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SEF Recognizes Nebraska for Preparing Sales Students

SEF Recognizes Nebraska for Preparing Sales Students
Dr. Ravi Sohi works with students in the sales lab.
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business Undergraduate Certificate Program in Sales Excellence received a third consecutive recognition as one of the “Top Universities for Professional Sales Education” by the Sales Education Foundation (SEF). The announcement came in SEF’s 2017 ANNUAL magazine. SEF recognizes universities for preparing students in professional selling and helping to elevate the sales profession.

The sales excellence program began in 2014 and made an immediate impact at Nebraska with a SEF recognition after the first year. Students from majors throughout the university hail the curriculum for providing direction and practical application in their lives.

“I learned sales is not just a field, but a necessary skill for everyone to possess,” said Cole Weers, a senior management and marketing major from Diller, Nebraska. “Each day we are all selling something, whether it’s a physical object or an idea we have. The sales classes have been some of the most thought provoking I took at Nebraska. I would encourage any student to consider entering the program and find the potential you can unlock within yourself.”

Cole Weers receives advanced sales certificate in professional selling from Interim Dean Kathy Farrell
Cole Weers receives advanced sales certificate in professional selling from Interim Dean Kathy Farrell
One of the first students to receive an advanced certificate in professional selling at Nebraska this spring, Weers accepted a position with Cox Automotive in Kansas City. He will work in their leadership and management training program in their VinSolutions office.

Paxton Bentzinger, a senior accounting major from Olathe, Kansas, also earned a certificate in professional selling this spring. This fall, he begins pursuing an MPA at Villanova University and will work in Chicago as an audit associate with KPMG in 2018.

“Developing your own personal brand and being able to sell it to others is something vital to success after college,” said Bentzinger. “The sales program at Nebraska gave me the skills to accomplish the ability to sell myself.”

NRC Health provided a $1.5 million gift to initially launch the program. Since that time, Mike Hays, CEO of NRC Health, and other professionals from the firm have worked closely with Nebraska sales students in the classroom.

“This program is a differentiator for students who earn their certificates in professional selling,” said Dr. Kathy Farrell, interim dean. “A lot of credit goes to the support of Mike Hayes, who along with Dr. Ravi Sohi, executive director of our Center for Sales Excellence, put a lot of thought in how to provide a direct benefit to students in their future careers.”

SEF asserts professional selling is one of the most common jobs for students graduating with a business degree. They suggest 60 percent of all business majors and 88 percent of all marketing majors begin their professional careers in a sales-related role.

To learn more about the Undergraduate Certificate Program in Sales Excellence, visit: http://cba.unl.edu/academic-programs/programs-and-degrees/sales-center/
Published: May 2, 2017