University of Nebraska-Lincoln
LINCOLN, Neb. — Madelyn Martin of Hays has earned a certificate in sales excellence at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and was honored at a May 2 luncheon hosted by the Center for Sales Excellence. Martin is a senior majoring in marketing.
The certificate is designed to enhance communication and relationship-building skills. Skills built in the program attract students from a variety of majors.
"We take great pride in the fact that the center works with students of any major at the university, because we all sell something," said Kathy Farrell, James Jr. and Susan Stuart Endowed Dean and professor of finance in the College of Business. "Whether it's selling our skills to a future employer, selling in our jobs or simply selling our ideas to others, sales skills are valuable. These students have a competitive edge in the job market."
State-of-the-art technology within role-play rooms in the Center for Sales Excellence allows students to practice pitching and receive real-time feedback on their techniques, honing their communication and selling capabilities. Students also participate in regional and national role-play competitions.
"Each of our classes provides hands-on learning experiences," said Ravi Sohi, professor of marketing, Robert D. Hays Distinguished Chair of Sales Excellence and executive director of the Center for Sales Excellence. "Some of these experiences include role-plays, actual sales assignments with target quotas and networking. Through our employer partnerships, we also provide students with access to the sales platforms they'll use on the job, such as Salesforce, a cloud-based customer relationship management software, and xiQ, an AI software platform."
Sohi said more than 95% of sales excellence students have job offers upon graduation. Companies that have recently hired sales students include Dell, Deloitte, Gallup, Hubspot, Mutual of Omaha, NRC Health, Oracle, Sandhills Global, Union Pacific and the Walt Disney Company.
"Companies are pleased with the people they hire from our program and come back for more," Sohi said. "It's the highest compliment. They realize our students have the skills to succeed and are likely to stay longer in sales roles because they want to be in sales."
The Center for Sales Excellence has awarded more than 425 certificates and 120 advanced certificates since its founding in 2013, and Nebraska has been named a "Top University for Professional Sales Education" by the Sales Education Foundation each year since 2014.
For more information on the center, visit https://business.unl.edu/salescenter.