OVERVIEW
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 Internship: The sales internship requirement combines practical sales experience and sales education through participation in a sales internship.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The Professional Sales major is a specialized admission program. To be certified to the major, a student must meet the requirements for specialized admission programs in the College of Business. Upon completing all requirements for this major, the student will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing with a major in Professional Sales.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Courses for the major are updated each academic year. Students must use the course requirements from the academic year they were certified into the College of Business. Typically, students are certified to the College of Business beginning their junior year, and the academic year runs fall through summer.
ACADEMIC MAPPING
Mapping is Florida State University’s academic advising and monitoring system that provides each student with a recommended eight semester map for completing their bachelor’s degree in four years. Summer semesters are not included in degree mapping, but the student may use summer terms to either get ahead or catch up in their degree program.
Students are not required to complete all the recommended classes on their map to remain on course; they simply must meet certain minimum requirements known as "milestones." Milestones include a minimum grade point average (GPA), completion of specific courses and minimum grades (typically “C-” or better, although there are some exceptions) in the milestone classes. Milestones are identified on each major map. All incoming freshmen are monitored for Semester 1 milestone criteria, regardless of the number of hours they previously accumulated through dual enrollment and/or credit by examination.
Students will be contacted if they are not making the appropriate progress. Students who do not satisfy the appropriate milestones at the end of any semester will be notified by the university. The first time a student is off course, a Hold will be placed on registration; and the student will be required to contact an adviser to have the registration Hold removed. The advisor will discuss: (1) what is necessary to get back on course; and/or (2) possible alternative majors. If the student is off course for two consecutive semesters, a Hold is placed on registration; and the student will be required to change their major to an area outside of business.
OPPORTUNITIES
Opportunities for students to learn outside the classroom are offered through our internship program and international programs and numerous networking and leadership opportunities are available through student organizations, such as the American Marketing Association, Sales Club and the International Business Association and several events held throughout the academic year. Generous scholarships help support students along the way. Additional information about careers and opportunities for professional sales students can be found on the FSU Sales Institute website.
To learn more about the major, contact Chuck Viosca, director of the FSU Sales Institute.
