Every time that one of my friends or business associates tells me they want to look for a job in sales, I can't help but cringe. I have learned from over 10 years in the field that with all of the glamorous highs come some consequential lows. The opportunity to make your own schedule and build lasting relationships with clients can be rewarding (and the perks aren't bad either). However, there are a number of challenges along the way to gaining access and then selling to customers, which will make it very frustrating. The idea is to stay positive in every situation - a lot easier said than done.

The important thing to remember, if you are truly committed to landing a career in sales, is to be able to sell yourself. Sounds simple, right? Surprise! It's not. Pharmaceutical companies, in particular, conduct as rigorous an interview process as any other retail or wholesale industry. Sales managers are exhausting thousands of dollars to train new representatives and send them out into the field. And they do not want to make a mistake. They will ask about work ethic, previous sales performance, career objectives, and countless other revealing questions in painstaking depth.

After you have satisfy the criteria to join the ABC sales force, then comes the training. Generally, this is a program reminiscent of a winter semester course in college - only a few weeks long and extremely comprehensive. The first thing that is usually taught to new recruits will be the company's philosophy about selling. I have talked with several of my friends in sales; and no matter what the industry, the message is generally the same. The best examples are demonstrated in movies that you may know. Michael Douglas performs it in Wall Street, Ben Affleck in The Boiler Room and Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross. Check it out.

Most of the remaining time in training is then dedicated to education about ABC's products. It is critical that no one looks like an idiot selling something that they have no knowledge of. Which makes sense, but it is also quite likely that they don't want anyone getting themselves into legal trouble. Drug companies, for one, know that is not cheap. Remember, "The Man" is always watching. Finally, there may be some modules that are designed to hone your sales abilities. However, most of that development will come after reps have been in the field for a while and can refer to those experiences.

Once the "newbies" have been properly packaged and are ready

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