As part one of my career search, I would like to know:
*What you guys do for a living
I'm a medical sales representative for the largest distributor for physicians in the US.
*What do you like about it
I make my own schedule, I have no cap in terms of my earning potential, its as close to earning my own business as I think you can get without having all of the overhead, I develop long term relationships with my accounts which makes my daily meetings with them more like going to see friends than "work."
*What your daily/weekly duties include
I place orders for my accounts for everything from bandages, vaccines, EKG machines to ultrasounds and laboratory instruments, I show them new innovative products and solutions to enhance profitability and patient outcomes, I show them ways to be more profitable and inform them of constantly changing reimbursement issues, help them with inventory management, provide medical record and billing services, etc. I'm basically a one stop shop to help physicians better their practice from nearly every aspect.
*What do you dislike about it
Not much... the only thing I wish i could change is that I'd get reimbursed for some of my expenses. I'm paid on 100% commission which means I have to pay for my own cell phone, car, gas, office supplies, etc. The good side to this though is that we are not micro-managed due to the nature of our jobs, and if they were to pay for our fuel, etc I'm sure they would manage us more.
*What did you have to do to get where you are now (internships, schooling, previous jobs, etc)
My job requires a 4yr degree and sales experience is always a plus. A strong work ethic is key as its up to you to get your butt out of bed everyday and work since no one is watching to see what time you start and end your day.
*How much you make per year (if you would like to give up that information)
I'd rather not say but I started out making a little over $30K/year and I've increased every year since, I've been doing this for 7yrs now. My company claims that the average pay for reps is approx 120K/year, but I can tell you that is not the norm at my branch. I think that average is inflated somewhat by the top reps in the company as we have many making $300-$500K/year.
*Any other info you could give me. Perks of the job, vacation time, time away from home/family, ANYTHING
Like I said, I make my own schedule, I see "my friends" everyday, I'm not stuck in a structured 9-5 job, I'm home every night and I don't work on weekends, we have great sales incentives (I won a trip last year for my wife and I where we went to the Emmy awards and stayed at the Beverly Wilshire), the harder I work the more I make.