A person who wants to excel in a dental sales career needs to have excellent communication skills, as well as a certain level of technical savvy. Developing positive relationships with prospects and current customers is an important part of this career choice. The sales representative may be responsible for finding new business in a specific territory, as well as servicing existing accounts, as part of his or her job duties.

Skills and Education

A person who is interested in selling products to dentists can prepare for this career choice by completing the requirements for an undergraduate degree. Some prospective dental sales representatives choose a science major, such as biology, while others may decide to get a degree in business administration or marketing before starting their career.

Product Knowledge

The dental sales representative will be given a certain amount of product knowledge training after being hired. The amount of time spent in this stage will depend on whether the product is for consumer use, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste or mouthwash, or one being marketed to dentists. If the sales representative is calling on prospects to sell dental instruments, they will need to be able to demonstrate the product's features and benefits effectively if they want to make a sale.

Product Demonstrations

Product demonstrations conducted by dental sales representatives can be done using computer software, Powerpoint presentations or videos. The salesperson will need to have a high level of product knowledge, as well as some technical ability, to be able to effectively point out why the person they are calling on should buy the product.

Cold Calling

Part of a dental sales representative's job is to find new potential customers to call on. He or she will be expected to do a certain amount of cold calling to get leads. The calls may be made by phone, or by visiting dental offices, clinics and hospitals in a certain area. A person who wants to succeed in a career as a dental sales representative should be comfortable initiating contact with a prospect and skilled at overcoming objections when trying to make a sale.

Account Management

Part of the dental sales representative's job description is to call on existing customers and ensure that any questions or concerns they have are dealt with appropriately. The account management portion of the job is where the salesperson can use his or her well-developed communication skills to forge long-term relationships with customers.