The W.A. Franke College of Business ranks among the best in the country according to the Sales Education Foundation, a group that promotes the professionalism of sales programs in higher education.
NAU is being recognized in the foundation’s 2016 Top Universities for Professional Sales Education annual publication.
“We are thrilled to be recognized by the SEF as a top university sales program,” said Kevin Trainor, a professor of marketing. “We have accomplished a lot with the sales program in a relatively short period of time, and we will continue to enhance the sales education experience for our students.”
The idea for the program started with Dean Craig Van Slyke, who introduced curriculum in 2014, including concentrations in sales and sales management.
For the 2016-17 academic year, two new courses have been added addressing sales management, sales strategy and technology.
Students have benefited from opportunities to learn from professionals in the trade and by competing with peers from other universities in the Arizona Collegiate Sales Competition.
Another beneficial tool for students studying professional sales has been the Sales Lab, which was launched last fall and uses video of role playing and presenting as a teaching tool.
“Professional selling requires skills in listening, analyzing, problem solving and persuasion,” Van Slyke said. “Students who go through our professional selling program will have a real advantage throughout their careers, whether in sales or another profession.”