Personally, I know a little bit about sales through my father who has spent a lot of time working as a sales rep for, first Quest Diagnostics, and now LabCorp. For his work he is specifically focused on selling various diagnostic tests used by physicians to monitor health, diagnose diseases, and guide patient treatment. I agree that building strong relationships is the most important part of being a sales rep. Sales reps must be able to thrive on communication. For example, in his day to day he will constantly be communicating through emails, conference calls, and in-person interactions. I went and asked him which roles he mainly interacts with and he told me he speaks directly with physicians, lab directors at hospitals, various managing positions (CEO, CFO, COO, CIO), logistics teams, IT personnel, and billing departments. These interactions ensure that testing and reporting are occurring correctly, samples are being transported effectively, and customer needs are being handled. Although he doesn’t work with medical devices, I imagine the sales rep role is similar across the medical field. Sales reps in the medical device field must also communicate with people of differing roles and departments. They must meet with doctors and physicians to develop in-person relationships and gain knowledge of customers' needs. I think the major difference for sales reps in the medical device field is that they have more communication with engineers and product management teams, offering important user information and feedback to strengthen device design. Overall, success in any sales rep role is dependent on effective communication, the ability to build strong professional relationships, and a deep understanding of customer needs. 

I agree with you that communication and building good relationships are really important when working in sales, especially in the healthcare field. I think a sales representative needs to understand what the customer is looking for instead of just trying to sell a product. I also found it interesting how your father communicates with so many different departments because it shows that sales involves a lot more than just talking to customers. This also connects to my own experience because I previously worked at LabCorp as a phlebotomist, and I currently work in a medical laboratory. I have seen how important communication is between different departments to make sure everything runs smoothly. Even a small misunderstanding can cause delays or problems, especially when dealing with patient samples and test results.

I also think medical device sales representatives need to understand the products they are selling because healthcare providers may have questions about how the devices work and whether they would be helpful for their patients. Personally, I think having some hands-on experience in healthcare can be a big advantage because it helps you understand what healthcare workers actually need. Overall, I agree that being successful in sales is not just about selling something, but also about building trust, understanding the product, and maintaining good relationships with customers.