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The College of Business\u2019 Global Sales Program<\/a>, designed to prepare students for careers in professional selling and elevate the sales profession, has expanded its footprint, drawing new sponsors and connecting students with more potential employers.<\/p>\n The program\u2019s new tagline: Learning, Networking and Connecting.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have done an incredible job of connecting people to each other \u2013 students, faculty, sales alumni and sponsors — and building relationships,\u201d said Nancy Rauseo<\/a>, senior lecturer and coordinator for Global Sales Programs in the Department of Marketing<\/a>. \u201cOverall, we\u2019re starting to be known in the global arena.\u201d<\/p>\n To showcase the program and its many dimensions, on August 29, the Global Sales Program will host a \u201cmeet & greet\u201d networking event connecting students with program sponsors. The increasingly competitive Panther Sales Tournament, now in its third year, will be held September 28-30.<\/p>\n The new semester marks the debut of the Sales Speak Lecture Series<\/a>, featuring presentations on various sales-related topics. Global Sales Program sponsors will facilitate the series, hosting question\/answer sessions at each event. Topics will focus on areas where students\u2019 skills require attention and improvement, and were determined by feedback of faculty and sponsors. Among them:<\/p>\n FIU\u2019s Panther Sales Tournament<\/a> is one of the only U.S. programs to include a Spanish-language track, where the selling and buying is conducted in-language and Hispanic executives judge the students. In early 2016, the Global Sales Program hosted the first-ever Global Bilingual Sales Competition<\/a>, inviting students from national and international universities. The next Bilingual Sales competition will be held in March 2017.<\/p>\n Word of the FIU program\u2019s strength spreads.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThis year we\u2019ve had companies come to us to become sponsors or partners,\u201d said Rauseo. \u201cCompanies indicate that we have a strong student body in sales although some areas need to improve. They\u2019re impressed with the quality of our students and their ability to adapt to unfamiliar situations.\u201d<\/p>\n Some of the sponsors for the program\u2019s 2016-2017 academic year are Celebrity Cruises, DHL Express, Comcast Spotlight, AT&T, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, C.H. Robinson, Northwestern Mutual, Axxis Solutions and City Furniture.<\/p>\n The upcoming Panther Sales Tournament has attracted Procter & Gamble, Paycom,\u00a0 NetApp, and SunTrust as sponsors. At last year\u2019s tournament, 65 students competed and 25 companies were represented. Rauseo has already seen increased interest from both students and sponsors, and expects numbers to rise.<\/p>\n In the competition, students use role-playing techniques to sell a product to a corporate executive. Sponsor representatives participate as the buyers in the role-plays, as well as the competition\u2019s judges.<\/p>\n In addition to the Panther Sales Tournament, the Global Sales Program, which focuses on sales leadership development, professional networking and competitive training, includes a Professional Sales minor, a certificate program, and a Sales Team that competes at national events.<\/p>\n \u201cStudents today are facing new challenges because sponsors have some aggressive goals in terms of hiring,\u201d Rauseo said. \u201cWe\u2019re doing the best we can to encourage students and connect them with sponsors. If they\u2019re not graduating with a job, it\u2019s their fault.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
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