Aaron Stahl e-mailed me recently to bring my attention to his website (www.e-shadow.com) that prints interviews with people who work in particular fields.  He’s got one with a medical device sales rep and one with a pharmaceutical sales rep.  There’s some very candid, what’s-a-typical-day-like information, as well as advice on what steps you can take to enter this field…like taking a few classes in anatomy and physiology or medical terminology if your background is not in science.  They also point out how hard it is to get your foot in the door…the pharmaceutical sales rep says that it took him over a year to get hired because of the heavy competition.  All the more reason to have The Medical Sales Recruiter on your side!  (if I could do Superman music here, I would)

Want more help from the Medical Sales Recruiter?  Try audio coaching–this product covers every aspect of your bid to get a great job in medical sales, from how to build your resume with the proper keywords, to which documents to bring to the interview (like a brag book, a technology sheet, and a 30/60/90-day sales plan).

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Want another advantage?

Create a 30/60/90-day plan for the job you want.

What is a 30-60-90 day plan?  And how do you use it to get a job in sales?  Why does it help?

A 30-60-90-day plan is an outline for what you will do when you start the job.  Essentially, you spell out for your future employer, in as little or as much detail as necessary, how you will spend your time.  To do that, you have to do some research on the company so that you know what you’re talking about…a search on Google, LinkedIn, or the company’s own website can provide you with the information you need.  (It’s always impressive to a hiring manager if you can show that you’ve done your homework before the interview, remember?)

The basics:

The first 30 days of your plan is usually focused on training–learning the company systems, products, and customers.  So, most of the items in your 30-day plan should be along the lines of attending training, mastering product knowledge, learning specific corporate systems, traveling to learn your territory (if you’re in sales), meeting other members of the team, or reviewing accounts.

The next 30 days (the 60-day part) are focused on more field time, less training, more customer introductions, reviews of customer satisfaction, and getting feedback from your manager.

The last 30 days (the 90-day part) are the “getting settled” part.  You’ve had the training, you’ve met the customers, and now you can focus on sales!  It should include things that take more initiative on your part: landing your own accounts, scheduling programs, or coming up with new ways to get prospects’ attention (again, if you’re in sales), as well as continuing to get performance feedback and fine-tuning your schedule.

The more specific you can be in the details, the better off you are—by that I mean specifying the name of the training you’ll need, rather than just indicating that you’ll “get training,” for instance.  That’s why you research the company, not just the position! 

This kind of analysis of the position not only sets you apart from other job seekers… it also makes you a better performer on the job.  It means you’ve put some thought into what it takes to be successful, and once you’ve written down your goals, they become much easier to attain.

Using a 30-60-90-day plan to show that you’ve done your homework, analyzed the position, and thoughtfully considered how you can best serve this particular company in this particular capacity is very impressive to a hiring manager.  This kind of effort is the advantage you need that will set you apart from other candidates and get you hired.

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when to introduce your 30/60/90-day sales plan in your job interview

Creating a  30/60/90-day plan for your sales job interview is one of the most effective things you can do to impress a hiring manager and win a job offer.  It shows knowledge of the position, initiative, energy, enthusiasm, the ability to focus, written communication skills—all of which you definitely want to demonstrate to your interviewer and potential new boss.  But when do you bring it up?

The interview model that most people envision is that of a job seeker passively answering the questions put to him, focusing on delivering the “right” answers to interview questions.  Not a bad model, but you want to do a little better than that—you want to stand out.  You want to be exceptional.  And the chances of your interviewer asking about your 30/60/90-day plan so that you can answer are pretty slim.  This is “above and beyond” stuff…not expected, and so not asked about. 

So what do you do?

·         The ideal time to introduce your 30/60/90-day plan is when your interviewer asks something like, “How do you see yourself in this job?”  With a softball like that, you’re set.

·         If you don’t get an obvious lead-in, you can segue from talking about your relevant job experience to how that’s enabled you to create your 30/60/90-day plan for this one.  You know what you’re talking about, and you know how you’ll transition into this position with efficiency and effectiveness.

·         If your experience is a little light, and your skills are what got you the interview, focus on finding an appropriate time to point out that you researched this position extensively, and your 30/60/90-day plan is how you see yourself spending your time in the first 90 days of employment to bring yourself up to speed.  This is an especially good way to alleviate any doubts a hiring manager might have—you’ve already answered the question of how you’ll transfer your skills into this job, and shown how you’ll take ownership.

 If no opportunity falls in your lap, be assertive and make one.  At least bring up your 30/60/90-day plan before you go.  Your job search is too important for you to be so passive that you miss a chance to show such a great document.  Taking some (polite) control over your interview conversation is another sign to the hiring manager for how you’ll interact with customers and clients.  They want to see someone who knows how to lead.

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Behavioral interviews focus on past job behavior and performance (what did you do in a given situation) with the idea that this information will predict your future behavior and performance.  Behavioral interviews are really much more informative for employers than a “what do you know how to do?” interview, and more and more hiring managers are using some version of it.  (Here’s a previous post on STAR Interviews.)

What do you need to know? 

1)  Have stories or examples ready that explain your skills/performance in many different situations.  What happened when you had an unhappy customer?  How have you increased sales?  How did you deal with _____________?  Here’s a link to sample behavioral interview questions. 

2)  Quantify your examples whenever possible.  You increased sales by how much?  You were responsible for bringing in _______ dollars in revenue.  You saved the company _______ dollars by doing/changing/introducing _________________.   Salespeople (in all areas of medical sales, pharmaceutical sales, laboratory sales, clinical diagnostics sales, DNA products sales, biotechnology sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, or medical supplies and equipment sales) are good at having these numbers at hand, but people in marketing, tech support or service areas in healthcare will need to work harder.

Behavioral interviews are excellent opportunities for those job seekers with a brag book.  Brag books are collections of examples that illustrate your stories:  letters from happy customers or managers, awards, sales training certificates, projects you’ve completed, etc.  How to Get Into Medical Sales – Volume I:  The Documents explains brag books in more detail, and also teaches you about other critical aspects of your job search and interview process (like resumes and cover letters, technology sheets, and 30/60/90-day sales plans) so that all your work results in the job offer you want.

This video will explain all of this in more detail.  I hope it helps you have a successful job interview.

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It not always necessary to have some background in the sciences to get a job in medical sales, laboratory sales, medical supplies sales, hospital equipment sales, clinical diagnostics sales, pharmaceutical sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, cellular and molecular sales, and biotechnology sales.  But if you’ve got it, it helps.

For more information about technology sheets and other secrets to success in getting a medical sales job, see How to Get Into Medical Sales – Volume I:  The Documents.  It’s full of samples and templates of resumes, cover letters, technology sheets, brag books, 30/60/90-day sales plans, thank you notes, and more–it also includes over an hour of audio coaching from the Sales Recruiter to show you how to use these documents to your greatest advantage in your job search and interviews!

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1.  Are you in the right location?  Will they have to relocate you?  Are you even willing to move?
2. Can you travel?  Most sales jobs require traveling to customers throughout your region, and medical sales are no exception. 
3. Do you have the requirements?  What experience/training/education do you have that qualifies you for this job? 
4. Do you have the BS degree?  Is it in the life sciences?   A Life Science degree isn’t always necessary, but a background in chemistry or biology does help.  If you don’t have the degree:  if you can show specific classes you took in those areas, it increases your chances because it demonstrates some knowledge in the medical arena.
5. What have you done to prepare for this type of opportunity?  Hint:  Don’t say “nothing”….talk about the sales books you’ve read, the training you’ve taken, the ride-alongs you’ve done with reps in the field, and the information-gathering interviews you’ve done. 
6. What are your strengths?  Weaknesses?  Focus your “strengths” answer to those actual strengths you have that will be a benefit in this job.  Candidates usually answer the “weaknesses” question with something that isn’t, like “I just work too hard,” but you could go the refreshingly honest route of naming an actual weakness that you, naturally, have already taken steps to overcome.
7. Where do you want to be in 5 years?  What are you looking for? 
8. How do others describe you?  Before you get to the interview, ask a few friends that very question.  It may surprise you, and it may give you a fantastic answer.  No matter what, though, have the presence of mind to limit your “description” to qualities that would be great in a medical sales rep:  energetic, smart, ambitious, dependable, a team player, a leader, loves people, loves technology, fascinated by medical breakthroughs, likes helping others, competitive, loves to travel, etc.   They don’t need to know about how much you love your yoga classes, paintball weekends, or your staunch conservatism/liberalism.
9. Who would serve as your references?  Be very sure that you know what your references will say about you.  When you call to give them a heads up, take that opportunity to coach them on tailoring their answer to what will be the most effective for this particular job.
10. How do you handle conflict?  Here’s where you give an example from your past about something that happened with a co-worker or customer, and how you successfully negotiated an agreement that everyone was happy with.  Use the STAR approach to answering:  State the Situation, the Task that was at hand, the Approach you took, and the Results you got.
11. What would you do…then they give you a tough sales scenario?  This is a classic behavioral interview question.  If you can, bring it around to something similar that did happen, and what you did about it. 
12. How would you build your market?  This is an excellent opportunity to introduce your 30/60/90-day sales plan, which you create out of your research on the company and the position.  It’s your “to do” list for exactly what you will do during your first 3 months of employment to learn your job, learn your customers, and build your market to increase sales.

For all these questions, the key is to listen, clarify, answer and then ask how they would answer that question.  You can learn a lot—which will either impress them with your initiative and willingness to learn, or give you something you can use for your next interview. 

The Medical Sales Recruiter has over 300 blog posts on every aspect of the job search:  resumes, interviews, and careers in medical sales, laboratory sales, healthcare sales, medical device sales, biotech sales, medical equipment sales, clinical diagnostics sales, and pharmaceutical sales.

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medical sales laboratory hiring personal brand

 

In the grocery store of life, you have to figure out why someone would pick you up off the shelf,” says Andrea Nierenberg, president of the Nierenberg Group, a business communication-consulting firm in New York. “Are you new and improved? Are you repackaged? What are you doing to get that competitive edge? What you want to do is position yourself as you would a product.”

I LOVE this.  If each of us spent as much time thinking about our career as much as the major food manufacturers think about product placement on a shelf, what could be the consequences?  (Do you even realize how much thought and energy goes into exactly where that box of cereal should be in your line of vision?  It’s mind-boggling.) 

Personal branding works the same way.  What’s the first impression people have of you?  Why should a hiring manager choose you over the other brand?  How can you market yourself in your industry so that others know who you are?  Personal Branding Basics is a great place to start thinking about how to make this work for you.

In all areas of medical sales, laboratory sales, biotech sales, clinical diagnostics sales, medical software sales, medical equipment sales, medical device sales, hospital equipment sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, DNA products sales, and pharmaceutical sales, you need to think about where you are (and where you want to be) in the market. 

To package all this up for maximum impact on a hiring manager, see How to Get Into Medical Sales – Volume I:  The Documents.  Get over an hour of audio coaching plus templates and samples for resumes, cover letters, technology sheets, brag books, 30/60/90-day sales plans, thank you notes, and advice on references. 

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There are a couple of ways to answer this question, so here goes: 

First of all, my opinion is that no certificate program is an adequate substitute for a 4-year degree.  There’s just no substitute available for a solid science background if you’re going into medical sales.  Remember–the customers in this area DO have science degrees.  If you don’t, it will be apparent that you don’t.  My top candidates all have 4-year science degrees AND some kind of sales/business experience.

Second, all of the areas of medical sales (laboratory sales, clinical diagnostics sales, biotech sales, DNA products sales, cellular products sales, molecular sales, hospital equipment sales, imaging sales, surgical supplies sales, medical device sales, pathology sales, histology, medical software sales), pharmaceutical sales is the most volatile and the least respected –partly because pharmaceutical sales reps as a whole (though there are exceptions) bring the least value.  The effectiveness of the pharmaceutical sales force is declining–and layoffs are everywhere.

Reading job descriptions and requirements will give you a much better idea of where to focus your prep time to get into medical sales.  Go to my website (www.phcconsulting.com) for job listings.

To find out how to make the most of the experience you do have, see How to Get Into Medical Sales, Volume One:  The Documents.  It will let you know what employers are looking for, teach you how to effectively market yourself, and show you how to create and use everything you’ll need for a successful interview.

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sales, medical, laboratory, internships, college students, entry-level

Internships can be tremendously valuable to college students looking for that resume experience, but I recently came across an article about how some college students are paying for the privilege. Bad idea. There are better ways to spend your money…like custom consulting from a recruiter in the industry you’re heading for. You can learn what specific actions you can take that will provide immediate as well as long-term benefits, and you can learn about how to position yourself for long-term success in medical sales, laboratory sales, clinical diagnostics sales, biotechnology sales, medical device sales, hospital equipment sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, DNA products sales, and healthcare sales, management, and marketing.

Another option:  enter medical sales like a pro with a 30/60/90-day sales plan and audio coaching on everything you need for interviews…a winning resume and cover letter, a brag book, a technology sheet, an impressive sales plan, quality references, and well-written thank you notes.

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Of course, knowing that you need one and actually putting one together are two different things.  A little internet research can get you access to free templates, which can make you think you’re home free.    However, you need to remember the old adage:  You get what you pay for.

The 30/60/90-day sales plans available online aren’t really templates; they’re only samples.  You take what you can get from it and create your own plan that you hope is good enough to attract the attention of a hiring manager.  What’s the difference between that and a true template?  Quality.  Why does it matter?  Well, how important is your career? 

What do you really need?

·         You need an actual template—one that you can plug your own information into with minimal time and effort that still results in a quality product you’d be proud and confident to show to any hiring manager.

·         You need a mentor.  Someone with an insider perspective and 15 years of experience in sales, sales management, and sales recruiting who can coach you—tell you how to put together a winning sales plan and how to present it in your interview. 

Where can you get it?

The Sales Recruiter has put together everything you’ll need to get the sales job you want:  a true sales plan template plus over 30 minutes of audio coaching that will boost your confidence and give you the edge you need. 

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