4 Rules for Training for Medical Device Sales Representatives

Having created effective training programs for medical device sales representatives for over 25 years, we've seen that training methods are not one-size-fits-all. Each audience is different in terms of current knowledge, learning styles, and how they will use the knowledge gained during training. Any good instructional designer will start by evaluating these variations in order to choose the training methods that will produce the desired results. 

Here are some important points to keep in mind when creating training for sales representatives:

5 Things to Know About Training Sales Representatives

• Sales representatives are driven by goals.
• Sales representatives don’t want to search. They want answers right away.
• Sales representatives prefer to squeeze training into their busy days without disruption to their schedule.
• Sales representatives like interaction.
• Sales representatives like tips and stories that can help improve their success.

In our experience, there are also some commonalities among most medical device sales training scenarios. First, knowing the product inside and out is critical to sales success. Second, multi-day sales events are ineffective because there is simply too much information to retain. Third, most of the true talent development happens in the field when a sales manager can coach a sales representative through real- life sales scenarios.

Rooted in these commonalities, here are some rules to consider when creating sales training:

4 Rules for Effective Sales Training 

1. Utilize eLearning as much as possible 

Sales professionals’ days are crammed with sales calls and frequent travel. An eLearning option accommodates any schedule or time zone and allows them to train whenever it is convenient. Because eLearning is accessible 24/7, sales representatives can revisit the training as much as needed to refresh their product knowledge.

To get the other rules for effective sales training, continue reading on our blog.