In one year, the TCU Sales Center has quickly become a trailblazer to empower future generations of Horned Frogs.
November 17, 2020
The TCU Sales Center is experiencing unprecedented growth and success. On November 5, the Center hosted an online event to demonstrate how they are on the path of becoming the top sales program in the country. Students, alumni and business leaders lauded the TCU Sales Center’s impact on their lives and careers.
One of the most successful programs is the Certificate in Consultative Sales, which began in 2019 with 13 business students. Since then it has opened to any major on campus and now has 154 TCU students enrolled for Fall 2021.
“Student enrollment could surpass other leading sales programs at University of Houston, UT-Austin and Florida State by 2021,” said Brandon Chicotsky, assistant professor of professional practice in marketing.
“It’s the most life-changing program at TCU,” said marketing major Michaela Petty, who recently earned her Certificate in Consultative Sales. “It has given me the ability to have conversations with CEOs and the competence I need to walk into a room and know I can do this.”
More than half of all college graduates go on to work in sales at some point in their career, according to a 2018 study in Harvard Business Review, yet less than 1 percent of college students ever take a sales class. The three-course Certificate on Consultative Sales offers live selling, active coaching in prospecting, customer relations management and sales enablement, all of which prepares TCU students for a long career of success.
The certificate is not just about classroom education, but real-world experience. Students enrolled in the certificate program must sell a real product or service and achieve quota to stay in the program. In Spring 2020, students sold $19,474 worth of seats to two programs: Becoming by former NFL Superbowl Champion Clint Gresham BBA ’10, and Effective Virtual Selling by DSG Consulting. For Fall 2020, students sold 132 seats totaling $28,375 for the Flawless Execution workshop hosted by former Air Force pilot Joel “Thor” Neeb, CEO of Afterburner. Seventy five percent of attendees were director level or above, representing 65 firms including Microsoft, Dell, Federated Insurance, VMware, Veritas, and Anderson & Vreeland.
“Ashley Servais, Neeley Fellow and Supply Chain and Marketing dual major, edged out Matt McSweeney, Neeley Fellow and Marketing Major, for the Top Producer Award, selling 19 virtual seats,” said Zach Hall, associate professor of marketing and director of operations for the TCU Sales Center.
Another success for the TCU Sales Center is the Amplify Women in Sales initiative, which connects executive mentors with rising professional women.
“Over half of our students are women, so we have a meaningful opportunity to build a community and contribute to diversity, equity and inclusion that is authentic and representative of our demographics,” Chicotsky said.
Amplify Women in Sales provides students with Q&A sessions with sales executives, recent graduates and newly-placed managers to gain insights into career opportunities, career-building strategies and market trends. A podcast will be launched in the coming months.
Job placement is another impressive success for students involved with the TCU Sales Center. Alumni from the Certificate in Consultative Sales program have landed sale positions at impressive companies such as Nike, IBM, Facebook and Bell Helicopter, some with six-figure base earnings. The certificate provides students with evidence of sales expertise and market-applied capabilities, along with a portfolio of accomplishments.
“Our average placement is high enough to demonstrate that the certificate is a great service to all TCU students from any major,” Chicotsky said.
Click here to visit the TCU Sales Center website.
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Click here to follow Amplify Women in Sales on LinkedIn
