The Myth of The Athlete in Medical Sales
As I browse many of the blogs, forums, and bulletin boards many posters espouse the myth that medical device companies prefer to hire athletes for sales. Certainly, there are companies that view a history of organized athletics as a positive. There is even one company that makes 2 years of intercollegiate athletics a requirement for applying for a sales position with their company. So what’s the deal?
There are benefits of having played team sports. Athletes tend to be competitive and that is indeed important in the medical sales arena. Many understand the importance of being a “team player” and those sales reps who embrace the team concept will accomplish more in less time. I could go on and on with metaphors and examples, but after 25 years in this industry, I don’t think that competitive athletics is that much an advantage in the long run. In fact, there are many instances where I have witnessed it as a liability.
I have known several medical device “jocks” over the years whose companies told them to put on their game face and to go out there and win. Some of these guys took it to extremes. They had policies of not ever speaking with their competitors, trying to psych them or inspire fear in them, and even threatening to get physical with their competition when the competition was doing a better job of selling against them. Many times I have witnessed the testosterone reaching dangerous levels at really inappropriate times (such as in the operating room during a procedure!).
While many of these reps get the same charged feeling that they did on the gridiron or baseball field, what matters is the impression that is made with their customers. Medical selling is in many ways a competitive game, but the rules are drastically different. The team you play for is your company, but your company is part of a bigger team — the team that provides patient care and the ultimate winner must be the patient. Too many times have I witnessed the “athlete salesman” working only for the solo victory or the sale.
Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. I have seen former athletes blow the doors off of the sales numbers in their territories. But I have witnessed the same results more frequently from men and women who never spent a moment on an athletic field outside of gym class.
Do you need team spirit, drive, and competitiveness to excel in medical sales? Absolutely. But those qualities derive from many, many other places besides athletics. In the final analysis your customers may be impressed with your athletic past and present, but they will only do business with you if you bring all of the other essential elements to the table.
It’s not the better athlete who wins in medical sales. It’s the more experienced, more prepared, and more determined sales professional. Don’t be intimidated or dissuaded by the myth of the athlete in this career. If you know how to play the game and are not afraid to do the right things to win, you will.
Do you have a difference of opinion here? Please share it with me and the rest of the Medical Sales School community. Thanks.
