Want to break into medical device sales or level up your career into sales management?

In this episode of Medical Sales U, Dave Sterrett sits down with Jon Alwinson, Principal Regional Sales Director and author of Relentless Sales. Jon unpacks his journey from a failed college startup to leading high-performing medical sales teams.

Tune in to learn:

• Why "humble confidence" outperforms ego in high-stakes interviews

• How to map and own your territory during Week 1

• Why pre-call planning beats charisma every time

• How to successfully transition from top rep to sales leader

🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS:

• Grab Jon’s book Relentless Sales: https://johnalwinson.com

• Connect with Jon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-alwinson-4599ab46/

• Break into medical sales with us: https://medicalsalesu.com/

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Introduction

0:50 How Dave Met Jon

2:17 Startup Failures Before Medical Device Sales

4:33 Landing the First Medical Device Role

5:50 The Power of Humble Confidence in Interviews

7:01 Balancing Faith, Mindset, and Confidence

9:19 Networking Advice and Pat Williams Foreword

11:39 Pre-Call Planning and Territory Mapping

13:57 How to Structure Your First Week in a Territory

16:18 Building Authentic Rapport with HCPs

18:40 Key Advice for First-Year Medical Reps

21:04 How to Transition from Sales Rep to Sales Manager

23:23 Closing Thoughts

Subscribe to Medical Sales U for weekly tactical advice on territory management, interview preparation, and healthcare leadership!

How do you break into medical and pharmaceutical sales in your 20s without prior industry experience?

In this episode of Medical Sales U, host Dave Sterrett sits down with Kennedy Torggler, a 24-year-old former Stryker On-Site Specialist who recently signed an offer representing AstraZeneca through Syneos. Kennedy breaks down her 9-month journey, sharing how she leveraged college sales competitions, powerlifting discipline, and relentless networking to double her income and secure her dream role.

Whether you are looking to pivot from a hospital support role into sales, struggling to get past final-round interviews, or trying to break into top pharma companies, Kennedy's story provides the exact roadmap for staying resilient through rejection.

Subscribe to Medical Sales U for more real-world career breakdown stories and strategies on breaking into medical device and pharmaceutical sales.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

01:21 - AstraZeneca Job Offer

02:15 - Contract Sales Strategy

04:25 - College Sales Training

10:15 - Stryker On-Site Role

13:50 - Stryker vs. Pharma Pay

16:10 - Powerlifting & Discipline

21:30 - Job Search Strategy

27:10 - Interview Prep & Habits

32:05 - Travel & Background

34:10 - Outro

Ready to build your strategy, prep your clinical knowledge, and land your offer?

CONNECT WITH US & BREAK INTO MEDICAL SALES: medicalsalesu.com/

Want to break into pharmaceutical or medical device sales, but tired of hitting dead ends? In this episode of Medical Sales U, Dave Sterrett lays out a clear, step-by-step playbook to land your target role in medical sales, even if you have zero clinical background or formal sales experience.

Most job seekers waste time blasting hundreds of resumes and hoping for a miracle on LinkedIn. Dave breaks down why that spray-and-pray method fails and replaces it with a strategic 12-step system. You'll learn how to leverage AI to sharpen your resume, build a high-converting LinkedIn profile, stand out using a customized brag book, and secure internal referrals that jump you to the front of the line.

Whether you're a nurse, teacher, firefighter, or professional looking to pivot into a $160K+ career, this guide gives you actionable steps to stop overthinking, take control of your job search, and get in front of real decision-makers.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Stop Applying the Wrong Way

02:20 - Trap of Applying vs. Perfection Paralysis

04:46 - Step 1: Update Your Resume in 24 Hours

07:13 - Step 2: Optimize Your LinkedIn Storefront

11:58 - Step 3: Map Out Your Top 10 Target Companies

14:17 - Step 4: Identify Your Practical 7 Job Openings

16:42 - Step 5: Network Strategically on LinkedIn

19:09 - Step 6: Send High-Converting Outreach Messages

21:35 - Step 7: How to Run the Initial Phone Call

23:59 - Handling Common Industry Pushback

26:25 - Step 8: Build and Send a Customized Brag Book

28:48 - Step 9: Apply with an Internal Referral

31:13 - Step 10 & 11: Build Multi-Contact Momentum and Practice Video Answers

33:39 - Step 12: Repeat the Process Until You Win

Subscribe to Medical Sales You for more practical advice on breaking into and scaling your career in medical sales!

Ready to build your strategy, prep your clinical knowledge, and land your offer?

🔗 CONNECT WITH US & BREAK INTO MEDICAL SALES: medicalsalesu.com/