(only speaking about the big 5 companies (Smith Nephew, Biomet, Stryker, DePuy, Zimmer))
-companies have good products.
-companies have talking points against each others products
-couple of companies are going through bad press w recalls
-all companies have gone through recall process and will again in the future
-Sales commissions are going down
-price per implant is going down (what hospitals will pay)
-Total Joint Arthroplasty reimbursement is going down
-Most companies use a distributorship model
-To my knowledge only Stryker (and Synthes) have mostly direct sales reps
-If you interview w a distributor ask A LOT of questions about your financial responsibilities; have an attorney review your contract and non compete; keep in mind if you have no experience, and no relationships to bring to the table, you have very little bargaining power; you will probably want to form an LLC.
-You will work hard, and many of us have families regardless of what you may hear or think.
-Without experience you will probably not make what you want, but you can make a decent living (even though as factors mentioned above it is getting harder to do so)
-Just a few points that come to mind. Hope it helps