Professional Selling Certificate

Overview of Certificate Program

There are a variety of benefits for earning a Professional Selling Certificate. Some of these benefits include:

  • Notoriety - Less than one percent of universities in the United States have a sales program. This includes both professional selling concentrations and certificates.
  • Student Careers - MTSU has over 120 majors. Many of the graduates from these majors are hired into a sales position within their related field of study. Earning a professional selling certificate will give these students a competitive edge and allow them to stand out from their peers.
  • Retention - Sales force turnover rates exceed twice the national average for other positions. Within the first year, costs for a single new hire fall between $50,000 and $75,000; it is important for organizations to find and maintain qualified sales professionals. Prior research has shown that hiring students from a sales program lowers turnover by 30% and shortens the time to meaningful revenue production, adding tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to the bottom line (Sales Education Force, 2020, https://salesfoundation.org/#).
  • Purpose - The certificate program benefits the non-marketing student who would like to gain an understanding of the sales process or a non-degree- seeking individual who would like to use the program for career development.

Program Outcomes

Through completing a Professional Selling Certificate, participants will: 

  • Develop an understanding of the sales process
  • Utilize the Mel Adams State Farm Sales Lab in the completion of role play scenarios
  • Enhance understanding of business-to-business relationship development
  • Recognize the importance of customer relationship management database utilization
  • Apply coaching, evaluation, and critical feedback skills
  • Learn and display proper ethical, professional, and business behaviors

Requirements

Professional Selling Certificate

Marketing 

The Professional Selling Certificate requires 12 hours. Students seeking to complete this certificate should contact the Jones College of Business Advising Center to submit the application form or email Thom Coats for more information.

Required (6 hours)

  • MKT 3840 - Professional Selling

    3 credit hours

    Prerequisites: MKT 3820; admission to the College of Business; junior standing. Principles, problems, and role of personal selling in the business environment. Buying motives, persuasion techniques, and steps of selling process are considered as they relate to different types of sales activities and products.

  • MKT 4850 - Advanced Selling  3 credit hours  

    MKT 4850 - Advanced Selling

    3 credit hours

    Prerequisites: MKT 3840; admission into the College of Business; junior standing. The sales function as it relates to business-to-business selling and strategic relationship development. Topics include relational selling, account management, negotiation, team selling, handling conflict and ethical dilemmas, and selling to buying committees. Learning through interactive lecture, role-playing, and sales force automation software.

Electives (6 hours)

Choose two from the following:

  • MKT 3950 - Business-to-Business Marketing

    3 credit hours

    Prerequisites: MKT 3820; admission into the College of Business; junior standing. Survey of managerial decisions involved in the business-to-business marketing of goods and services.

  • MKT 4800 - Sales Management  3 credit hours  

    MKT 4800 - Sales Management

    3 credit hours

    Prerequisites: MKT 3820; admission into the College of Business; junior standing. Management functions as applied to field sales force. Includes sales organization structures, selection and training of sales personnel, sales compensation, supervision and stimulation of the sales force, and evaluation of sales performance.