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About Us
2009 National Champions of the March Madness of Sales Competitions, the National Collegiate Sales Competition
Our Mission
Established by the Ohio University Board of Trustees as an academic center in 1997, the Sales Centre develops and differentiates tomorrow’s sales stars by focusing on two core competencies: 1) innovative learning inside and outside the classroom and 2) fully engaging our students, our alumni and our advisory board members in the sales education process.
Our Sales Education Model
Ohio University students augment their chosen major with a sales certificate that has a specified sales focus. Not only do they have a pre-determined career choice to sell and are doing something about that career goal in college, they also have a pre-determined industry choice and are learning about that industry in college.
The Ralph and Luci Schey Sales Centre awards a sales certificate, recognized on the official university transcript, to students upon completion of a 28 credit hour, cross-disciplinary classroom experience. A 300-hour sales internship is included in all sales programs. All Ohio University undergraduate students are eligible for admission. Sales Certificate Candidates…we average 200+ in our programs… are admitted by a competitive selection process, with an overall acceptance rate of approximately 55 to 60%.
Our Sales Programs
The Ralph and Luci Schey Sales Centre at Ohio University embraces a strategy of meeting the market needs of the business community by offering specialty sales programs. Currently, we offer six Sales Certificates: Professional; Retail; Media; Financial Services; Sport Management and Technical. Other certificates are under consideration pending industry and financial support.
Our Curriculum
Whether it’s doing sales role plays in our resource center; learning how to SPIN in our introductory sales class; applying learnings by doing casework in sales management; taking assessment tests so Candidates can learn which sales jobs are best for them; working in a real sales environment to see if sales is a good fit; learning about the buying process, how to write a sales proposal, make a team sales presentation, negotiate, teach and farm in our advanced selling class that comes directly from a sales training company or learning what it takes to be a professional salesperson today, we focus on real world, sales readiness skills that enable our Candidates to hit the ground running and ramp up faster in their first sales jobs.
Our Sales Certificate Candidates
Students accepted into our sales programs, we call them the Real Product of the Centre, are actively engaged in their own learning outside the classroom and help run the Centre as a business. They take great pride in their ownership and participate in shared governance of the Centre. Their Candidate Advisory Council, first established in 2004, is the student voice at the Centre.
Our Professional Education Events
Learning outside the classroom plays a crucial role in the development of our Sales Certificate Candidates. We believe such experiences provide “a fair-unfair advantage” and make our learning model unique. Sales Certificate Candidates participate in events such as our Annual Sales Conference for Young Salespeople, Alumni Sales Experience Day provided by The Sales Centre Alumni Society, Transitions Day, Personal Development Day and Annual Sales Symposium for Sales Practitioners. They also benefit greatly by networking activities and classroom engagement with our Professional Sales Advisory Board Members.
Our Professional Sales Advisory Board
Our advisory board, formed at the inception of The Sales Centre idea in 1995, provides advice and counsel in all matters of Sales Centre operations, including curriculum. Its members offer valuable networking, interactive learning and mentoring opportunities…like our Coach & Candidate program…to our Sales Certificate Candidates.
Our Sales Centre Alumni Society
Our Alumni Society, founded in August 2005, provides a relevant, valuable link for our current Sales Certificate Candidates to Centre alumni selling in the real world. It also provides a professional networking vehicle for Centre alumni to stay connected with each other and the Centre once they graduate.
Our Value for the Business Community
In addition to our undergraduate sales education, The Ralph and Luci Schey Sales Centre at Ohio University creates value for the business community by hosting its annual sales symposium that features nationally known speakers addressing relevant topics in sales and leadership; by offering sales and sales leadership training for sales practitioners and by conducting world class sales research. Current research is focused on sales management effectiveness, team selling and buyer-seller relationships.
Our Business Model
We run the Centre like it’s a business. We have to. We’re self funded. To learn how you can personally help by contributing, please vist the Sponsors and Friends sections of this web site. To learn how your company can support sales education at Ohio University and at the same time support its own organizational need for sales talent, please contact:
Ken Hartung, Executive Director: 740-593-9328 & hartung@ohio.edu or
Ann Brieck, Partner Relationship Manager: 740-593-2288 & brieck@ohio.edu
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