Looking to Eventually Break into EMR Sales

[Anonymous]

I am currently in pharma sales. Total years in pharma industry = 8.
Have been at Big pharma (5.5 years), and currently specialized (2.5 years).
Very technically savvy. Always the go to person for computer related ?'s for my district.
Bachelor degree only, no Masters or software sales experience.

My question: What is the chance that I would be considered for a position in this industry? Do they frown at pharma sales with no software sales experience? What is earning potential?

I have done some investigating, but who are the big EMR players in the Midwest/Michigan/Ohio area?

Any serious response would be greatly appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Epic, Eclipsys, Siemens, McKesson, GE, Meditech and Cerner are the big EMR players if you are talking about hospital-wide solutions that cover the ADT, billing, materials management, etc. These are huge deals with long sales cycles (18-24+ months) and I'd say your chances of jumping directly into one of these roles with no software sales experience is slim to none.

I'd say that your best bet to get your foot in the door is to get with a "best-of-breed" vendor. This is a software vendor that focuses on providing software for one (or just a couple) specific area of the hospital, such as radiology, anesthesia, or lab. These companies are generally smaller and may take less experienced guys that are eager to break into the industry. Off the top of my head, a few best-of-breed companies are Picis, MedQuist, Draeger, CQI, and SunQuest.

Earnings potential is pretty variable but for most of these the sky is the limit. I know many best-of-breed vendor reps that make $150-$300K.

Good luck bro!

[Anonymous]

Thanks, I appreciate the quick & honest response.

Epic, Eclipsys, Siemens, McKesson, GE, Meditech and Cerner are the big EMR players if you are talking about hospital-wide solutions that cover the ADT, billing, materials management, etc. These are huge deals with long sales cycles (18-24+ months) and I'd say your chances of jumping directly into one of these roles with no software sales experience is slim to none.

I'd say that your best bet to get your foot in the door is to get with a "best-of-breed" vendor. This is a software vendor that focuses on providing software for one (or just a couple) specific area of the hospital, such as radiology, anesthesia, or lab. These companies are generally smaller and may take less experienced guys that are eager to break into the industry. Off the top of my head, a few best-of-breed companies are Picis, MedQuist, Draeger, CQI, and SunQuest.

Earnings potential is pretty variable but for most of these the sky is the limit. I know many best-of-breed vendor reps that make $150-$300K.

Good luck bro!

[Anonymous]

Epic, Eclipsys, Siemens, McKesson, GE, Meditech and Cerner are the big EMR players if you are talking about hospital-wide solutions that cover the ADT, billing, materials management, etc. These are huge deals with long sales cycles (18-24+ months) and I'd say your chances of jumping directly into one of these roles with no software sales experience is slim to none.

I'd say that your best bet to get your foot in the door is to get with a "best-of-breed" vendor. This is a software vendor that focuses on providing software for one (or just a couple) specific area of the hospital, such as radiology, anesthesia, or lab. These companies are generally smaller and may take less experienced guys that are eager to break into the industry. Off the top of my head, a few best-of-breed companies are Picis, MedQuist, Draeger, CQI, and SunQuest.

Earnings potential is pretty variable but for most of these the sky is the limit. I know many best-of-breed vendor reps that make $150-$300K.

Good luck bro!

Not the original poster, but wow, I am impressed. I'm in pharma as well, and a question posted as above on the pharma board would have been fielded with various obscenities and anatomical suggestions. The to-the-point answer with specifics is very much appreciated.