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Medical devices come in many shapes and sizes, with various purposes, but their aim is always the same – to improve the quality of life for people all over the world. Whether you’re interested in building or improving your own health or helping others get back on their feet, medical devices sales can be an extremely rewarding career option. The growth of this industry shows no signs of slowing down, so if you want to join the medical field and make an impact on people’s lives while reaping the benefits that come with it, read on to learn more about medical device sales careers and how you can start one today!
Finding the Right Job
Do you have a background in the medical industry? To be specific , having a degree in Biomedical Engineering ? If so, then you may be a great candidate for a sales position in this field. Medical devices sales is quickly becoming one of the most lucrative and exciting fields in all of Indian healthcare. As medical devices are becoming increasingly complex, there are more opportunities than ever before to discover medical devices that can change lives.
What to Expect From a Day in the Life
If you’re looking for a job that can balance your work and personal life, then medical devices sales is the career for you. As one of the most important decision makers in hospitals, the medical device sales team develops professional relationships with physicians and manages their product purchasing needs. To succeed, it’s crucial to be able to quickly assimilate oneself into diverse environments and establish rapport with a wide range of individuals in order to close deals and increase revenue for their company.
The Ingredients for Success
A medical devices sales career is a rewarding one that pays off in many ways. Below are some tips for success from someone who’s been there. • Take an active role in your education: It’s not only about books and school, but about practice and applying your knowledge with integrity. You’re going to do this every day as a Medical Device Sales professional, so you should have hands-on experience and understanding by the time you get to the interview table. • Build relationships with doctors: Start early.
Growth Prospects in Medical Devices Sales
There is a lot of room for growth in medical devices sales, as the industry continues to evolve. As a result, those with the right qualifications and skill set have access to an increasing number of excellent positions, where they can be rewarded both financially and professionally.
What will my earnings be like ?
As a Fresh College Graduate, you can expect to earn about 4-6 lakhs INR annually depending on your location, business volume, products, market size and industry within Healthcare . Although it might not seem like much at first glance, this is comparable to the salary of some resident doctors (Fresh Practitioners). Many people who are interested in this type of career later pursue a full-time MBA /Ex-MBA (Executive MBA) from Tire 1 B-Schools in India. Upgraded academic qualifications make them eligible for leadership opportunities. However, at MNCs, you are more likely to be promoted, primarily based on your individual performance rather than your educational qualifications.
| Designation | Minimum Experience (Years ) | Minimum Educational Qualification | Coverage | Individual Contributor / People Manager | Reports to | Pay (in Lakhs / Annum INR ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales Executive | 0-2 | Biomedical Engineering Fresher (Preferred ) Or any other Life Science Degree | Covering A City | Individual Contributor | Area Sales Manager | 4-6 Lakhs / Annum + Sales Incentives + Business Expenses ( Food Travel Stay Communication Etc) |
| Sr . Sales Executive | 2-3 | Experienced Biomedical Engineering Fresher (Preferred ) Or any other Life Science Degree | Covering two or more Cities | Individual Contributor | Area Sales Manager | 6-7 Lakhs / Annum + Sales Incentives + Business Expenses ( Food Travel Stay Communication Etc) |
| Key Accounts Manager KAM | 3-4 | Experienced Biomedical Engineer (Preferred ) Or any other Life Science Degree | Covering Important Hospital Accounts within City | Individual Contributor | Area Sales Manager | 7 -9 Lakhs / Annum + Sales Incentives + Business Expenses ( Food Travel Stay Communication Etc) |
| Territory Sales Manager TSM / District Sales Manager DSM | 4-6 | Experienced Biomedical Engineer (Preferred ) Or any other Life Science Degree | Covering one or more districts within the state | Individual Contributor | Area Sales Manager | 9 -10 Lakhs / Annum + Sales Incentives + Business Expenses ( Food Travel Stay Communication Etc) |
| Area Sales Manager ASM | 6-8 | Experienced Biomedical Engineer with Fulltime /Part Time MBA (Preferred ) Or any other Life Science Degree with MBA | Covering One or two states | Individual Contributor or Can be People Manager | Area Sales Manager | 10 -14 Lakhs / even more Annum + Sales Incentives + Business Expenses ( Food Travel Stay Communication Etc) |
| Regional Sales Manager RSM | 8-10 | Experienced Biomedical Engineer with Fulltime /Part Time/Executive MBA from one of the Top B-Schools (Preferred ) Or any other Life Science Degree with MBA | Covering Three or more states of a region | People Manager | Zonal Sales Manager | 15 -18 Lakhs even more / Annum + Sales Incentives + Business Expenses ( Food Travel Stay Communication Etc) |
| Zonal Sales Manager ZSM | 10-12 | Experienced Biomedical Engineer with Fulltime /Part Time/Executive MBA from one of the Top B-Schools (Preferred ) Or any other Life Science Degree with MBA | Covering Minimum Two Regions | People Manager | National Sales Manager / Sales Manager | 18 -25 Lakhs even more / Annum + Sales Incentives + Business Expenses ( Food Travel Stay Communication Etc) |
| National Sales Manager / Sales Manager | 12-14 | Experienced Biomedical Engineer with Fulltime /Part Time/Executive MBA from one of the Top B-Schools (Preferred ) Or any other Life Science Degree with MBA | Covering Complete India In terms of Sales of particular product line / Group | People Manager | Business Unit Head | 25 -30 Lakhs even more / Annum + Sales Incentives + Business Expenses ( Food Travel Stay Communication Etc) |
| Business Unit Head / Manager | 14-16 | Experienced Biomedical Engineer with Fulltime /Part Time/Executive MBA from one of the Top B-Schools (Preferred ) Or any other Life Science Degree with MBA | Complete India In terms of Business of particular product line /Group | People Manager | Country Head / India General Manager / India CEO | 30 -50 Lakhs even more / Annum + Sales Incentives + Business Expenses ( Food Travel Stay Communication Etc) |
Job Description of an Area Sales Manager
- Preparation of Sales Forecasts for the territory/area
- Execution of Sales targets and plan for the territory area
- Implementation of Sales Plans for the territory/area and achieve the sales revenue target
- Adherence to the Quarterly Rolling Sales Plan as communicated by the reporting manager
- Account Receivables / Collections:
- Achieving the collection targets for the territory/area
- Follow up on EMD, Security deposits
- Achievement of targets as per the Collection Plans every month
- Credit Control Policies: Adherence and implementation of Credit Control Policies
- Submission of Reports: Submission of all prescribed reports (Daily Sales Report, Monthly and Quarterly MIS, etc) and updating of data on SFDC
- Tour Plans: Preparation of monthly tour plan /schedule and submission to the reporting manager
- Market Intelligence Report (MIR): Preparation of the Market Intelligence Report based on product performance, feedback on quality and submission to the reporting manager
- Market Expansion / New Markets:
- Identification of new Key Accounts, Distributors/Channel partners and Direct trade opportunities.
- Awareness regarding competitor’s activities in the market and information in terms of pricing, schemes, systems/procedures etc
- Follow up with CPM and Marketing team for organizing exhibitions, live demos etc. as per business requirements in the territory/area
- Distribution / Channel Management:
- Handle the responsibility for Distributor Management and Direct selling including the accounts reconciliation. Compliance to the Credit Control Policies of the Company. Maintenance of a professional rapport and no commitments/communication on business issues to be done verbally. All communication to have a written approval from the Commercial Leader
- Establishment of an effective rapport with the Accounts team. Updation of the Distributor/Key accounts/Dealer accounts on an ongoing basis and compliance to all accounting policies
- Marketing and Advertising: Follow the marketing and advertising strategies proposed by Marketing Head / CPM’s. Planning in advance the schemes, which suit the local market, region, market segment
- Other Operational Responsibilities:
- Establishing a working rapport with the service counterparts and ensuring proper after sales service in your territory/area
- Adherence to the company norms with regards to expenses guidelines by the Company.
- Adherence to company norms with regards to financial commitments to the trade
Education / Qualification for Area Sales Manager
- Biomedical Engineering / Electronics / Instrumentation Engineering background with MBA in Sales & Marketing
- Graduate in Life Sciences with MBA / MMA / PG
Experience Requirements for Area Sales Manager
- Track record of achievement in Sales, Marketing and Business Development roles
- At least 4-6 years in the Consumables/ Life Sciences / Healthcare instrumentation / Medical devices industry
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities required for Area Sales Manager
- In-depth knowledge of the life sciences / analytical industry
- Knowledge of Surgical/ ICU /laboratory equipments business would be a distinct advantage
Skills required to be an Area Sales Manager
- Strong communication skills
- Good analytical skills
Abilities expected from an Area Sales Manager
- Teamwork
- Independent, quick decision making ability
- Strong evidence of ability to implement and execute plans
- Implement sales activities to achieve budgeted sales and profitability goal for the assigned area.
- Support Sales Manager to promote products to individual doctors & hospitals in assigned region.
- Reach out to identify new business opportunities by means of tender.
- Ensure efficient use of company’s demo units in the territory.
- Collaborate & cooperate with Sales Managers/Leaders as & when required.
- Explore new business opportunities to build Company’s ‘customer pool
- Identify, develop & manage different channels of business (distributors & direct sales) in the area.
- Provide solutions to customers to meet their specifications on the basis of techno-commercial discussion.
- Update existing customers to newer technologies.
- Responsible to live and exemplify Company’s Values: Integrity, Accountability, People, and Performance
Pros of ASM Role
- Can apply 60-70 % of academic knowledge from B. Tech Biomedical Engineering but for higher designation need MBA too
- Luxurious Job , Better Pay and perks among other domains within the company
- Instant Growth in the organization followed by individual performance
- In many medical equipment and devices companies, sales professionals are the nucleus to other support function , which means they drive the support functions (Clinical Applications / Service Engineering) locally with dotted reporting , although individual support functions will have their own head of department .
- Good for people who has got great interest in technical / clinical profiles along with Business intelligence and administration
- Sales is the top most priority to the organization always as it gives direct visibility of business outcomes to the top management of the company .
Corns of ASM Role
- Sales Pressure
- high responsibility
- Travel up to 50 % (25% In City, 25% Out Station )
Conclusion
To conclude, the world needs more people who want to make a difference in people’s lives by providing them with life-changing devices. Medical device sales jobs are rewarding careers that are here to stay as long as there is an unmet need for quality medical equipment. In closing, if you’re interested in this line of work, you’re not alone; and all it takes is a few simple steps to break into the industry.
