Medical Sales Personal Technology

This week, I thought we would do something fun for both people looking to get into the medical device sales and representatives that have done this for years. Personal technology is leaps and bounds ahead of where it was when I first started as a Pharmaceutical representative many years ago.

Today, I'll start with one of the most important tools of the trade, something that I use more than another other tool covered this week. It is of course the cell phone, but not just any cell phone a Palm Treo. I personally use a Palm Treo 750v, and I recommend this phone for several reasons.

• First as a PDA and a phone, I just eliminated having to carry two separate devices and eliminated the need to enter in data twice. I used to carry a PDA for my calendar and all the contact information for all the hospitals, clinics and clinical research organizations that I would cover. I would also enter in all the phone numbers into my cell phone, but unfortunately, my phone would only allow 100 phone numbers and an eight character name limit, so instead of Mercy General Hospital, I had something like MERCYGNL. Now with the Treo, I have over 2000 contacts and I only have to enter them once and I am able to dial directly from the contact menu.
• Second, this phone has Bluetooth, which is indispensable when I'm a call while driving. Not only do I use Bluetooth for my headset, but many new cars now have Bluetooth speakerphones which also comes in handy.
• Third, you are also able to use Microsoft's Exchange Server to send and receive email. This is very similar to a Blackberry, but I prefer the Microsoft version because, I am able to sync everything with my Outlook on my laptop computer.
• Fourth, with the Voice Command feature, I am able to "ask" my phone when my next appointment it, dial a contact. It will also "tell" the caller ID and read the subject line of my emails. All this without having to touch more than one button or look down at the phone when I'm driving.
  
• Finally, I am able to connect to the internet and browse websites when I am waiting for a flight and don't want to pull out my laptop.

No matter what phone you get, a must have feature is Bluetooth. It will not only allow you to connect a wireless headset, but with the proper equipment and software you can sync your contacts with your computer even if you don't have a PDA phone.

For more detail on the Palm Treo 750 click on the link below:

Cingular Treo 750 Cellular Phone by Palm