Believe it or not, there is life after medical device sales. Leaving the industry is not a failure. There are excellent ways to leverage your experience for a job in a new field.
Is Medical Device Sales Lonely?
Outside sales is a difficult job. In particular, the competitiveness and pressure of medial device sales is not for everyone. Medical sales can be a lonely job sometimes. The Medical Sale Authority team has put together a list of the top reasons reps leave the industry.
Related: 5 Biggest Challenges In Medical Device Sales
Reasons To Leave Medical Device Sales
1. You Do Not Enjoy Your Job Anymore
There are times when it makes sense to grind things out. For example, you should expect the first few years in a role to be challenging. You may not be happy everyday. That is okay. You need to fight through this. But if you have been unhappy in a role for multiple years there is a time when it makes sense to move on. Or if you were once enjoying a role, but then have become unhappy then it definitely makes sense to look at moving on.
It is important to evaluate the state of your life more broadly. Is there another reason you are unhappy? Make sure the job is actually the reason for your lack of life satisfaction. There is no reason to put effort into switching jobs, just to be unhappy at a different company.
2. You Want More Support
As an outside sales rep sometimes you feel like a lone wolf. You go out in the field everyday and get the job done by yourself. A great manager can make all the difference. It is someone to go to for advice and guidance. It is someone to bounce ideas off and help problem solve. If this is not available the job can get get pretty crummy some days. Some reps need more support than others. For certain individuals, the lack of support is a leading reason they may start looking for a new job.
3. A Smaller Territory
Companies have a habit of cutting sales territories. Managers have the mindset that more reps means more sales. This can sometimes be true. But rarely. Most of the time when a territory continually gets split the job gets worse and worse. The sales expectations for an ever shrinking territory grow and grow. Plus, a smaller territory can make the job boring. You deal with the same customer issues and call on the same prospects over and over and over. With a bit of geography you get to mix things up and call on different customers to keep the job interesting. If your territory has been cut again and again it may get to a point in which the job becomes unsustainable.
Related: Life Of The Traveling Medical Sales Rep
4. A Better Job Opportunity
Switching jobs is a bit of gamble. At the end of the day everything in life including careers comes down to luck and timing. Jumping on the right job opportunity at the right time is a big part of this. This is highly personally. If you have a good stable job and aren’t miserable, and have a family to support then maybe jumping on a new opportunity is not for you. But sometimes you do not get a second chance to jump ship to an exciting start up or take a step up the ladder with a competitor. Sometimes it makes sense to acknowledge the risks and take a chance on your career. If a job opportunity arises and you are making the switch for the right reasons, you will know in your gut that it is the right thing to do.
5. Sales Models Used By Device Companies Losing Effectiveness
6. Covid-19 Pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic has created signicant challenges for those working in the medical device industry. Hospitals and clinics limited access for vendors, cases were paused, new product implementations were put on hold, etc. All of these factors have made some reps reflect and realize there is life after medical device sales.
7. Low Employee Morale
Outside sales is a lonely job. It requires hard work to stay engaged and connected to coworkers. This is a crucial part of being successful. If the culture is poor and a rep does not have a supportive team, the job gets isolating.
Also, company restructuring and significant business changes can influence employee morale. Broken processes and unavailable products are factors known to frustrate reps and lower morale.
Related: Is Medical Device Sales Hard?
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