One of the nation’s elite research universities, Florida State University preserves, expands, and disseminates knowledge in the sciences, technology, arts, humanities, and professions, while embracing a philosophy of learning strongly rooted in the traditions of the liberal arts and critical thinking.
Florida State University preserves, expands, and disseminates knowledge in the sciences, technology, arts, humanities, and professions while embracing a philosophy of learning strongly rooted in the traditions of the liberal arts.
The university is dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, creative endeavors, and service. The university strives to instill the strength, skill, and character essential for lifelong learning, personal responsibility, and sustained achievement within a community that fosters free inquiry and embraces diversity.
Florida State offers leading undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. Many units have programs that consistently rank among the nation’s top twenty-five public universities, including those in Physics, Chemistry, Statistics, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Meteorology, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Criminology, Information, Creative Writing, Public Policy, Business, and Law.
Housed in the Department of Marketing, the professional sales major is a specialized curriculum designed for students who desire to excel in a professional selling environment. The program focuses on developing students into future business leaders who understand consultative selling. This, in turn, provides employers with young professionals who have the necessary skills to enhance their sales force and add value to the company. Through coursework, role-playing and internships, professional sales majors are prepared for sales and sales management positions in all types of organizations and industries.
In addition to core marketing courses, the program has four components:
Professional Selling: Students are introduced to the basic selling strategies used by today’s firms: transaction-based strategies, problem-solving strategies, consultative strategies, and relationship selling. They are exposed to many varieties of selling and career opportunities as well.
Sales Management: Through the use of computer simulations, students apply knowledge of business-related decision-making in the areas of hiring, territory management, budget control, forecasting and motivation to successfully run a company.
Advanced Sales: This component builds upon the professional selling coursework and explores industry standard strategic selling processes. Students study a variety of customer relationship management strategies as well as the use of cloud-based CRM systems. Through multiple sales role-plays, students further hone their communications and selling skills.
Sales Practicum: The sales practicum requirement combines practical sales experience and sales education through participation on the student sales team or through a sales internship.
Admission Requirements for the Professional Sales Major
The Professional Sales major is a limited-access program. To be admitted to the major, a student must meet the admission requirements for limited-access programs in the College of Business. Upon completing all the requirements for this major, the student will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing with a major in Professional Sales.