a certain type of medical sales that’s making maybe $200,000 a year and, if you care to, you could be making a million dollars within the next two or three years. If you care to, with a vetted pathway to get there Now, will that require a lot of work and showing up and doing probably a lot more than what you’re currently doing? Absolutely, but is there a vetted pathway, a specific industry, even to make this happen? Yes, and that’s what medical sales has to offer.
24:15
I hope you’re enjoying today’s episode and I want to let you know our programs cover the entire career of a medical sales professional, from getting into the medical sales to training on how to be a top performer in the medical sales industry, to masterfully navigating your career to executive level leadership. These programs are personalized and customized for your specific career and background and trained by over 50 experts, including surgeons. Over 50 experts, including surgeons. Our results speak for ourselves and we’re landing positions for our candidates in less than 120 days in top medical technology companies like Stryker, medtronic, merck, abbott you name it. Would you run an Ironman race without training and a strategy? You wouldn’t. So why are you trying to do the same with the medical sales position. You need training, you need a strategy and you need to visit evolveyoursetscom, fill out the application schedule some time with one of our account executives and let’s get you into the position that you’ve always dreamed of. So when you’re thinking about why medical sales, when you think about me and why I’m such a big promoter of entertaining medical sales, these are the things I’m thinking about right sales. These are the things I’m thinking about right.
25:26
When COVID hit, a lot of sales reps got laid off. Why? Because nobody could do anything as far as getting access to a hospital unless it was absolutely necessary. But ask me where all those people are today. The majority of them that I know are in positions that are making third to half more, so 50% more than what they were making before COVID. Why is that?
25:54
Because, like I said, all the things we just talked about, if you’re good at what you do, you’re never going to be short of an opportunity in medical sales, and another reason that medical sales is such a great field to be in one of the upsides is doubling down on that professional development If you’re someone that really wants to show up in a more powerful way, whether it be you want to be a better communicator, a better leader, you want to know how to drive true innovation and impact and get people together, get on a mission and do something so significant that it causes a ripple, or even a wave in healthcare or in a patient’s life or in a set of types of people in their lives. Medical sales is a great space to do it. You’re going to learn so much about how to show up in a more powerful way. You know I say that this industry medical sales industry there’s so much data and there’s so much energy that has been put into the development of people that if you’re with a company that has a good foundation and a great mission, the development you’re going to receive to be the better you is immense, and that happens in this space called medical sales. These are all the upsides of medical sales sales. These are all the upsides of medical sales, and these are the reasons why I push for people that aren’t sure what they want to do, but know they want to make an impact, have the capability to do amazing things and want to impact someone else’s life. I always push them to consider medical sales, but it doesn’t stop there, right? I mean, I think all I’ve given you so far the gold and the rainbows of medical sales. In my opinion, there are even more things to consider about if you should or should do medical sales than the golden rainbows.
27:37
So let’s talk about the nature of a sales job. So what is a sales job? I’ll define my definition. Sales is the opportunity to invite someone to a solution that can make life better for them. That’s sales. We’re always doing it, everybody does it.
27:57
Now, a sales rep is someone who’s literally trained to do that in the most powerful way possible. So when you think about that, when you’re in medicine, it’s all of that, times 10. Why? Because, number one, you’re dealing with the most educated consumer. Number two, the decisions that you influence in some cases are literally life and death. Some wrong information, some misinformation, can change someone’s trajectory in life based on your input. This is medical sales and it should not be taken lightly.
28:41
In addition to that, going back to the nature of a sales rep, because you’re someone that’s trained in how to show up powerfully and invite people to solutions, you’re expected expected to be very resistant to the other side of not in anyone to your solutions. Let me say that again, the word no should be a word that makes you smile as a sales rep, because the nature of your role is to invite everyone to your solution. Now, of course, you’re going to have a much more targeted audience that is going to be much more receptive to your solution than other audiences. But at the end of the day, this company is giving you these millions or a hundred grand or a million dollars a year, or whatever it is, because they expect you to go out there and take anyone that could benefit from what they have and start using it, which means when you hear no, so what? When you hear no, you can’t treat it the way everyone else does when they hear no, and let’s talk about that.
29:57
When you hear no, just think about the last time you wanted something and someone said no. How many feelings emotions did you go through? You know, I’m sure some of you your character might’ve been challenged. Some of you you were like really again you’re, you’re really not going to. Some of you it made you so mad. Some of you it just threw you into a mini depression. I can go on and on and on about what the word no can trigger, but as a sales professional, the expectation is that word no triggers you into action, to turn that into something that’s a yes or a compromise or some kind of value that will allow this product or service to be utilized by this audience. Allow this product or service to be utilized by this audience.
30:47
And when you’re in medical sales, I said everything in sales, in medical sales is times 10. And so is your response to a no. So if you’re someone that struggles when you hear no, if you’re someone that and look, let me say this, I want anyone listening to, please. No one is judging you. I’m not judging you. No one knows what you’re thinking, only you do. So be honest with yourself when I say these things.
31:17
If you’re someone that gets bothered by hearing no consistently, for someone that kind of loses steam when, just over and over, you keep hitting a wall, medical sales is not for you, period. Well, Samuel, what do you mean? I mean you know anything. You do that. If you always hear no, you’re going to feel some kind of way and probably want to bow out. Sure, but not really In medical sales.
31:54
Your baseline should be how I am a firm believer in. You can have anything you want in this life if you commit to it. I’m one of the guys that believes that you commit before you even learn how to do it, because the commitment’s what’s really going to get you there. There’s so many ways on how to do it, but the commitment’s going to get you there. So, if you’re in medical sales, you’ve committed to being successful. You’ve committed to selling this product or service that you truly believe in to this audience that truly needs it. Truly believe in to this audience that truly needs it and you’re the bridge to them, understanding why they should get involved. And if you believe that, then you’re committed. And if you’re committed, then the only thing you wake up thinking is how, not, oh, they gave me another. No, they didn’t. They gave me another no, not. Oh, man, this is, this is, this is hard. None of that. All of that goes out the window. Of course, take your 30 seconds, the three minutes, to lament on whatever happens to you in the moment, but your baseline should be how because you’re so committed to whatever it is you’re selling, and and and that your audience is going to receive it and do something with it that’s going to benefit patients’ lives. And if you can’t get with that concept, then I truly believe that medical sales is not for you, it’s not.
33:12
Now, the whole thing about that is, a sales rep is not the only position in medical sales. I like to say there’s two types of positions in medical sales, three types of positions in medical sales. There’s the selling. I like to say there’s two types of positions in medical sales, three types of positions in medical sales. There’s the selling, which is done by sales reps. There’s supporting, which is done by associate sales reps and support staff and remote sales reps, and then there’s the consultants. Now, yes, many companies have gotten fun and some are called executive consultants, some are called sales reps, some are called account managers, territory managers. It’s kind of all the same thing.
33:44
The only one that stands out that truly is a consulting role that’s a little different, is called the clinical specialist. What is that? That’s a role that’s usually available to someone with an advanced degree. Now, can people without a benefit get them? They get them all the time, but often it’s favorable to someone with an advanced degree the time, but often it’s favorable to someone with an advanced degree and it’s someone that consults the user, aka physician, on the utilization of the product or service that was sold. So you’re selling in a way, but you’re doing a lot more influencing to utilize at maximum level, while the sales rep continues to introduce different people, different audiences, to the service or product to actually sell them on using it in the first place. So you have your clinical specialists and you have your, let’s just say, sales reps, and this constitutes the majority of medical sales.
34:40
Now, do clinical specialists? Are they seen as responsible for selling A lot of companies? They are, so should they also be comfortable with turning no’s into opportunities? Yes, because you don’t know what’s going to happen, right? What if the product a sales rep sold a physician on? This is just frustrated and you’re the clinical specialist that’s now involved and he’s taking it out, or she’s taking it out on you and they want to just leave. Or your company has a hiccup in manufacturing and now this product or service isn’t available and you’re the one that’s supposed to maintain the relationship and now they just want to leave.
35:22
And I can go on and on and make up all kinds of scenarios, but the point is no exists in that world too. So if you struggle with no, this is not the field for you, it just isn’t. I’m not going to mince words, I’m not going to say yeah, well, you know it’s not for the faint of heart, so let’s get into it for the faint of heart. So let’s get into it. Number one if you struggle with no like I just iterated. Number two if you’re not in it for the long haul, this is, it can be a very dynamic job, but a consistent part of this job is that and let me say, a consistent part of being an individual contributor, so an actual sales professional. You know what it applies to VPs, managers and all of the above too.
36:07
You’re only as good as your last sale. That sounds harsh, I know. Everybody’s like oh yeah, I’m triggering people right now, but let me just dig into it a little bit. You’re only as good as your last sale. What does that mean? That means you could make a million dollars for the company. Let me see some real, better numbers. You could make a hundred million dollars for your company in one year.
36:33
When Q1 comes around that next year and you fall short, they’re going to be looking at you like what’s going on. Why is that? Well, that’s the nature of being a sales professional. That is not something that’s unfair, that is not something that’s not right. That is the nature. Your role, your only role, is to drive the sales. So there isn’t a such thing as well. I drove a lot of sales yesterday out of sales yesterday. There’s only do you drive sales or not? Meaning you made a hundred million for us last year. What are you going to do for us this year? And if you’re falling short in Q1, how are you racking your brain, analyzing your plans and assessing your situation to show up more powerfully this year in Q1? And that’s never going to go away.
37:24
So if you’re someone that you struggle with consistent effort when things aren’t working out, medical sales is not for you. And there’s no judgment. There are people out there that can do amazing things that there’s nothing wrong with not wanting to just consistently go after it and after it, and you keep hitting a wall and you go after it again and again and again. You don’t have to be someone that’s like that. However, if you’re not someone that’s like that, you might find some serious challenges in medical sales, because it’s going to happen to you. It’s one of those careers that you’re going to hit a lot of rough spots and the only person that gets out of them is you, and you got to have this attitude and mentality that I’m always going to get out of it. I don’t know how, but I’m so committed to the success of what I see and the impact I want to make that I’m going to stumble upon the answer. That should be your default position, in my opinion, and if that’s not, then again I think medical sales is a tough space for someone that doesn’t have that innately.
38:35
Another thing to really consider that would highlight that maybe medical sales isn’t for you is the compliance of medical sales. So let’s talk about gosh. I hate doing this because I have a lot of friends that are in this space and I respect them, but it’s just such an easy one to show. Let’s talk about a car salesman. Okay, you know what? Let me get it out. Let me get this out.
38:58
Why do car salesmen have such a bad rap? And I think this is why you have amazing car salesmen and you have car salesmen that aren’t amazing, and I think the non-amazing car salesmen are out there, maybe fudging a little bit, maybe exaggerating some truths, maybe pushing influence that isn’t quite warranted. And when the consumer experiences this on a huge level after the sales rep has gone and sold them on whatever, or when the consumer is truly pressed to make a decision and there’s this exaggeration that the consumer knows is there but doesn’t really know how to identify because they just don’t have the information that the sales rep does. It’s tough. I think that’s why car sales would get a bad rap because of that.
39:45
And the same thing exists in medical sales, except the stakes. Like I said before, it’s 10 times higher. The stakes are higher. So there’s this thing called compliance, and it’s fierce in the medical sales space, meaning from what you say to how you say it, to what you claim to how you claim it. It’s scrutinized in this space. So I tell people that struggle with compliance. I’m not going to tell you medical sales is not for you, but you need to figure out how to get with it. One thing a physician told me many years ago that I thought was so cool is, he said, the more compliance is involved, the more powerful I am, because I know exactly what not to do, empowering me to do whatever I want to do. I know, think about it, but it’s pretty cool, and I think that phrase exists here in medical sales.
40:40
If you are not someone that cares to understand the rules, I do not think this space is for you. There are too many nuances, there are too many scenarios that require extreme detail and require brutal honesty. So if you don’t know what you’re talking about, medical sales is not the space to fluff the numbers, to fudge the information, to bridge the gap of information you don’t have. It should not exist in medical sales. Medical sales is the space where you flat out say, doctor, I have no idea or I do not know that. So what I’m going to do is, within the next 24 hours, you’re going to have the best answer because I’m going to go find it and just own it and then, of course, go on and do that, find the best answer. But the point is you have to be able to get with compliance. You have to be able to get with the high level of rules and regulations so that you know what to do. If you can’t get with that, I don’t think medical sales is for you, even if you’re a rule breaker.
41:45
I know a lot of what I call cowboys in medical sales. I mean these guys are just doing things like you did what, but they know the rules. Now they might be on the fringe and doing things that are just I’ve never seen that before, but they’re making those kinds of decisions because they know the rules. If you’re not someone that wants to take time to understand the rules, I don’t think medical sales is for you, which brings me to my next point. If you’re not someone that pays attention to detail to some degree, then I also think it’s going to be a challenge to successfully carry out medical sales. Again, who are you dealing with? The most educated people in the world and yeah, doctors are different. I know doctors that don’t know as much as I thought they should. I know doctors that amaze me, but all of them have a lot of education and all of them have some level of detail they live by and you have to be able to recognize that, get with that and abide by it or you’re going to struggle in the medical sales space.
42:42
Another thing I want to talk about when it comes to medical sales that I think everyone should know is medical sales is the life of a moving goalpost. This is why so many medical sales professionals that learn and get really good and develop amazing relationships go and start their own companies because of the moving goalpost. I remember gosh. This was maybe three or four years ago. We helped someone in our program, the medical sales career builder, get into medical sales and they had never been in sales I mean, it was just farthest thing from it. And they took the program, they got the job. They called me maybe I don’t know seven or eight months after they’d been in the role and they’re like Samuel, every quarter they raise my quota.
43:29
And she was mad. She was like I can’t every quarter. And I’m looking at her like this is the nature of the business. That’s never going away. In fact, the more you do for the company you work for, the higher your quota gets, and that is forever. Write that down.
43:44
So what does that mean for someone that does not know how to work under the consistency of a moving goalpost? That is the reality of medical sales. It is the nature of the beast. It’s not going to change. Now, the reason why so many people flock to it anyway is because if you’re that kind of person that’s ready for that challenge, for the kind of person that’s ready to knock down any door, that loves the sound of no because you know there’s an opportunity there, and that’s ready to get their hands dirty, no matter what, to figure it out because you’re so committed. Yeah, the moving goalposts, but so what? That’s the nature of the beast and I’m going to figure out how to meet that goal too, and again, and again, and again, and when I’m tired of it I’ll do it on my own, aka the company you start.
44:22
But the point is, if you’re someone that can’t really work under that kind of condition where every single quarter it can fluctuate, then I don’t think medical sales is for you. Medical sales can be a lot of pressure. You know, I know, I know I’m not going to say any names, but there’s this narrative going around for working for certain companies and certain positions, you’re going to gain the freshman 40. And I’ve seen it. I’ve seen people come out of this program, get the job, and I talk to them a year later and they are 40 pounds heavier and I say, wow, this is not even a joke, this happens and it’s because of the pressure. It’s real right. If you’re giving somebody a million dollars a year, half a million dollars a year, to do their job, you better expect a lot of pressure period. If you’re getting someone $200,000 a year to do their job, you better expect a lot of pressure. And that pressure is a moving goalpost and that pressure is constant and you have to meet it every time. If that’s not in you, if that turns you off, then I highly recommend you consider if medical sales is for you, because that’s just the nature of the beast of the industry.
45:33
Now let’s talk a little bit about the personality of a medical sales professional. I’m sure when I say what type of personality do you think a medical sales rep has, everybody listening right now is saying you’ve got to be an extrovert. I’m going to sit here right now and tell you that is not true, believe it or not, but I am not an extrovert and I’ll tell you why. It works to be an introvert or an extrovert in medical sales. Medical sales, yes, you are literally putting yourself in front of strangers, befriending them, getting to know them, getting them to trust you, showing them a solution to their issues and getting them to repeatedly use your solutions over and over and over again. That is the nature of the beast. You don’t need to be an extrovert or introvert to do that, but you do need to be happy and comfortable developing relationships. So if you’re someone that, for lack of a word, doesn’t like people and you hate investing in any kind of relationship, then I would say that medical sales is absolutely not for you.
46:35
The name of the game, the name of the game in this business literally is relationships. Introverts are powerful relationship creators. Extroverts are powerful relationship creators. Both sides have strengths that allow them to develop relationships that last years and turn into millions of dollars for the companies they work for, highest quality of life for the patients involved and a great reputation for the employee that’s providing the service. But if you’re someone that doesn’t like investing in relationships, if you genuinely don’t like people or socializing with people or working in any kind of environment that requires agreement with people, then I would say medical sales is not for you. Now, I respect not wanting to be around people. I respect wanting to be alone more than wanting to be around people. We’re all human and some of us are very much like that. I respect not wanting to have a bunch of friends and choosing to have a very select few that you respect and know have your back and you have their back. I completely understand that. But the reality of this business is you have to know how to develop a relationship, and let’s talk about why.
47:55
Medical sales is a space where often the decision maker, you have to get to right. So your hospital well, you know, let’s make it easier your clinic, your clinic, is going to have office staff, nurse, mas, a physician If it’s a multiple, it’s a multiple physician clinic. It’s going to have physicians that are just kind, just kind of there, physicians that are leading the way. You have all these players and then, yeah, take it to a hospital and it just, you know, double that, triple that, and especially with certain types of devices where getting the buy-in for the position is just the beginning, now you got to rally that physician and you, whatever argument and your ability to develop relationships to get in front of the decision maker that’s above the physician and talk them into getting behind this solution. It’s all about relationships.
48:55
I mean, think about just know that to get into these careers you have to be very savvy at connecting with people quickly, getting them to see your value, engaging them long enough to maintain any kind of relationship and then impressing them enough for them to say, wow, I am going to share your name with my boss and put in a good word because of how you show up. That does not go away once you get the job. In fact, if you thought getting the job was hard. You’re about to see something, and that’s the reality of the business, and if that’s not in you, then again I don’t think medical sales is for you. So what did we talk about today? We talked about all the value and benefits medical sales has to offer. In a light conversation. We talked about some of the things you absolutely need to check yourself about. If you’re serious about medical sales and if you show up with these things or you know certain things, train you off that we earlier discussed, then understand that there’s a strong chance. This space is not for you.
49:56
I want to kind of bring us to a summary now. Before I do that, I want to talk about one more audience, and that’s the current medical sales rep. Right now, if you’re a medical sales rep and you’re listening to this I am talking to you. Please understand that you’re in a beautiful industry with so much opportunity, and development is there. If there is no development in your organization, there’s organizations that will give you that times 10.
50:25
If there’s development in your organization, I implore you to take advantage of it, even if you’re that individual contributor that says, Samuel, I don’t ever want to be a manager, I don’t ever want to lead people. I love my job. I don’t ever want to be a manager. I don’t ever want to lead people. I love my job. I love my customers. I love what I do. I want to do this until I die. I still encourage you to seek out the development. Development will never hurt you, period. That is the philosophy behind evolving your success. Evolving your success exists because there’s no such thing as being too successful, and I’m not talking about money. I’m talking about how you show up, the influence you carry, the capability to go out and do the things that you believe are right, the capability you have to manipulate a situation to get an outcome that’s going to serve these patients in a way that they wouldn’t have been served if you hadn’t showed up. That’s all about evolving your success.
51:23
As a medical sales professional, anyone listening should always have a plan on how they want to improve. If your company does not have one, create your own. There’s this really cool thing called ChatGPT. It’ll pretty much give you whatever you want. You can literally go to it and say I am a sales rep, I want to be better, I want to be a better communicator. I want to close my customers better, I want to be more empathetic to their needs when I’m working with them, to invite them to my solutions. I want to be a more influential. Whatever it is, put it in there and ask it to give you a six month plan and it’ll do just that. There’s no excuse. If you’re listening to this episode and you’re a sales professional in the medical sales space, I highly highly urge you to take this seriously.
52:07
Develop yourself. If you lose your job tomorrow, that development plan is going to save you. If your company goes under tomorrow, that development plan is going to save you. If your boss quits and you get this crazy boss that you don’t know what’s going on, that development plan is going to save you. If your boss quits and you get this crazy boss that you don’t know what’s going on, that development plan is going to save you. It’s always going to save you.
52:24
Take time and invest in your own development and come up with a plan, execute it and wear it proudly when your manager calls you to sign and says so what have you been working on? What do you got going on? Whip that out and say look, this is what I’ve got going on. This is what I’ve been working on. This is how I’ve been tracking it and this is the impact I want to make this quarter utilizing these kinds of developments. I can’t stress it enough. Really, there’s a whole episode I’m going to make on this because this is deep. We’re not going to do it here, but I at least want to say, please, please, take stock in your development.
52:55
And then, more importantly, if you’re listening to this, in your medical sales rep, you better know your stuff. If you don’t have great relationships in the territory you represent or are responsible for, make them. There should be at least five accounts, whatever your role is, it doesn’t matter what you sell Five accounts where you have an impeccable relationship with. Because, again, whether it’s losing your job, wanting a new job, wanting something different, or your second act, right, maybe you want to leave and you’re thinking what can I go on? And do you know how many sales reps that are now CEOs of cool healthcare innovations with their partner surgeon, because they took the time to invest in a true relationship with their customers while they were a sales rep? I’m going to say it again Take it seriously, get your development plan, find five accounts, five people that are Notable in your space, and get to know them and know them well, and you will thank me.
53:56
Now let’s get back to it. So we talked about why the medical space is so amazing and you should thank me. Now let’s get back to it. So we talked about why the medical sales space is so amazing and you should be here. We talked about what you should consider and why you shouldn’t be here.
54:07
I want to wrap this up with almost like a little checklist summary on whether you should be in medical sales or not. And here it is. Number one are you motivated by challenges and rewards? Simple If rewards excite you and you love a challenge, great. Number two do you truly have a passion about healthcare and technology? Forget about the money. Forget about the perks. Technology. Forget about the money. Forget about the perks. Forget about all the cool things outside of the fact that you’re going to be learning a heck of a lot about technology and a heck of a lot about healthcare, fusing them together and trying to come up with arguments to invite people to solutions they’re not already utilizing. Does that really get you going? Do you want to stay up all night and study? Another thing I haven’t even gotten into is how much you should be studying.
55:04
This goes for those that want to be in it and those that are in it. If you’re an active rep right now and you’re not sitting at least 30 minutes a day in your field, I don’t know what to tell you. I really think you’re not doing yourself any favors. I really think you’re not doing yourself any favors. No-transcript, you’ve got to truly care. You got to want to change patients’ lives and you got to want to say I want to change their lives so bad and I want to be so good at what I do that I’m going to sit here and I’m going to study this material until I understand it, period, and consistently do it anyway.
56:02
You have to ask yourself this. And look, I’m going to say it again. All of you know the answer. There’s no judgment. But if you’re going to step into this space, you need to own your answer. If your answer is yes, Samuel, absolutely, are you kidding me? Persist all day, rejections all day, put me in in coach, and that’s truly you. And yes, this is very much the space for you.
56:23
But if you can’t get with that, if that causes you to pause, I’m not telling you that you can’t do medical sales. I’m telling you to really evaluate that and understand that if you choose to get into this space anyway, that is literally what you’re going to be dealing with forever. It’s never going to go away, even when you become a manager. Forget about just yourself. You’re not doing it for like eight other people. And then you become a VP Okay, now you’re doing it for 30 other people, and then we go on and on. I mean, it just doesn’t matter where you go, it’s always going to be there. So if you can’t get with and persist in the face of rejection, think about it.
57:03
When it comes to medical sales, as always, we do our best to bring you innovative information, and I’m so happy you spent this time with me to let me share my insight on medical sales, why you should be here or why you shouldn’t, you know. I’ll lastly cap it with this I think this is the most amazing space ever right, Because I always had a passion for healthcare. As a young man, you know, I thought I was going to be a physician. I wanted to go to med school. I took the MCAT. I did all that only to realize that I love the business side of medicine a heck of a lot more, and when I saw the impact I can make. It just seemed like the obvious choice and here we are. So I will always support this.
57:45
But because I care so much about this space and because of what our company believes in, remember we’re not join us, we’re going to get you into medical.
57:51
No, we are join us because we’re going to help you find the right position, put you in the right specialty with the right company so you can thrive. That is what we care about, because only when you do that will you truly impact patient outcomes. So this is another episode of Medical Cells Podcast. I’ll say it one more time we do everything we can to bring you innovative information, and so keep listening to Medical Cells Podcast and make sure you listen for another episode next week. I hope you enjoyed today’s episode and remember I have a customized and personalized program that gets you into the medical technology industry as a sales professional or any type of role for that matter. Become a top performer in your position and masterfully navigate your career to executive level leadership. Check out these programs and learn more at EvolvesAssesscom by visiting our site, filling out an application, scheduling some time with one of our account executives and allowing us to get you where you need to be Stay tuned for more awesome content with amazing interviews on the Medical Sales Podcast.
Medical Territory Manager!
I was a Regional Sales Representative for Long-Term Care pharmacy services. I had dreamed of getting into the med sales industry when I went into my career as a nurse, but the pharmacy sales job came to me, and I had just settled. Fortunately, I had a job shakeup that allowed me to determine that now was the time to pursue my original vision.
I absolutely would not have this position without Samuel and the Evolve Your Success community. A lot of people my age would just stop trying, but EYS believed in me.
EYS allowed me to break into the industry in 90-Days after I had been trying on my own for over two years! I had lots of recruiter screenings, and a few interviews with hiring managers, but I was never offered a position.
Before EYS, I didn’t realize I was doing the bare minimum to get hired. I was applying everywhere, hoping to get noticed and waiting. It just wasn’t working! I didn’t know that that was not enough to compete in an industry this sought after, and against people who knew what I didn’t know about the process.
Of course, I had to think hard before making a financial investment that’s reasonably substantial. But when I read the testimonials of real med sales reps on the site and learned that I wasn’t the only one taking a chance on my success, that EYS was sharing that risk also, I knew I had to do it. Though you might be able to cobble together some of the steps of getting a role in med sales from online research on your own, you just can’t know what you don’t know!
The process of going through EYS presents this insider knowledge to the student, as well as giving you a progression of difficulty as you obtain the information, and you begin to master it. Not only that, but they give you access to amazing mentors and instructors, allow you to practice your interview skills, and teach you how to market yourself through social media and your own website! I cannot stress enough that EYS was the factor that made the difference in my successfully landing my dream job! The support, structure, and knowledge gained was invaluable!
I would recommend this course to ANYONE looking to break into medical sales
Thank you so much, EYS! This journey has been life changing and has resulted in the successful culmination of my 18-Year ambition! 
Sports Medicine in Phoenix! I extend so much gratitude to the Evolve Your Success group as I land this role and get ready to pursue my dream job. I am a Physical Therapist who became a little stuck in the profession due to issues with reimbursement and the difficulty for continued growth upwards. I turned to EYS to assist me in learning about the medical sales industry and gain knowledgable mentors who were able to help coach me in this process. I am a strong believer in surrounding yourself with the best and good things will happen. I did work hard, but with the support of my mentors and other colleagues going through a career change, I felt a sense of community and it confirmed my drive to get into this industry. I have already learned so much through the interview process, and feel very blessed to have had the resources this group provided. I have made lifelong friends and I cannot wait to continue to follow others’ journeys to pursue this incredible field. I urge you to give Evolve Your Success a try to gain mentorship, guidance, and support through any career transition.
and am excited to make a difference in patients’ lives as a Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist.
! Though I truly enjoyed working as a physical therapist, I can’t wait to start my career in the sales world as a Clinical Account Executive.
. I owe this opportunity to Samuel, the program, and the incredible mentors at EYS.
