Why Would You Listen to Me About Medical Sales?

Choosing someone to help with your medical sales career is a big decision. You're not just looking for advice. You're looking for someone who actually knows what they're talking about.

So why should you listen to me?

It's a fair question. And honestly, if someone can't answer it, you shouldn't work with them.

The answer isn't just in a resume. It's about understanding this industry from multiple angles. From the operating room to the executive offices. From being the new rep who couldn't get doctors to see me to being the guy training entire sales teams.

Let me tell you how I got here.

How Did I Even Get Into This?

My interest in medical sales didn't start in a boardroom. It started when I was a teenager volunteering at St. James Hospital in Newark, NJ.

I spent hours watching surgeons work. Watching nurses manage chaos. Watching medical sales reps support them in the operating room.

I saw how much the reps knew. How the surgeons trusted them. How they'd call the rep over to ask questions during procedures.

"That looks interesting," I remember thinking. "They're part of the medical team but they're not doctors or nurses. What is that job?"

I didn't know it was called medical sales. I just knew I wanted to do it.

After getting a Biology degree from Villanova, that's exactly what I did. For the next twenty years, I worked in nearly every part of this industry.

Not because I had some master plan. Because I was curious and kept saying yes to new opportunities.

What Did You Actually Do in Medical Sales?

I started in pharmaceuticals. That's where most people start.

I learned how to build relationships with physicians in office settings. How to handle rejection. How to manage a territory. All the fundamentals.

But I got bored. The same pitch to the same types of doctors. I wanted something more technical.

So I moved to medical devices. That's where I fell in love with the work.

Standing in ORs. Supporting surgeons during cases. Providing technical expertise when patient outcomes were literally on the line. The stakes felt real.

I made mistakes. Lots of them.

I remember one case early on where I gave a surgeon the wrong size instrument. He asked for a 6mm, I handed him an 8mm. He looked at me like I was an idiot.

"Did you not hear me?" he said. "Or do you not know your own products?"

I knew my products. I just panicked under pressure. That was a learning moment.

After devices, I moved to capital equipment. Completely different sale. Long cycles. Negotiating with C-suite executives, department heads, clinicians. Building consensus across multiple stakeholders for six-figure purchases.

That taught me patience and strategy. In devices, a sale might take weeks. In capital, it took months or years.

Then diagnostics. Cutting-edge technology. Understanding how new diagnostic tools could change entire patient care pathways.

Each move gave me a different perspective. Different call points. Different sales processes. Different challenges.

By the time I'd been in the industry twenty years, I'd seen it from almost every angle.

Why Did You Start Coaching?

After twenty years, I kept seeing the same pattern.

Talented people struggling to break into the industry. Experienced reps hitting plateaus and not knowing why. People with drive but no roadmap.

I'd help people informally. Friends of friends asking for resume advice. Former colleagues asking about career moves. People reaching out on LinkedIn.

I realized I was doing the same coaching conversations over and over. And people kept saying "you should do this full-time."

So in 2015, I started RepPath.

Not because I had some grand business plan. Because I kept having the same conversations and thought "maybe I should formalize this."

My mission was simple. Be the guide I wish I had earlier in my career.

When I was breaking in, I made every mistake you can make. Terrible resume. Bad interview prep. No strategy.

I got rejected dozens of times before I figured it out. And even after I got in, I struggled for years before I understood how to actually succeed.

If I'd had someone to guide me through that, I could have saved years of frustration.

That's what I wanted to provide.

What's Actually Different About How You Coach?

A lot of coaching programs use generic scripts or outdated tactics.

"Say this to overcome objections." "Follow this exact process." "Here's the magic formula."

That's not how I work.

I start by understanding you. Your strengths. Your background. Your goals. What you're actually good at versus what you think you should be good at.

Then we build a strategy that fits you, not a template.

I had a client last year who came from teaching. She thought she needed to hide that and pretend to have sales experience.

"Why would you hide that?" I asked. "Teaching and medical sales have huge overlap. Communication. Managing difficult personalities. Explaining complex concepts simply. That's the story."

We rebuilt her entire positioning around her teaching experience. She got three offers.

Another client was a former college athlete who thought he should lead with sports.

"Everyone leads with sports," I told him. "What else have you done that's actually relevant?"

He'd been a personal trainer for three years after college. Working with clients. Understanding anatomy and physiology. Managing resistance and motivation.

"That's your story," I said. "Not football."

He got hired in orthopedic devices.

The point is, I don't force people into boxes. I help them figure out what makes them unique and how to communicate that.

What Do You Actually Help People With?

Three main things.

Breaking into the industry. If you're trying to get your first medical sales job, I help with resume optimization, interview preparation, and positioning your background in a way hiring managers actually care about.

Advancing your career. If you're already in medical sales and want to move up, transition to a different segment, or just get better at what you do, that's the work.

Avoiding stupid mistakes. This might be the most valuable part. I've made every mistake you can make in this industry. I can help you not waste years figuring out what I learned the hard way.

A client recently told me, "The best part wasn't what you taught me. It was what you told me NOT to do."

He'd been about to take a job at a company with a terrible reputation. I knew the VP of Sales there. Knew they churned through reps.

"Don't take that job," I told him. "You'll be miserable and you'll be back on the market in a year."

He didn't take it. Two months later, he got an offer at a much better company. A year later, he's thriving.

Meanwhile, three of the people who took roles at that other company are already gone.

That's the value of experience. Not just knowing what works. Knowing what doesn't.

Do You Work With Everyone?

No.

I work with two types of people.

People trying to break in. You're motivated and talented but facing the challenge of getting into a competitive field. You need strategy, not just effort. You need to know how to position yourself, not just apply everywhere.

People already in who want to advance. You've found some success but you're ready for more. Maybe you want to move into leadership. Maybe you want to transition to a different product line. Maybe you just want to be a top performer instead of middle of the pack.

If you're looking for a quick fix, I'm not your guy.

If you want someone to write your resume for you and send you on your way, there are cheaper services for that.

If you want actual coaching. Strategy. Feedback. Someone who's been in your position and knows how to navigate it, then we should talk.

What Results Do People Actually Get?

I hate the "results" section on coaching websites. They always sound fake.

"John went from unemployed to $200K in 90 days!"

That's not real life.

Here's what's real. Most people I work with get better at positioning themselves. They understand their own story better. They interview with more confidence. They make smarter career moves.

Some people get offers fast. Some take longer. It depends on a million factors outside my control.

What I can control is making sure you're not wasting time. That you're focused on the right opportunities. That you're not making obvious mistakes that kill your chances.

One client worked with me for six months before landing a role. But when he got it, it was exactly the right role at the right company. Two years later, he's thriving.

Another client got an offer three weeks after we started. But she'd been applying for eight months before that. We didn't create magic. We just fixed what wasn't working.

That's usually what coaching is. Not creating miracles. Just removing obstacles.

How Do You Know If We'd Work Well Together?

You don't until we talk.

The first step is always a conversation. No pressure. No sales pitch. Just a real discussion about where you are and where you want to go.

I'll tell you if I think I can help. If I can't, I'll tell you that too and point you in a better direction.

Some people need what I offer. Some people don't.

A guy reached out last week asking about coaching. After talking for 20 minutes, I told him "you don't need coaching. You just need to apply to better companies and stop overthinking your resume."

He seemed surprised. "You're not going to try to sign me up?"

"Why would I?" I said. "You don't need what I'm offering. Save your money."

That's how I think about this. I only work with people I can actually help.

If you want to meet and see if we're a fit, that's available. If you're ready to dive in, the full program covers everything we talked about.

But start with the conversation. Everything else follows from that.

Joe Licata
RepPath