Is being too young or too old an issue in medical sales? Only if you allow it to be.
People who sell in the world of health care have age hang-ups. That should be no shock, as people have concerns about age in most areas of life, both in terms of being judged, as well as judging others. Medical sales is no different.
Sales representatives speak to me about the age issue more frequently than I ever imagined. Usually it’s a baby-faced sales rep who was just hired out of college and fears that the health care professionals to whom he sells won’t take him seriously. I have also had conversations with older sales representatives who fear some gray hair or laugh lines might make it harder to get past the gatekeeper or to be seen as relevant in a rapidly changing healthcare environment.
Do customers make judgments about medical salespeople based on how young or how old they look? The answer is yes…if you let them.
Ronald Reagan’s age was a factor during his re-election campaign in 1984. At age 73, he was the oldest presidential candidate in history. When asked during a debate with his opponent, former Vice-President Walter Mondale, if Reagan thought he had the energy at his age to serve as President, Reagan retorted, “I want you to know that I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”
Just like Reagan, your age won’t be a factor unless you allow it to be. You get to decide how your customers see you at your first meeting. If you stutter and stammer like an intimidated schoolboy in the principal’s office who is trying to explain why he is there, your youth and inexperience is what will be remembered. Likewise, if you confidently engage the customer in a value-focused conversation that leaves her with a feeling that you can make a difference, she’ll remember your knowledge and professionalism.
Sales representatives are often heard to complain that they don’t have a good product to compete, or “I could hit quota if I only had what the customer wants.” A sales manager’s usual response is to “Sell what you’ve got.” That’s good advice for products and services, but it also applies to the age issue. Sell “what you are” as a benefit!
If you’re on the left side of the age curve, by all means make sure you are adequately trained and certified to a level of competency before you get in front of customers. Then sell the benefits of being young and new. New sales reps are eager to learn, eager to please, energetic and hungry. They are often willing to go the extra mile to satisfy a customer where a tenured sales rep is too busy or has trained his customers not to expect anything more than what he delivers. Younger sales reps will usually subordinate their egos and position the healthcare customer as the expert, which is something that all sales reps should do. Many healthcare professionals like to help new sales reps to get established when they show drive and initiative and focus on the customer and the patient instead of just trying to sell a product.
If you’re part of the medical sales demographic who fears that streaks of gray in your hair or a lack of youthful good-looks is holding you back, get over it! While it is true that there are health care professionals who will allow a young and handsome or pretty sales rep into their office for nothing more than to admire him or her for a few minutes, it will never provide the basis for a purposeful business relationship. Pretty might get you into the office, but it won’t keep you there for long. Competency will.
Age does have the benefit of perceived experience. My hair was completely gray by the time I was 30. I never liked looking older than I was, but it provided many of my customers with a level of comfort. Often, I would be in the operating room with a product manager as both the surgeon and I were learning a new surgical procedure. The product manager was usually my age but I looked 10 years older. The surgeon would often verify any advice from “the kid” by soliciting my thoughts based on “my experience.” With hair dye or shaving my head as my only other options, I learned to position “experience” as one of the selling points of doing business with Mace and I studied my ass off to make sure I could back it up with technical competency.
Age is only a factor if you fail to differentiate yourself to your customers in more important ways. Don’t add a touch of gray to your hair if you’re 22 and don’t think that a facelift will help you to hit quota if you’re 62. Just “sell what you’ve got” but do it competently and effectively so that your customers think of you for the value that you bring instead of how you look.
February 23, 2012 @ 9:47 am
I agree with the article if you are employed. However, if you are an aged representative and unemployed then you are at a disadvantage in seeking employment in the medical sales community. The disadvantage starts in obtaining the first interview. Recruiters are not interested in representing you. I just attended a Recruiter private job fair. There were at least 100 attendees, all unemployed from the medical industry and most over 40 years of age. I spoke to as many attendees as possible to get a feel of the medical sales industry hiring environment. Without even asking, the overall majority of individuals have been out of work for over a year and have been struggling to get the first interview. Even if you sell yourself beyond compare, recruiters in this industry are youth focused. What the recruiters forget is that this industry in a short time will have major restraints placed upon it by Obamacare. It will take a very seasoned sales representative to sell in the medical industry once the restraints are in place. The old thoughts that price does not matter and that people will buy from you if they like you or you have the best product will be gone. Purchases will be based upon your product being on the insurance plan formulary. Doctors will no longer have a say or be able to provide justification as to why the Doctor needs to use a specific product. You will be selling to insurance formulary groups. Only seasoned sales reps are good with formulary sales. It is a skill set that needs to be aquired with time. Unfortunately, I do not know if the aged sales representative can hold on for two more years. I met at least three sales reps near 62 yrs. of age who were laid off for over a year. If they are unable to find a position soon they plan on early Social Security at age 62. What a loss to the medical industry. All of their knowledge will be gone.
March 6, 2012 @ 9:04 am
Deb,
Some candidates are a good fit for a recruiter, most most are NOT. Recruiters will always choose the candidate who appears most “sell-able” to their clients. Recruiters are often a waste of time for candidates with little or no experience as well as older sales reps.
I have always espoused a direct approach when it comes to landing a job. True, this eliminates the positions that the recruiters hold, but many don’t have a shot at those jobs anyway. Getting hired is a sales job at the deepest level. Most candidates don’t do or say a thing to differentiate themselves from all of the noise out there. Older reps with experience can be an even tougher challenge because too many approach with an air of entitlement that comes through as “I’ve been doing this for 20 years and those kids don’t know a fraction of what I know…you need to hire me.” Experience trumps youth only when the benefits of hiring experience are palpable and specific to the hiring authority.
An older rep who can sell himself or herself into a position where he/she is competing against the young “pretty” reps is a rep worth having. This is a person who goes beyond being just another shiny object and knows how to get the job done, i.e., win the sale.
September 24, 2012 @ 2:19 pm
I am new to sales of any kind and I find that sales is more about personality and salesmanship than anything else. While there are some hills to climb against prejudice with anyone, I don’t believe there is a “better” position to be in as far as age. Some will see age as experience and some will see youth as more up to date. The reverse is also true. Any sale starts with overcoming prejudice. Thanks for the article!