The University of Connecticut's School of Business has developed a ground-breaking new curriculum for professional selling in partnership with several major corporations to bring to state-of-the-art selling theory and practice to the univesity level.  Developed and headed by Dr. Michael Ahearne, Assistant Professor and Director, Center for Sales Excellence at UConn, the program has sponsors such as Northwest Mutual Insurance, Aetna, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, and others.  

The curriculum consists of four major courses:

1.  Professional Selling

2.  Sales Force Automation

3.  Global and Major Account Management

4.  Internship with one of the curriculum sponsors.

Though courses have been historically filled with existing UConn business students, the intention is to add additional sections to accomodate new and experienced sales professionals currently working in the marketplace.

Peterson will teach the Professional Selling course beginning in January, 2003.  His course is described below:

Overview

The objectives of this course are to improve understanding of the role of the sales force in the achievement of a firm's objectives, to appreciate the changing nature of selling, and to enhance  knowledge and skill in effective professional selling techniques. 

Outline

The course is divided into four major sections:

1.                  Customer Interface Strategies & Selling Effectiveness.  In this section will develop an understanding of the role that selling plays in the world of business and an appreciation of what alternatives are available for interfacing with customers.  Ethical dimensions of personal selling will also be addressed.

2.         The World of the Buyer.  This section will uncover the myriad buyers in organizations, the variety of needs that they may have and how various techniques guide sellers toward uncovering those needs.  The course will focus on characteristics of buyers proffered by Miller-Heiman and others.

3.         The Process of Selling.  This section will look at how sales processes are developed, implemented and managed from the perspective of the individual salesperson.  The course will look in depth at lead procurement and management, discovery of needs, working with Requests for Proposals and presentations, negotiating, gaining commitment and managing fulfillment of the order.  We will explore sales techniques espoused by Rackham, Bosworth and others.  The course will also examine what constitutes effective personal selling since this is the key to a successful career in selling. 

4.         Relationship Management.  This section will address the development of relationships that are necessary throughout all phases of a career in selling.  The section will discuss relationships with a wide range of constituencies and how they can contribute to a salesperson’s growth and financial well-being.

For more information about the course, please contact Pete Peterson at ppeterson@salemetrix.com

For more on Dr. Ahearne's research, please cliclk on the following URL:

http://www.sba.uconn.edu/Marketing/Faculty/Ahearne/maresearch.htm

The University of Connecticut, with its main campus in Storrs, five regional campuses, a School of Law in Hartford and School of Social Work in West Hartford, and a Health Center in Farmington, is the state’s only public research university. U.S. News and World Report recently ranked UConn the best public university in New England, and among the top 20 of the 146 public universities in the nation.

End