Medical Representative Interview Questions
Last updated 9 December 2024
Whether you are preparing to interview a candidate or applying for a job, review our list of top Medical Representative interview questions and answers.
- What Are The Qualities Of A Great Medical Representative? See answer
- Why Should We Hire You As A Medical Representative? See answer
- Describe Your Experience Working With Doctors And Other Healthcare Professionals. See answer
- Have You Ever Worked With Marketing Campaigns For New Products? See answer
- How Can You Help Us In Improving Our Current Processes And Increase Our Customer Service And Satisfaction Rates See answer
- Tell Us About A Time When You Had To Complete A Project On A Steep Deadline. See answer
- Tell Us About Your Strategy To Improve Your Sales Skills.
- Have You Ever Made a Mistake While On A Sales Call? How Did You React?
- How Would You Persuade A Customer To Switch From A Competitor’s Product To Ours?
- Describe An Instance Where You Had To Alter Your Sales Tactics.
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What Are The Qualities Of A Great Medical Representative?
This question helps you to assess the candidate’s understanding of what it takes to succeed as a medical representative. The candidate can list the important qualities while mentioning their skills and experience.
What to look for in an answer:
- They understand the role’s requirements
- Recognition of client’s needs
- They articulate while talking about these qualities
Example:
While a medical representative must have a mix of positive traits, empathy is a significant factor behind a medical representative’s success. Being empathetic has helped me to understand my clients’ needs and provide them with personalised service. Communication is also an essential quality as it helps in building relationships with doctors, patients and colleagues.
Why Should We Hire You As A Medical Representative?
As an employer, it helps you to directly ask the candidate why they should be hired for the role. This question lets you learn about the candidate’s qualifications and how they can contribute to the company.
What to look for in an answer:
- Extensive medical knowledge
- Relevant experience
- Confidence and clarity
Example:
I am an excellent fit for the role as I have extensive medical knowledge and experience of working with patients. In my previous role, I worked as a nurse in a hospital setting, helping patients while understanding their diagnoses and treatment plans. I also guided patients regarding their medication. I can leverage this experience to thrive as a medical representative for your company.
Tell Us About Your Strategy To Improve Your Sales Skills.
A Medical Representative has to quickly achieve their sales targets by offering great deals to their clients. This question tests the candidate’s ability to improve their sales skills to perform in a highly competitive field.
What to look for in an answer:
- They are proactive learners
- A streamlined strategy to improve sales skills
- Open to constructive criticism and feedback
Example:
I have a systematic method to track and improve my sales skills. I record my transactions with clients using a Customer Relationship Management tool. Then I share the CRM information with my supervisor, who can provide me with actionable insights to convert leads into clients. I have also attended training and certification courses to improve my sales conversion alongside following podcasts and blogs of leading sales gurus worldwide.
Describe Your Experience Working With Doctors And Other Healthcare Professionals.
This question can help you to understand the candidate’s experience while working as a team. The candidate’s response will give you insight into whether they are the right hire for your company’s goals and align with its culture.
What to look for in an answer:
- Understanding of the healthcare industry work culture
- Teamwork and collaboration skills
- Relevant experience
Example:
I worked alongside three doctors and one nurse in my previous organisation. My task was to inform and educate patients about our products and services. I had often collaborated with these professionals to use their inputs and fine-tune my approach to patient outreach. This way, we were able to create effective marketing material that helped us to reach more potential customers.
Have You Ever Made a Mistake While On A Sales Call? How Did You React?
Sometimes, even the best medical representative can make a mistake while on a sales call. It is an excellent question to learn how candidates use communication and problem-solving skills to recover a sales pitch.
What to look for in an answer:
- Quick thinking ability
- Solution-centric mindset
- Honesty and self-reflection
Example:
Once, I was on a sales call with a client whose business I was trying to secure. While notifying him of the final amount, I forgot to include a promotional discount I had offered him a week before. The client was a bit upset at my forgetfulness, so I quickly apologised. I offered him a 15% discount for his next two orders with us. Since then, I have always ensured that I keep better track of the promotions that I offer to my clients.
How Would You Persuade A Customer To Switch From A Competitor’s Product To Ours?
A Medical Representative is responsible for convincing clients to use their company’s products instead of their competitors. This question can help you to learn about the candidate’s plans to increase the company’s client base.
What to look for in an answer:
- Strong research and analytical skills
- Nuanced knowledge of the market
- Interpersonal skills
Example:
Before making sales calls, I thoroughly analyse our competitors’ products and their performance, backing my analysis with accurate data on quality, cost and effectiveness. If our product has a clear advantage in these categories, I can easily convince medical practitioners using empirical data. However, if the products are similar, I coordinate with my supervisor and offer clients better deals, credit arrangements, or other lucrative advantages so that they consider switching to our products.
Describe An Instance Where You Had To Alter Your Sales Tactics.
While selling, a medical representative must be flexible and dynamic to deal with individual clients. This question tests the candidate’s ability to change their sales tactics on the fly to make a sale.
What to look for in an answer:
- Observation and people reading skills
- Tactical know-how regarding making sales
- Flexible and creative thinking
Example:
Once, while pitching our current medications to a physician, I noticed from her expressions that her interest was dwindling when I was talking about the physical results of our products. So, I altered my pitch, emphasising our newer medications that could save patients a lot on extra expenses. This tactic brought a visible change in her persona, as she became more excited and ultimately we were able to finalise the sale.
Have You Ever Worked With Marketing Campaigns For New Products?
This question can help you learn about the candidate’s experience with marketing and if they can help you to achieve your sales goals.
What to look for in an answer:
- They understand the fundamentals of marketing
- Previous experience working with marketing campaigns
- Awareness of customers’ needs
Example:
While working as a medical representative in my previous organisation, I worked on developing a new line of products for our client. We devised a campaign to educate consumers about these products’ benefits and promote them as affordable alternatives to other brands. This strategy helped us gain more potential customers interested in learning about the product and helped expand our client’s customer base.
How Can You Help Us In Improving Our Current Processes And Increase Our Customer Service And Satisfaction Rates
Employers are always searching for ways to improve their current processes and keep customers happy. This question can help you to see if the candidate can apply their skills and knowledge to improve customer satisfaction.
What to look for in an answer:
- An actionable strategy to improve your organisation’s processes
- Initiative to collect customer feedback
- They are proactive and possess creative thinking skills
Example:
I would conduct customer surveys to gain customers’ feedback regarding the company’s current processes. Then, I would track KPIs like customer satisfaction scores to create an actionable strategy that addresses our customers’ concerns and streamlines our processes.
Tell Us About A Time When You Had To Complete A Project On A Steep Deadline.
Working as a Medical Representative can require a candidate to manage their time effectively to attend all scheduled sales meetings, network with medical professionals and generate new clients. This question can help to test the candidate’s dedication and time management skills.
What to look for in an answer:
- Time management skills
- Professional work ethic
- Able to multi-task effectively
Example:
I often have to manage my time effectively to fulfill my responsibilities as a medical representative. Last week, I was given the task of creating an important sales pitch and have it ready to be used on several physicians by the end of the day. I was also supposed to attend to my regular responsibilities, like making sales calls and networking with medical professionals. I worked on the pitch between my daily duties and finished it with enough time to practice its presentation with another colleague.
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