by Dave Jensen » Mon Jan 24, 2005 2:22 am
Hi,
I'd like to comment on this one because I've worked with successful scientific salespeople for many years. First off, I'll correct a misconception. Salespeople are NOT all extroverts who couldn't make it in the real world of science. That is a giant misconception, but a misconception that serves a purpose. It keeps the sheer numbers down. (If people knew what a good life they could have in that career choice, the doors would be trampled down at those companies by scientists seeking to move into business).
Yes, it is a risk to go into sales/marketing because you CAN NOT get back into the lab afterwards, as another poster pointed out. But I'll tell you, not many people really WANT to go in the lab again. There are two types of people, those who can tolerate years of bench research because they love science, and those who are burned out and really need to do something else. It is that second type of person who will consider a sales career.
You don't need to be an extrovert, but you DO need to know how to talk to people -- and it all starts in how you talk about yourself. If you are able to self-promote enough in order to impress a sales manager with your past experience, than you should be able to sell the company's tools to scientists. I'd say that about 70% of sales managers will only hire people with previous sales experience, and the other 30% are "open" if they are impressed with the individual. That means that getting into the field is a real networking effort -- but it can be done, and it is done a lot more often than people think.
Dave Jensen, Moderator
"Failure is a bruise -- not a tattoo." -- Jon Sinclair