Sales Professionals: Our Future Looks Bright
Posted by
Paul Alves on Wed, Mar 07, 2024 @ 04:08 PM
I had the opportunity to visit Plymouth State University, my Alma mater last week to do some guest lecturing. I’ll admit I am a bit biased, but if the students at PSU are any indication of our future, we are in very good hands. The students I had the good fortune of meeting we’re a great group of brilliant and engaging young professionals.
Upon reading the latest Plymouth Magazine I learned that Robert Nadeau, had founded a Professional Sales program consisting of 6 courses dedicated to the sales profession. The courses ranged from the basic sales process, to ethics to sales leadership. Finally I thought, a University has realized a great many students are graduating and seeking careers in sales with absolutely no training. Plymouth State is one of only 50 Schools nationwide to offer such a curriculum. What a great job Professor Nadeau as well as the students and faculty are doing.
I took a day off from skiing with my family at Loon Mountain to visit Plymouth State, located just 20 minutes south in the beautiful White Mountains of NH. Pulling on to the campus was a bit surreal, as it had been some 25 years since I had been back. How refreshing it was to see the faces of so many young sales professionals looking back at me eager to discuss the world of Sales and business.
I spent time discussing our sales process and how it has evolved over the years. We discussed the positives and negatives of sales as well as some real life “case studies”. For each of the several scenarios I presented, the insight of the students was impressive. Problems we’re identified and solutions were suggested.
We have recently had the pleasure of hiring our first PSU alum, welcome Ryan, and I hope to bring on many more. It’s this type of talent that great companies are built upon.
Our sales people are our first impression, and we all know how important first impressions are. Having students learn the basics early can only mean great things for them as professionals, and the companies they join as well.