In medical and pharmaceutical sales, it’s important to keep your skills sharp and your knowledge as up-to-date as possible. There are many training tools that companies can invest in to help their sales teams stay on top of the latest sales regulations, trends, and tactics. Here’s one that your sales team shouldn’t overlook: Sales podcasts.
Currently, 41% of Americans surveyed say they’ve listened to a podcast of some kind in the last month, and 28% have done so in the past week (source: Journalism.org). How many of your sales representatives are sharpening their skills by listening to sales podcasts? Could more of your reps benefit from listening to sage advice from thought leaders in sales?
So, why is continuing education so important for medical and pharmaceutical sales? Simply put, it’s necessary for sales reps to keep up with the latest regulations and trends in the industry.
Lawmakers are continuously updating the rules and regulations surrounding how sales reps in the medical/pharmaceutical sector are allowed to approach prospects and market to them. Individual hospitals and other practices are also adopting formal rules for their interactions with sales reps to avoid potential scandals.
For example, John Hopkins Medicine (JHM) has a formal policy about gifts of food. The policy states:
“industry-supplied food and meals are considered personal gifts and will not be permitted and may not be accepted at any JHM member organization site, in connection with activity conducted under the auspices of or using the name of any JHM member organization or in the context of professional activity off-site… When invited to a small group meal by an industry representative, JHM faculty and staff must pay for their own food and drink.”
This policy prevents medical sales reps from inviting doctors or other decision-makers to lunch, as the food provided would be considered the sales rep’s “gift” to the prospect. This helps JHM avoid the impression of impropriety (and thus, scandals).
Continuing education for medical sales reps is important for staying on top of changes in the industry as they happen. Additionally, it can help sales reps gain insights into new sales strategies that come about because of these changes.
So, what are some of the top sales podcasts (or general medical industry podcasts) for medical and pharmaceutical sales reps to listen to now? Here’s a short list of some of the best sales podcasts and medical industry podcasts to help you get started:
A healthcare podcast that “features audio interviews with experts on current or important healthcare topics.” The Healthcare Policy Podcast covers topics like Medicare/Medicaid policy issues, healthcare regulatory oversight, research, healthcare delivery reforms, and public health issues.
While the podcast doesn’t generally cover sales tips, it is an invaluable resource for getting insights into how doctors and other industry experts think and react to major events in the industry.
A podcast run by HOFFMAN, a consultant organization for sales industry leaders throughout the world on topics like sales, sales management, and sales operations. Your Sales MBA Podcast offers advice for sales reps that, while not specific to the medical sales industry, can provide useful tips and insights into how to deal with prospects.
One notable episode is “Get That Paper: How to Get Your Contracts Back Faster,” which provides tips for streamlining sales processes to shorten the sales cycle and get proposals back faster.
Sales Hacker runs a community podcast that, at the time of this writing, has over 170 episodes covering a wide variety of sales topics—including the importance of face-to-face selling.
Many of these podcasts feature different guest speakers who can provide advice on separate aspects of sales and running a B2B company.
A weekly podcast that targets leaders in the healthcare industry with discussions about topics like the current state of medicine, meeting the demands of healthcare transportation, the partnership between pharma and integrated delivery networks, and more.
While not sales-oriented, this podcast showcases some of the concerns that modern healthcare companies have and how they can be overcome—which can prove invaluable for sales reps to know!
Here’s one for your company’s marketing department. The B2B Growth Show podcast is a great resource for companies that sell to other companies. From podcasts on thought leadership to account-based marketing advice, optimizing customer experience, and working on your brand, this podcast has something for almost everyone.
Want one podcast to subscribe to that has hundreds of episodes of advice from a best-selling author and a sales expert? Look no further than the Sell or Die podcast!
In this podcast, Jeffrey Gitomer and Jennifer Gitomer have recorded hundreds of episodes of content covering topics like how consistency is key to success, dealing with competition, making use of storytelling in your sales process, and more.
One of the most popular (and longest-running) sales podcasts out there, the Advanced Selling podcast is a must-listen for any sales rep, sales manager, or business owner—regardless of industry.
With over 700 episodes stretching across 14 years of content, there’s a little something for everyone in this top sales podcast! One key podcast that medical sales reps will want to listen to is “The Importance of Relationships in Sales,” as it is very relevant to the relational sales techniques used in modern medical sales.
The Salesman podcast is run by Will Barron, founder of Salesman.org and a sales rep with experience in medical sales. As Will notes in his company’s about page, he was frustrated with “sales trainers who hadn’t sold anything in 20 years, wearing suits with massive shoulder pads, sharing tactics that would never work on the surgeons I was selling to at the time.”
So, he started his own podcast where he would interview sales experts to find better ways to hit quota reliably. Several years later, he is now the host of one of the top sales podcasts in the world, with advice on making personality, process, platform, and performance frameworks to help sales reps meet their goals.
Need help keeping track of the latest events and trends in the healthcare industry so you can be more knowledgeable in your approach to your prospects? Consider listening to the Healthcare NOW Radio podcast.
The podcast is divided into several different series that cover a variety of topics to match the interests of different listeners. They have series on HIMSS, over-rated and under-used tools for healthcare, Health Law Hotspots, and more.
Need advice on topics like how to increase revenue, sales management, and tips for getting past gatekeepers? The Sales Evangelist podcast could be the perfect resource.
Donald C. Kelly, the owner of The Sales Evangelist (TSE), understands the frustrations and challenges that sales reps face—including having a “perfect” sales pitch fail to work. So, he created a company to help sales reps get better at their job. The podcast is just one of the tools that he offers to help sales teams sharpen their skills.
Of course, all the training in the world won’t do any good if you don’t have motivated and dedicated sales reps who will act on that training. This is where a contract sales organization (CSO) like Axxelus can help.
As a CSO, Axxelus helps companies fill their medical sales teams with reps who have the right skills, motivation, and personalities to drive success. If you need help growing your sales efforts, reach out to Axxelus today!
