What do you do for a living?

I’m a PGA Golf professional.

How would you describe what you do?

I own and operate a golf shop…golf retail operation. I manage the day-to-day operation of a country club.

What does your work entail as a PGA Golf Pro?

You name it. Everything from conducting tournaments, to teaching, merchandising, public relations, marketing…I mean, we can go on and on.

How did you get started?

I got started because as a kid I was a golfer, and was a pretty good junior player, and just decided at a young age that I was going to be a golf professional – either I was going to play on tour or I was going to be a club professional – and tour didn’t work out so I’m a club professional.

What do you like about what you do?

Well, for one, I’m at the golf course every day; whether I get to play or not, I’m still at the golf course every day. And the ability to interact with people on a daily basis – different people – and be able to share my expertise in something they love. Plus I’m not sitting behind a desk. I’m dealing with people on a social level for a living.

What do you dislike?

I have to deal with people on a social level for a living. The demands as far as time. I work every weekend, I work every holiday. When you’re dealing with the public, you have one policy and it’s there for a reason, and some people aren’t going to agree with it. And it’s the same as everything else, but probably demand on time is the greatest thing I don’t like about it.

How do you make money/or how are you compensated?

Well, I have a salary from the country club, and then I own the golf shop retail side of it, and then teaching, and club repair.

How much money do you make as a PGA golf pro?

Somewhere about eighty-five to ninety thousand a year. It’s probably right about average for golf pro’s.

Would you say there are any perks to this career?

Tons. We have endorsement contracts just like the touring professionals do. We don’t get paid as much – not near as much – but, we get all the free equipment, and balls, and everything we want. PGA members pretty much play free golf wherever they go, at any club or golf course. And then in the community it’s nice, because you kind of always have people wanting to do you favors. It’s just one of those things.

What education or skills are needed to do be PGA golf pro?

Well, I have a college degree. You need to be a PGA member. You don’t have to be, but the education process through the apprenticeship in the PGA education is a must. And then I’ve got continuing education. I’m a master professional. So the PGA education is definitely required. College education, not necessarily, but most coming into the industry now have a college degree. You have to pass what they call the player’s ability test, you take the course rating for the golf course that’s hosting it, and you multiply it times two, and add fifteen, and that’s what you have to shoot.

What is most challenging about what you do?

Probably just dealing with the variety of personalities, some people are always easygoing, some people are never easygoing. Being able to switch modes and know, “Okay, I have to stroke this guy this way, and I got to stroke this guy this way.” And being able to treat people equally but have different methods to making them, you know, understand, I guess.

What is most rewarding?

The most rewarding thing about being a golf professional is seeing people satisfied at the golf course. I work at a place where people go for leisure. So when somebody has a great day at the golf course, when they’ve played great, or they just had the perfect day, whatever, that’s the most satisfying is…I know they had a good experience at the golf course, and hopefully, it was, in some way, in part to my management skills.

What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

If you want to play golf, don’t become a golf professional. And we all say that. I only play about once every two weeks. If you just love the game, and you want to play, just play golf as much as you can, don’t become a golf professional. But if you love the game, and you want to be around it, involved in it, in every different facet of it, then you’d probably be a good candidate.

How much time off do you get/take?

Two weeks’ vacation, and then in season one day a week, off season is two days a week. And then a lot of times I’ll go two and three weeks at a time without getting a day off sometimes. January and February, we’re still operating. I’m taking two days off a week – I’m taking Sunday and Monday off – but there is a lot to do, because you’ve got your whole golf season ahead of you that you’re getting prepared for. You’re working schedules out; you’re working out contracts for outings, things like that. You’re ordering merchandise for your shop and that kind of thing. So, you’re not working as many hours. I mean, I’m down to thirty-five, forty hours a week in the wintertime, but you’re still staying busy. But, you know, hey, let’s be honest, wintertime – January and February – I mean, I work for about an hour and a half in the morning, and the rest of the day I’m sitting there, you know, shooting the shit.

What is a common misconception people have about what you do?

The most common misconception is that golf professionals play golf every day, without a doubt. And another misconception is that we’re PGA Tour players. We’re not.

What are your goals/dreams for the future?

You know, I’ve really met a lot of my goals. I’m actually in the process of setting some more. You know, for me, my most immediate goals are really related to the club here, and seeing that membership become full, and seeing that it becomes a smooth-running operation that cash flows, and is a premier club. Long-range for me, probably go work for either the PGA Tour, or the Nationwide Tour as a rules official, but that’s something I’ll do twenty years from now.

What else would you like people to know about what you do?

You know, the time commitment is great. The apprenticeship…just to get to the level where I am, just to be a head golf professional, the commitment is huge, and the money is terrible. There’s a three- to five-year gut check that you’re going to make very little money, and you’re going to work a lot of hours, but you’re going to gain a lot of knowledge, and the tough thing is there’s twenty-eight thousand golf professionals, there’s only nine thousand jobs. So a job comes open, there’s a lot of competition for it. So, you’d better do something to set yourself apart.

Retail sales, sporting goods

How would you describe what you do?

We sell climbing and camping equipment, canoes and kayaks, and related clothing and accessories. My job is the owner, so I’m the Chief Supervisor.

What does your work entail?

I largely supervise everything that goes on here, I have managers that do a lot of the work, and I supervise them more than I actually participate in everything that’s involved.

We’re basically a toy store for adults, but not in a bad way.

I don’t work nearly as much as I used to. Until recently, I used to put in 50, 60 hours a week. Now, I’m down to 25 or 30 hours per week. I’m gradually weaning myself away from it and giving it over to my managers to do everything.

How did you get started?

Well, about 35 years ago, I was in college to get my degree in chemistry and realized that I was having too many problems with my allergies to the chemicals that I worked with and that I had to do something else. But I liked the area and wanted to stay, so I looked around to find something to do to support myself that I could stay in this area. I’ve always liked the outdoors, I was raised that way as a kid.

What do you like about what you do?

The interaction with people. We’re basically a toy store for adults, but not in a bad way. We used to advertise it as an adult toy store and people thought we sold sex toys.

I would encourage anybody that has the potential and ability to do something like this, to do it because it is a lot more fun than working for somebody.

Like I said, we sell outdoor equipment, camping equipment, canoes and kayaks, and gear for outdoor sports. And that’s largely a toy store for adults.

What do you dislike?

The hassle and paperwork.

How do you make money/or how are you compensated?

We purchase stuff from vendors all across the country and then resell it.

How much money do you make?

I get a salary of about $26,000, plus I get a bonus depending on how well we do which is usually about about eight percent of my salary. But also, as chief stockholder, I get all income from the corporation. Last year, we netted $96,000 on $1.956 million in sales.

What education or skills are needed to do this?

Apparently, none, because I had my degree in Chemistry and I got into business without any real hassle. I’m sure having a degree in Business gives you an upper edge in learning since you would know you marketing and accounting and stuff like that. But I managed it fine by without having those things.

What is most challenging about what you do?

Dealing with the mail order places that I compete with that are discount-oriented.

What is most rewarding?

The interaction with customers. When you help someone when they have a problem.

What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

I’d say, if they’ve got the opportunity then to do it. There is a lot to be said for running a business yourself. If you do well, you get all benefit and if you screw up, it’s all your fault. But there’s an awful lot to be said for working for yourself because you don’t have to deal with other people telling you what to do.

How much time off do you get/take?

It varies, about two to four weeks.

What is a common misconception people have about what you do?

That I just come in at nine o’clock and go home at six o’clock and sell stuff. They have no idea how much earlier I come in sometimes, and how late we stay at times, and how many times we worked on Sundays or Saturday nights to get things done. People think we have banker’s hours.

What are your goals/dreams for the future?

My goals are to get out of working day to day and begin traveling, sightseeing, and hiking more. And to let my employees finish running the business until I die and give it to them.

What else would you like people to know about what you do?

I would encourage anybody that has the potential and ability to do something like this, to do it.  Because it is a lot more fun than working for somebody else.

What do you do for a living?

I connect sales, sales management, and marketing candidates with companies in the laboratory industry. The laboratory industry supports physicians by providing information about a patient. This information is utilized to determine next steps in the patient’s treatment. I do work with some companies that are research laboratories. Their products are the building blocks of information for pharmaceutical industry and medical device industry to use in product development.

How would you describe what you do?

I get to know my client companies – what they do, why they are unique, what their compensation packages, and specifically what jobs they need to fill and what type of experience, education, and attitude they desire for their successful hire.

If you like a team environment, this is not for you. No one is on your team. The candidate only wants the job. The client wants to fill the position and would rather not have to pay you a fee. So, if you need someone to care about you this is not for you.

I try to find the right person and convince them to interview with my client company. If all goes well, I make a placement.

What does your work entail?

Lots and lots of phone time. I probably spend 5 hours a day on the phone. A wireless headset is a must. I enter information about candidates and companies into a software system that tracks all of my calls and activities. I probably send 100 emails a day that are personal and then another 1000 emails a day to potential candidates. Because you are dealing with people, there are always emergencies and schedule changes. I check my email as early at 6 am and as late as 10 pm.

How did you get started?

I was a regional sales manager at a diagnostics company and traveled over 60% of the time. I had a child and wanted to reduce my travel and still make the money that I was used to making. I had been so disappointed with the quality of work that recruiters did for me, I just knew I could provide a better service.

What do you like about what you do?

I love the people interaction. I enjoy being an expert in my field. Lastly, I love helping someone in the job search or a manager that needs a great hire.

What do you dislike?

I dislike people who say they will do something and then don’t. And because of the number of people that I deal with, I have this happen more often.

How do you make money/or how are you compensated?

I make money when a candidate that I have presented is hired by a client company. They pay me 30 days after the hire. Usually, I guarantee that the candidate will be there for a period of time. If the candidate leaves before that time period, I have to replace the candidate with another candidate or refund their money.

How much money do you make?

Usually, I get an agreed upon percentage of the base salary. Industry average percentages range between 20 – 30%. The only variable is how many candidates I place during the year. The lowest year I have had was 13 placements (I was pregnant – very sick). My candidate’s have salaries that range between $45k to $150k per year. So you can do the math….It is important to understand that there are different classes of recruiters. There are internal company recruiters that make salaries similar to any HR person. There are external recruiters that do contract work who make a set amount for a period of time and some bonus based on success. There a lot of “mom and pop” recruiting companies that are run out of their home. Because of their low expenses they don’t have to make very many placements in order to be successful. Larger firms like MRI hire recruiters and pay them some % of the %. Usually 30-40% of the base fee. I would be very careful if you are considering joining these types of firms. It would be important to understand what type of working hours they are expecting – some expect 10 hours a day. I saw a survey the other day that said the average third party recruiter (like me) makes $85k. I am not average.

What education or skills are needed to be a recruiter?

I think, to be the best recruiter, you need to have hired and fired employees. Not very many recruiters actually have this type of experience. And most managers are so stressed when talking with recruiters, they never ask the background of the recruiter.

What is most challenging about what you do?

Dealing with people as a product is very difficult. I can sell like a champion and then turn around and watch my product walk off.

What is most rewarding?

The flexibility, the money, the people interaction and the fast pace are very rewarding.

What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

I would say that is important to be honest with yourself about what makes you happy. If you like a team environment, this is not for you. No one is on your team. The candidate only wants the job. The client wants to fill the position and would rather not have to pay you a fee. So if you need someone to care about you this is not for you. If you have not hired and fired, I think you are at a distinct disadvantage. Lastly, you have to invest in this business. I have an expensive tracking system, an expensive website www.phcconsulting.com, an expensive phone system, 6 expensive computers, and I pay for ongoing training and candidate development tools. My costs this year are greater than $200k. It is very stressful to see this type of money going out, knowing that I have to make that plus in order to make a living. If you aren’t going to invest, you won’t be successful. I get calls from fellow recruiters asking if I think they should pay to have a website redone or get an administrative assistant. I have had both of these for 9 years. They are struggling to make a living. I think there is a correlation here.

How much time off do you get/take?

I have all major holidays (not all government holidays) and I probably take another 6 or 7 days vacation. I’m a bit of a work- aholic. But if you don’t answer the phone, you could miss that great candidate or client. I know other recruiters take off more (those that work for themselves) but they don’t earn what I do…

What is a common misconception people have about what you do?

They think this job is easy. I have sold for a long time. This is the most difficult sale.

What are your goals/dreams for the future?

I have 2 full time recruiters, 1 full time office manager/administrator, and some backup researchers now. I want to have 4 to 5 full time recruiters. I would like to take more time off to be with my family and to spend more time riding horses.

What else would you like people to know about what you do?

They can read my blog at www.phcconsulting.com/WordPress/ if they would like to learn more about this industry, the job search, how to work with recruiters and a lot of other neat information.

Pharmaceutical Sales Representative

How would you describe what you do?

I manage a territory of NW Arkansas that consists of approx. 250 physicians. I am in charge of calling on a list of physicians, created by myself, my partners, and my company, and selling the doctors, nurse practicioners, and physician assistants the efficacy, safety, dosing, and clinical data of two products in which I have responsibilities for: basically bringing educational value to the office and physicians.

I have had patients in the waiting room thank me for what I do or tell me a success story of how my product changed their life. I enjoy the health field and I feel like I am making a difference each day in someone’s life.

I am also responsible for calling on pharmacy’s in my territory to keep up to date on my products and my competition. I am responsible for my "business" and must manage a monthly budget, travel and expense reports, appointments with clients, dinner programs, email, voicemail, and overall coordination with my teammates.

What does your work entail?

As a rep, I am required to make 8-10 calls on physicians a day, 2 pharmacy calls per day, and recording what happens during each call in my computer. I speak with the doctors through walk ins, appointments, lunch and learns, or dinner programs arranged through my company. I travel to each city within my territory and plan out my week based on my partners and the schedules of the physicians or existing appointments. Some days are full of waiting and a feeling of not accomplishing a lot, other days are really good and making good long calls with physicians and feeling like you had educated a physician on your product, and sometimes you are rejected by offices, but you have to keep going and keep up your motivation to do your job.

What do you like about what you do?

I enjoy going into different environments, making relationships with many different people in different offices, helping provide important information and samples for patients that may not be able to afford prescription medicines. I have had patients in the waiting room thank me for what I do or tell me a success story of how my product changed their life. I enjoy the health field and I feel like I am making a difference each day in someone’s life. I enjoy not being at a desk all day, constantly moving around, the flexiblity of my job is a great perk. I have great benefits provided by my company, a company car without the expense of gas or car insurance, and quaterly bonues based on how my products are performing in the market.

What do you dislike?

I am constantly in and out of my car going to different offices and that can become cumbersome in the HEAT, RAIN, or SNOW. Traveling to meetings for a week or special trainings are usually not something I look forward too either.

What skills and education would someone need to become a pharmaceutical sales rep?

Potential candidates must have a Bachelor’s Degree or higher. Some companies would like to see experience in outside sales. Someone who is very organized, responsible, and motivated. You manage your own territory and have a district manager who will come down and ride with you for two days about every 4-6 weeks.

Some days are full of waiting and a feeling of not accomplishing a lot, other days are really good and making good long calls with physicians and feeling like you had educated a physician on your product, and sometimes you are rejected by offices, but you have to keep going and keep up your motivation to do your job.

Your driving record is also of importance so it should be clear of all accidents or speeding tickets. The company does run a full background check, credit check (because you will have a company AMEX), and degree check of possible candidates.

How do you make money?

We are paid a base salary based on our years of Sales experience or Pharmaceutical experience, we have an annual review of our performance in which we are given a merit increase based on our rating, and finally we are paid 4 bonuses throughout the year based on our product’s performance in market share and volume growth. There is a lot of opportunity for advancement in this industry and each company will be competitive with the next in pay.

How much money do you make?

I currently make a base salary of $57,000 per year with bonuses around $17,000 per year.

How much time off do you get?

We are given four weeks of vacation, one week between Christmas and New Year’s is company provided, and all of the major holidays, we also receive 5 personal days to use throughout the year. Basically , whatever a doctor’s office would close for, then we have that day off as well.

What is most challenging about what you do?

I feel like trying to get in front of some doctors to have a conversation can be challenging and frustrating, having a doctor tell you what you want to hear instead of what they really think, managing the territory and making up for lost time if you were to be off on vacation or if a doctor is off on vacation.

What is most rewarding?

Having a doctor tell you a success story about how your product helped a patient, having a patient thank you for doing what you do, getting a nice bonus check!

What is the biggest misconception people have about what you do?

People think that Pharmacuetical reps are just like "UPS" drivers in the sense that we deliver samples and get a doctor’s signature, a signature collector, female reps just flirt with doctor’s all day, we are just caterer’s for offices, etc….

What advice would you offer someone considering this career/job?

Ride with someone who is currently a representative and see if it is what you could see yourself doing in the future. Getting someone who is already a representative to pass along your resume is a huge help. A lot of it is internal recommendation and it is a lot of who you know sometimes.

What are your goals/dreams for the future?

I just want a career that works for my lifestyle, that continues to make me happy, and something in which I have room for advancement and will always be needed!

Is there anything else you would like people to know about what you do?

Some people either have it or they don’t when it comes to selling skills and relationship building. It is important to remember this job is about the patients, not yourself, not competition bashing, helping to educate the doctor and his staff and ultimately help the patients! This is a great job to have for any walk of life, family, part time or full time. I really enjoy my career and do not forsee any changes in the future.

I’m an investment consultant for TD Ameritrade.

How would you describe what you do?

I would say that my goal is to contact high net worth clients in regards to their investment strategies, and make sure that they’re doing everything they can as far as investment strategy goes to reach their financial goals.  I basically analyze their situation, consult, and I’m not giving specific recommendations per se for stocks, bonds etc., I give them advice advice on channels that our company has available to them, and see if one of those advice channels might be fit their needs. I get them in touch with advisors who can make recommendations, or help them through our market watchers and our portfolio managers to build accounts or customize their portfolios to fit their needs.

What does your work entail?

Typically, I work eight to five Monday through Friday. The schedule is pretty flexible depending on the manager. And being a sales position, they don’t micromanage you too much, so you still kind of have that feeling like you are your own boss in a certain way.  However, being a salary role, you don’t have the complete flexibility as someone who’s a commission-only worker, who can come and go as they please we do have a bonus structure, and those bonuses can be very, very large.  It’s basically what you put into it is what you get out of it.  I’m required on minimum standards to make 50 dials and get in touch with 15 people per day. And we have campaigns and lists and things like that that are given to us weekly, monthly, and quarterly to keep us with activity and new ideas to call on. Right now they’re trying to bump our standards up to about 75 dials and 20 contacts a day. So basically, the whole goal is just maintaining a high level of activity.

What do you like about what you do?

I get to talk finance, current events, and markets with people all over the country all day long. It’s ever changing. You’re talking to someone in New York, and someone in Florida, and someone in California. It’s different accents, different views and feelings on the market.  And just basically, to hear how they feel about things, at different stages in their lives—it could be old people, young people—and it gives me the ability not to come into work every day and do the same mundane tasks. I also get a chance to see different perspectives and learn from people who have been in the market for many more years than I have.

What do you dislike?

The fact that it is still eight to five and I have to be there every single day. Because in past jobs, I had the flexibility to come and go as I please and take a vacation when I want to. I still have that desire to want to travel a lot more and take more days off and see people when I have the ability to, so I think making the change into the 40-hour week is my least favorite thing. I’d kind of like to be my own boss completely and run my own company, but I understand that that takes time to learn so that I can get to the point to be able to do that.

How do you make money/or how are you compensated?

It starts with a salary of $40K, and after that your bonused quarterly with a lot of annual kickers and incentives that kick in for total production throughout the year. Quarterly bonuses, I would say, can average between $5,000 and $25,000.

How much money do you make?

This year, being my first year, there’s two guaranteed bonuses in the first two quarters of $2,500 each unless you break them. This year I’m probably looking to make between $80,000 and $100,000, depending on how the actual year-end bonuses work out. Potentially, if I work hard and things go well, probably $100,000 in the first year.

What education or skills are needed to do this?

Well, you definitely have to have a high school degree and a Bachelor’s degree, preferably in finance or accounting or some type of business degree with some training in finance. There’s many examinations that are required. Just for my job there’s the Series 7 and then the Series 66. Primarily those are the two main certifications that you needs to have to get into an entry level position.  But also sales experience is a must.  I had a year of experience prior to this job, so that’s kind of one of the reasons why I got this job.  It’s tough to get into a salaried sales role with bonus and incentives without having some kinds of sales experience.

What is most challenging about what you do?

The most challenging is something that  I actually dealt with today, which is dealing with the ebbs and flows of the business cycle and the sales cycle. I started the quarter off tremendously, kicking ass and doing really well, I felt like everything was going my way, but the last couple weeks things have really slowed down. And it’s not that I’m doing anything differently, or I’ve changed my game plan or what not in the past few weeks, it’s just that sales has its cycles, there’s nothing you can do about it. Sometimes you’re on top of the world, and sometimes you feel like you’ve just lost it and you don’t know what’s going on. I think the hardest part is maintaining the consistency to know that you don’t have to change every time something starts not working or not going your way. You do have to change and adapt to different things that are happening and learning new products, but that consistency, working hard, and just putting your head down even when times are tough, I think, is the most challenging part.

What is most rewarding?

The reason that I’m in this business is to—not to say that I’m greedy—but I want to make a lot of money.  The top guy doing the same job I have this year will make $220,000, and we’ll have also people who’ll make their salary and just a few bonuses and not get to $55,000 or $60,000. And so, I think that the best part about it is that you still kind of control your own destiny. There’s an opportunity in your first year to make $100,000 to $150,000, so I think the desire to be wealthy is something that really brings me to this job.

What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

Someone would need to have a real passion for following the market and be able to carry on a conversation with someone who has fifty or sixty million dollars in an account and someone that’s going to put in 500 bucks. Doing those two things is what I enjoy the most. Also, the ability to always be learning and always wanting to be taking higher education and continuing education to be able to keep up with the ever-changing markets.

What is a common misconception people have about what you do?

The biggest misconception is that we’re stock jockeys and that we are calling clients constantly trying to get them into the next big stock, or trying to push something upon them, or just the typical sales guy.

What else would you like people to know about what you do?

This is a great place to meet a lot of great people. Like I said, part of the sales roles is getting advisors—we have a network all over the country. We meet with them periodically throughout the quarter, just getting your name out there and trying to get business thrown their way.  I’m meeting a lot of great people and the connections that I make through that program I feel are something that weren’t given to me at the beginning as far as the job description. I knew I’d be selling and getting clients into advisory products, but the chance to interact with these guys that are CFA’s, that went to Yale, that went to Harvard MBA programs and things of that nature, really touching base with them and getting their business cards…They can see a side of you that they probably wouldn’t be able to see if you just tried to interview with their firm, and really get you a good foothold on arriving to the next step outside of the company.

I own an insurance agency.

How would you describe what you do?

I sell personal insurance mainly; auto, home, and life insurance. It’s eighty percent sales, twenty percent management.

What does your work entail?

It’s pretty much sales. You have to get prospects then figure out if they’re people that need what you have. Then you have to figure out if they’re going to be profitable and that they aren’t going to cause you all kinds of problems because insurance is kind of like a loan. You can’t get people that are not going to pay their bills.

It’s good for somebody that say, went to college, moves back home, doesn’t ever want to move, wife’s happy there, and is like, "I’m going to build a career here that I can have forever and get a lot of free time and go watch my kids play ball." It’s long-term. It’s a jog, not a sprint.

Pretty much from there it’s just selling the deal and closing the deal, and managing it, keeping customer service for the people that bought from you.

How did you get started?

My family had been it.

What do you like about what you do?

Freedom. I own my own business. I can go do whatever I want to do, work whenever I want to. There’s unlimited potential for income. I might make $40,000 more this year than I made last year and I might make $100,000 less next year? It’s all up to me. One thing that I will say though, one really positive is it’s very stable too. Once you build an agency and you get a renewal base, 90 percent of the people will stay with you, so I could be gone for two weeks and still make the same amount of money.

What do you dislike?

When someone comes in and wants insurance from you and you can’t cover them because they’ve had two claims, or it’s a friend of yours and the accidents were really not their fault but they have two claims and that’s the rule and you can’t cover them.…the insurance company kind of tells you want you can and can’t do with

I can’t set the prices on the policies, I just have to sell what I’ve been given. If you owned your own business where you sold t-shirts, you could decide if you want to sell them for $40 or $6. This isn’t that business. They tell you they’re 38 bucks, they may be twice as much as anybody else but you have to go sell it.

regards to writing policies, and sometimes it makes it hard because it differs from what you would want to do if you owned the place.

How do you make money/or how are you compensated?

It’s all commission and performance bonuses.

How much money do you make?

About $130,000

What education or skills are needed to do this?

College degree. It doesn’t really matter what their degree is in as long as they have one. They’ve got to be able to work with people really well. That’s the key, communication and working with people. That’s what sales is, you’ve got to have a good personality and be able to deal with a lot of situations and learn how to deal with peoples emotions.

What is most challenging about what you do?

I’d say it’s to take what you’re given and work with it. I can’t set the prices on the policies, I just have to sell what I’ve been given. If you owned your own business where you sold t-shirts, you could decide if you want to sell them for $40 or $6. This isn’t that business. They tell you they’re 38 bucks, they may be twice as much as anybody else but you have to go sell it. Also dealing with the weather and things that are out of your control that can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. I can get a bonus for Christmas for $60,000 or I can get a bonus for Christmas of $0. And that all depends on how many people filed claims against me. Anytime there’s a damn storm, we’re up in the middle of the night watching it. Trust me, dude, I’m telling you. It’s wild. It can literally, on my income anymore, it can make the difference of $100,000 to $150,000 a year in my pocket. I don’t pay it out of my pocket, but there’s a loss ratio which means they look at how much you take in and how much you pay out. And depending on if your percentage’s in the right place, you get a bonus.

What is most rewarding?

I’d say the most rewarding in this business would be long-term, the renewal base business where you built a business and you worked hard and it gets to a point where it can be put on cruise control. And you see lots State Farm agents and all those guys, they’re always hunting for two weeks, traveling and whatever.

I can get a bonus for Christmas for $60,000 or I can get a bonus for Christmas of $0. And that all depends on how many people filed claims against me. Anytime there’s a damn storm, we’re up in the middle of the night watching it. Trust me, dude, I’m telling you. It’s wild. It can literally, on my income anymore, it can make the difference of $100,000 to $150,000 a year in my pocket.

The most rewarding thing of it is, it’s not like a doctor where you’ve got to be there to see patients. Once you’ve built the business, then you can kind of go and do whatever you want to do.

What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

I wouldn’t start from scratch. I guess that’s the best way to put it. I would somehow either buy in or get put into an existing agency that already has a book of business. But it’s very long-term…I mean, it’s very hard to go in and just start from nothing. It takes so many years just to get to where you’re even making some money. I’d also, before you sign on, make sure you really do your due diligence on what the company’s telling you about what you’re getting. Sometimes they’ll bullshit that and say "Oh, you’re getting this many clients and you’re getting this and you’re getting that,” and then you get in there and go, "Oh, wait a minute,".

How much time off do you get/take?

Time off, I guess that would include my other business ventures. If you want to look at it from that standpoint, probably four months. And the typical agent’s not probably going to be able to do that, but easily six to eight weeks. It’s different for everyone. I own my own business. If some guy is an agent for Farm Bureau, that guy actually works for Farm Bureau. He’s like a loan officer at a bank.

What is a common misconception people have about what you do?

I would say the misconception is that we make more money off things than what they really do. Like what insurance agents do or an insurance company even in general. People think you make so much more money than what you do. People don’t realize that, yes, I took in, $10,000 grand but, as soon as they wreck their car, I pay it right back out.

What are your goals/dreams for the future?

Just to build a big agency. My deal’s pretty much to get it where I make $350,000 to $400,000 a year and don’t even have to go by there. That’s my goal. And I mean, mine’s a little different. My whole goal in the long-run is to set it up to have people to sell for me. I’m trying to set up the business and let it run itself.

What else would you like people to know about what you do?

It’s a long-term business. It’s a very long-term business. It’s not something you walk in to and in a couple of years you’re going to just boom, all of a sudden you’re making $100,000. It’s good for somebody that say, went to college, moves back home, doesn’t ever want to move, wife’s happy there, and is like, "I’m going to build a career here that I can have forever and get a lot of free time and go watch my kids play ball." It’s long-term. It’s a jog, not a sprint. It takes so long to develop those relationships with wealthy clients and get lots of money to come in the door, that if you’re moving all the time, you’re going to be starting back over all the time.

My actual title is called a Respiratory Care Account Manager, but the job description is actually selling critical care and surgical type products in the hospitals and surgery centers.

How would you describe what you do?

The people I call on within the hospital for the products I carry range from anesthesiologists, to surgeons, to nursing staff, critical care, intensive care units, and then also into the purchasing department and the administration. Not very often, but sometimes CEO’s and CFO’s of hospitals. My main two products are types tracheotomy and endotracheal tubes. The tracheotomy tubes are basically a product for patients that go home and have trouble with some type of upper respiratory abnomally or problem. And the endotracheal tube line is more for surgeries.

A lot of people think that because we’re out there selling different products and pharmaceutical companies are selling all these different drugs that it’s driving our insurance up really high…in one sense you can look at us and say ‘yeah it does’…But I guess at the end of the day if you are on your deathbed do you want a product that is from Target, or do you want a product that has been in research and development for a long time and has had some of the best scientists in the world world looking at it?

The doctor administers the anesthesia and once the patient is anesthetized they keep them alive by a ventilator which is connected to the endotracheal tube.

What does your work entail?

It really entails knowing your customer’s very well, knowing what they do really helps you. I come from a nonclinical background in college. I have a double major in marketing and management, and I knew I wanted to get into medical device sales so I took a few premed classes, anatomy and physiology, some basic type classes to kind of get me a little bit of a jump start. It really helps me to know exactly what the doctor’s, or nurse’s, job responsibilities are. It allows me to just be able to communicate with them better. It’s actually a great job for those that are independent and self driven. I basically can wake up whenever I want. I work out of my home office here, and I basically run a territory.
It’s a pretty large territory, probably anywhere between 50 to 70 some hospitals, and hundreds of little surgery centers all over the place. Typically on Monday’s I stay in the office all day just setting up my week and calling on doctors, and catching up on e-mails and whatnot. So it’s really nice just to wake up and be in your pajamas and work all day. The rest of the days I’m typically up around six o’clock, 6:30 and then heading out to some accounts and calling on the doctors. I typically get to about three or four accounts a day depending on traffic and how you set your day up. I also go to my accounts that I’ve already sold to and make sure that they’re happy with the product and that they’re satisfied and they’re getting the benefits that I told them they would get out of a certain product. Just basically making sure that they’re happy and they’re getting what they need.

How did you get started?

I knew in college that I wanted to get into the field so I took a few premed classes and it kind of got me started. It’s a tough industry to get into without sales experience, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be medical device sales, or medical sales for that matter. It kind of depends on the position that you’re going for, but a lot of times they look for people who have proven sales experience and then they hire them. It’s so tough anymore to get into sales without experience. It’s kind of a rough deal, sometimes you just hope that somebody takes a shot with you to give you the opportunity to show that you can sell if you don’t have any sales experience. I started out my first job in sales was selling

I’ve read a couple articles that said that sales, any type of sales, was one of the quickest ways to establish a good wealth base, and I can’t think of a better way to do it. You’re helping other people improve their lives and getting paid a very nice monetary value for it.

treadmills for physical therapy and accelerated sports fitness. I had 2 1/2 years of experience there and then moved my way into medical device sales.

What do you like about what you do?

Well, we talked a little bit earlier about the flexibility of your schedule. I’m very independent and self driven, so I don’t really like reporting to a cubicle every day and just kind of being locked up. I like to be able to get out and just meet new people and everything. One of my biggest things I like about this job is that you know you’re helping, you know you’re improving somebody’s life. People don’t choose to go to the hospital, it just happens that they get sick, or they get diagnosed with the disease or something, knowing that you’re selling a product that helps them or betters their lifestyle is really a great satisfaction. That’s probably the biggest thing that I like about it.

What do you dislike?

It can be very tough working with doctors and clinicians. A lot of them have their set beliefs, and it can kind of be a tough sell sometimes because there are so many of these older doctors that are out there, and they’ve been practicing for more years than I’ve probably been alive and it’s tough to convince them of a new product sometimes. It’s tough to break down old walls and foundations, so that can be a little tricky. Some people would say they dislike having quotas. I know some people are just scared to death about quotas, but growing up playing sports and stuff it is like a competition, and that’s kind of the way I approach a quota, that it’s competition. So I kind of enjoy that. I just enjoy it so much that I don’t think there’s a whole lot I can say negative about it.

How do you make money/or how are you compensated?

I’m currently set up with a base salary of $50,000 and then a commission on top of that. It’s kind of nice in that the base salary gives you the peace of mind knowing that you are going to have income coming in no matter if you’re selling something or not. But really when you want to make the good money, you start really selling a lot of products, and you meet your quota. And typically what they’ll have is $50,000 base salary, and then if you’re at 100% of quota to plan then you should make around $120,000 total, and in my case it’s whatever you go over quota at the end of the year they pay you 15% on top of that as well.

How much money do you make?

I made $120,000 last year, this year I’m on pace to make about $135,000-$140,000.

Would you say there are any perks to this career?

Yeah, absolutely there’s great perks. Companies are different, but with this job I have a company car. I don’t have a car payment, I don’t pay for car insurance, and I don’t pay for gas. They provide me with a laptop, they pay part of my Internet bill, they pay part of my office phone line, and they pay for my cell phone, let’s see, and what else do they pay for. They set me up with an office, they gave me my printer and all of my office supplies are paid.

What education or skills are needed to do this?

I would definitely say a bachelors degree is very helpful. You know now it all kind of depends. To be real honest you definitely want to have a bachelors degree, and some people say a Masters but I don’t have a Masters and I’ve got a couple friends that went and got their masters degree and it took them longer to get a job than it took me, and they’re not making any more than I am. With that being said it’s kind of a tossup. You might be able to open up a couple more doors for you if you have your Masters, or it may bump you up a little bit in your base salary if you have your masters, but a lot of times it really comes down to if you know somebody in the company. As far as skills, you definitely you want to have a good personality, you want to be approachable by other people, you want to be able to communicate your opinions and your thoughts in a manner that doesn’t look like you’re just a sales rep, and I don’t really consider myself a sales rep. I’m more of what they would call a sales consultant. Whereas you’re kind of consulting them, you say ‘look I know my stuff and I’m not trying to sell you on something that I don’t think you need, I’m trying to consult you on a better product that’s not only good for you but its also good for the patient.’ In my field typically at the end of the day it comes down to patient care, and if you’ve got a product that’s going to provide quality patient care you’re going to be successful.

What is most challenging about what you do?

That would probably be finding your decision-makers within the hospital. Because a lot of times you get people who are like, ‘Oh yes, I like your product’, but they don’t have the authority or the power to push the product through. We call these people champions. People that like your product and push it through. Anymore, you can’t really just go into hospital and show them a product and then they’re like ‘I want that product, let’s go ahead and order that product tomorrow’. Typically you’ve got to have one person who’s really fired up about the product, and then they’ve got to pull it through three, or four, or five different committees, and then all the committees have to approve it. So really the challenging part is finding someone who’s going to bat for you within the hospital.

What is most rewarding?

Just knowing that you’re selling a product that’s maybe keeping a mother alive for another couple of years, or saving somebody’s life that like a father, or son, or whoever it might be. Just knowing that you’re helping other people in their daily lives, and in some cases saving lives. A lot of times they call them ‘life altering products’, just knowing that you’re helping somebody is the most rewarding thing I get out of it.

What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

I guess if I could go back and do it all over again, I would try to have a little bit more of a biology background along with a business background. That would open up a lot of doors. I know that with the few classes that I did take, anatomy and physiology and medical terminology, those kind of classes definitely did open up some peoples’ eyes. I think chemistry type classes, kinesiology, and some other classes like that would really show employers that this person has known what they wanted to do and have been working towards it. I think having more of a biology background with an addition to your business background would be ideal. And also a big thing would be just to get out to hospitals and if they have programs within colleges or high schools you can actually get in, like say an operating room. Sometimes they have these programs where they can bring you in and maybe you can job shadow the anesthesiologist, or a cardiologist, or a brain surgeon, or a spine surgeon or something like that, so I definitely look for some opportunities like that to get in, to get a firsthand experience with it.

How much time off do you get/take?

It grows each year, you start off with 10 days with paid vacation, in California, you can actually roll your vacation over to next year so, and in addition to your seniority in the company you can even get more than that.

What is a common misconception people have about what you do?

A lot of people think that because we’re out there selling different products and pharmaceutical companies are selling all these different drugs that it’s driving our insurance up really high. It’s kind of a double-edged sword. Because in one sense you can look at us and say ‘yeah it does’, but if you turn it around and you look at it from medical device industry you know, it’s just business and they’re providing new technologies just like anything, with the better technology you are able to do things better, your prices are going to go up. So with technology advancing different products and everything it’s making them better, but also a lot of research and development are going in to so we have to make up our costs there and everything. It’s really a cycle that, you know everybody wins some, but everybody also gets hit a little bit with. But I guess at the end of the day if you are on your deathbed do you want a product that is from Target, or do you want a product that has been in research and development for a long time and has had some of the best scientists in the world world looking at it?

What are your goals/dreams for the future?

My goal is really to advance into a more advanced type surgical position, such as let’s say pacemakers and defibrillators, or spine surgeries types of products where I’m working directly with the patient and working with the surgeons. Those positions tend to pay more and they’re a little bit more rewarding in the fact that you’re actually working directly with the patient, and at the end of today you know like three or four days later after the operation or the procedure the patient comes back in and says ‘I’m feeling so much better, thank you’. That’s really rewarding and I’d like to get to that stage. I’ve always thought about going into management as well and that’s kind of the path that you typically take. In order to advance to a manager or a management position you typically have be in the field for two or three years and show that you can sell, that you’re experienced that you can succeed.

What else would you like people to know about what you do?

I think it’s a very rewarding industry. I think I’d just reiterate the fact that if someone is in to helping other people and getting paid for it, then this could be something for them. I want to be wealthy. I want to be able to take care of my family and friends and be able to do the things that I want to do and travel and I just have a lot of things that I want. I’ve read a couple articles that said that sales, any type of sales, was one of the quickest ways to establish a good wealth base, and I can’t think of a better way to do it. You’re helping other people improve their lives and getting paid a very nice monetary value for it.

I’m a Pharmaceutical Sales Rep for Pfizer.

How would you describe what you do?

I would describe it as a sales person calling on doctors and my job is to get doctors to use the drugs that I’m selling. And I have four products, so I have to get them to write my four products for the patients. 

What does your work entail?

You see anywhere between 10 and 15 doctors a day for 5 days in a week. You call on those doctors who are the biggest prescribers, so I would look at a computer

You’re offering a product that a lot of times, people don’t believe in and you have to make them believe in that product because if your product wasn’t superior to most other products, it wouldn’t be out here.

and look at a doctor’s profile and if they have a lot of potential to write my products, I target those doctors and try to get those doctors to write my product.  During the work week, you travel a lot. Some territories are bigger than others, but mine’s about two hours long, so some days I’m two hours away from home in a small town calling on a small clinic or there’s other days when I’m in a bigger city and I call on the doctors there. In some work weeks you have speaker programs where you have doctors come in and you take a specialist, a well-known specialist from another state or city. And you take them into offices and let them talk about their experiences with your products and how they had success stories with your products. And what you’re trying to do is try to influence those doctors into writing your product.

What do you like about what you do?

Personally, I enjoy being out and moving around. I’ve had a desk job and I liked it as well, but I really like being out and being moving around all the time because you’re always running into all different kinds of people. You get to see different kinds of people every day.

You have to have something to offer these companies. The pharmaceutical companies are the most applied to companies in the United States right now. More people want to work in pharmaceuticals than any other. My company actually gets more applications per day than Wal-Mart. That’s huge, so it’s very competitive to get into and if you’re going to try to get into it, don’t get discouraged if you get turned down for a while. It took me over a year to get hired.

And just meeting all the different people and interacting with those people is probably one of the top things that I like about it, and also, it’s just like your territory is your business. It’s just like having your own business and that’s your territory to work and try to maximize your profits and everything in that territory.

What do you dislike?

There’s a lot of pressure with this job. The company increases your quotas every year, so you have a lot of pressure to outdo what you’ve already done. So with most drug companies 100 percent isn’t good enough. 100 percent is the bare minimum, so you’re trying to outdo 100 percent. You want to have a 160 percent quota and there’s a lot of pressure. And with this job as well, there is a lag time as far as getting your reports. So, if I go into an office and make a sale, I don’t hand over a prescription for

You have to be like a chameleon. You have to blend in to every situation. You have doctors who are big sports fans; you have doctors who could care less about any sport…You have to blend yourself to be able to have conversations and communicate with all kinds of different people.

the doctor to give to a patient. I have to count on them to write it after I’m gone. So you don’t get the satisfaction of making that sale every day like you would if you was a regular salesperson, if you were selling a product that you carried with you. You have to monitor that data later on. You don’t reap your crop right there, you have to wait until later to see how it turned out.

How do you make money/or how are you compensated?

With most pharmaceutical companies you get a salary and you also get paid commission on your drugs that you sell. So, if you sell 160 percent of one product, you get paid on 60 percent over that quota. The more you sell the more you make, so the harder you work, the more money you make. You also get a company car, you get free gas, you get to provide a lot of meals for offices and doctors and you also get to eat with them for free. You get free car insurance, great benefits, stock options. I would say there’s $20,000 added onto your salary that you don’t see that you get in just perks, that come with the job.

How much money do you make?

In a given year, as a pharmaceutical rep, you can’t really say how much you make because you could make anywhere between $70,000 and $100,000 or you could make less. If you don’t make your sales, you don’t make as much. But usually a base salary for a pharmaceutical sales rep with minimal experience, you’ll start out

I don’t have a boss walking down a hallway every hour to check on me and make sure I’m doing my work. They trust you with millions of dollars worth of samples. They give you a car. They trust you with a car and they trust you with a company expense account. ‘Freedom’, is probably the one word to say what I like the best about it.

about $50,000 a year base salary. If you have a base salary of $50,000, you could make $20,000 in bonuses if you did real well. And that’s not counting the $20,000 worth of stuff that you get as far as your cell phone paid, your car’s paid for, your car insurance is paid for and your gas is paid for. You can count that as about $20,000 more as well a year.

What education or skills are needed to do this?

You have to have a good personality. You have to be able to deal with all different kinds of people. You have to have a four-year Bachelor’s Degree, so you must go to college. You must get a degree. And most of these companies are looking for people who are leaders and people who are very competitive. So, you have to be able to show that, and you have to be able to…You have to be like a chameleon. You have to blend in to every situation. You have doctors who are big sports fans; you have doctors who could care less about any sport. They’ve never played a sport, they’re more into science and more into research and stuff. You have to blend yourself to be able to have conversations and communicate with all kinds of different kinds of people.

What is most challenging about what you do?

A lot of times, the most challenging is just getting access to doctors. You’ll go in some clinics where they see 15 or 20 reps a day. You have to stand out. You have to do something different and a lot of times all they want to do is come up and sign your piece of paper to get your samples and then they’re out. They’re very busy. So, getting time with those doctors, I would say, would be one of the hardest things and most challenging. And the other thing is a lot of times your product is very expensive and you have to get them to buy it and show your product is worth it.

What is most rewarding?

I would say the most rewarding to me is just being able to be out on my own. I don’t have a boss walking down a hallway every hour to check on me and make sure I’m doing my work. They trust you with millions of dollars worth of samples. They give you a car. They trust you with a company expense account. I really like that.  ‘Freedom’, is probably the one word to say what I like the best about it.

What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

I would say if you’re a college student, you need to be very involved. You need to be involved in every club that you can and hold positions in that club to where you can show that you have improved something or you have accomplished something because that’s what this company’s about. I mean, most pharmaceutical companies, they want you to improve your territory, so if one year you sold 110 percent, the next year, they’re going to expect you to sell more. So you have to be able to prove that you’re competitive and that you want to win and that you want to do better. Any leadership stuff that you’ve been involved with or if you’ve had success in another sales job, you need to be able to prove that, and show it you did it and how you’re going to do it with any other company.

What is a common misconception people have about what you do?

I think a lot of people, as far as when you walk into an office, whether it’s a patient or it’s a secretary or if it’s a doctor, they just think you’re there to deliver samples. A lot of times pharmaceutical reps are dressed very nice, we drive nice vehicles and they think that you just make a bundle of money and you don’t do any work, when it is really extremely hard. It’s an extremely hard job and a lot of pressure on you and what you do is work. You’re offering a product and a lot of times, people don’t believe in it and you have to make them believe in that product because if your product wasn’t superior to most other products, it wouldn’t be out here. It wouldn’t be being used. I would say just learning the science background and then just the misconception is that you don’t do anything when you really do work very hard.

What else would you like people to know about what you do?

I think that they should just know that it’s not an easy job. It’s not easy like a lot of people think. It is hard and like I said before, there’s a lot of pressure. And it’s very, very hard to get into. Very seldom does a person come out of college and get a pharmaceutical sales job. You have to have something to offer because these companies, the pharmaceutical companies are the most applied to companies in the United States right now. More people want to work in pharmaceuticals than any other, you know. I mean, my company actually gets more applications per day than Wal-Mart. That’s huge, so it’s very competitive to get into and if you’re going to try to get into it, don’t get discouraged if you get turned down for a while. It took me over a year to get hired.