No matter your job or career path, sales skills are vital communication tools. The professional sales minor will prepare you to dominate in consultative, solution and transactional selling.
You’ll be sold on the uniqueness of Susquehanna’s professional sales program. While other universities offer sales programs, Susquehanna’s is flexible and broad in that it combines communication studies and business competencies and it easily can be paired with any major. Faculty in management, marketing and communications departments teamed up to make our interdisciplinary minor truly one of a kind.
At Susquehanna, you will study the key principles of sales from instructors with decades of sales experience, practice your newly acquired skills in the classroom and have opportunities to flex your business muscles in real-world situations.
Inside Professional Sales
Learn from pros
The professional sales minor will teach you how to navigate the entire sales cycle, from prospecting clients to closing the deal, including relationship-building, negotiation and problem-solving. You’ll boost your natural sales voice and accentuate your major with this engaging interdisciplinary minor. You’ll develop effective communication, networking and sales management skills in the classroom, as well as learn the critical business and communication skills to be a dynamic salesperson.
Added to our degree options, the minor will help prepare you to work in financial and securities sales, medical and pharmaceutical sales (excellent if combined with a biology or chemistry degree), or consumer and business-to-business sales. It is also good preparation if you intend to be an entrepreneur or an independent business owner.
Start selling today
High-performing students will train with professors to compete in national sales competitions that feature Fortune 1000 executives. You will have the opportunity to hone your presentation skills and win over potential corporate sponsors role-playing as buyers.
Take advantage of Susquehanna’s renowned study-abroad program and learn what professional sales looks like in Australia, England, Germany, Japan or another inspiring country. Your experience abroad will bolster your Susquehanna education and enrich your mind and soul, preparing you to be a dynamic leader in tomorrow’s world.
When you enroll at Susquehanna, you’ll be paired with an advisor and application tool to guide you in your course planning and scheduling. The following is an excerpt from the complete course catalog. Enrolled students follow the requirements of the course catalog for the academic year in which they declare each major and/or minor, consult with their advisor(s) and the Academic Planning Tool.
Minor in Professional Sales
The Professional Sales minor provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the sales function in an organization, and prepares them for a career in sales through a mix of business and communication classes. The sales function is vitally important as it is the only revenue generating function in an organization. Upon meeting the requirements of the sales minor, the student will understand the selling process, customer relationship management (CRM), creating and executing successful presentations and sales strategies, and managing the sales function.
The minor in Professional Sales requires a total of 16 credit hours: 12 credit hours of required courses and 4 credit hours of elective classes. To complete the minor, students must have a GPA of at least 2.00 and no grade below C- in courses outlined below:
Required:
4 COMM-215 Professional Selling
4 COMM-315 Advanced Professional Selling
4 MGMT-438 Sales Management
A minimum of 4 semester hours from the following:
4 ECON-105, ECON-201 or ECON-202
4 COMM-211 Intro to Advertising and Public Relations
4 MKTG-280 Principles of Marketing
2 MGMT-466 Negotiations
2-4 COMM-504 or MGMT-503 Internship
Double-counting restriction
No credits from this minor can double count towards a student’s major. If a student completes one of the aforementioned classes from this program as part of their major, they should choose from the alternative electives provided. Note: SWSB students cannot take ECON-105 Elements of Economics.
If you are naturally driven or competitive, a performance-based career in selling will be rewarding. Effective sales professionals are well compensated through competitive salaries, commissions, bonuses and profit sharing.
You can utilize a minor in professional sales in just about any career field. Specifically, a professional sales education will develop your skills in these jobs:
Sales Manager
Sales Engineer
Advertising and Media Sales Agent
Financial, Commodities and Securities Services Sales Agent
