MU| F e a t u r e s
T
he image of a salesperson can
be a stereotype, sometimes
an unflattering one. But
an academic program at
Manchester University is
helping to dispel those myths and prepare
students for dynamic careers in a high-
demand job market.
No other small, private university in Indiana
offered professional sales when Manchester
launched its program in the fall of 2014.
Startup funding was part of MU’s $1 million
Lilly Endowment Inc. grant designed
to help more Indiana college graduates
find meaningful employment in the state.
Since then, MU has worked to sell the
program’s many opportunities to current and
prospective students, and interest has grown
each year.
“When the program was first introduced
students were not educated about the
benefits of the major,” says Joe Messer,
the Mark E. Johnston associate professor
of entrepreneurship and director of the
professional sales program. But Messer can
explain the benefits well. A former president
of horticultural and orthopedic companies,
he brings more than 20 years of professional
sales experience to the classroom. Colleague
Wendy Hoffman, an associate professor,
spent 13 years in telecommunications sales
before coming to Manchester.
The possibilities for sales careers are
almost endless, says Messer. All kinds of
Indiana businesses such as orthopedics,
pharmaceuticals, forestry and steel, depend
on an effective sales force to prosper. MU’s
program prepares graduates not only for
productive careers in existing industries but
also for jobs that will emerge in the future.
And professional sales skills aren’t just
for professional sales jobs, adds Messer.
Manchester’s distinctive liberal arts approach
to sales means students learn skills in
listening, persuasion, public speaking, and
critical thinking – strong assets in almost any
profession. “If students are not interested in
majoring in professional sales,” says Messer,
“a minor (in professional sales) would go well
with any major.”
MU’s program also includes valuable hands-
on experience. Yearly sales projects with
professional basketball teams the Fort Wayne
Mad Ants and Indiana Pacers allow “students
to get professional experience while they
are still in the classroom learning about the
discipline of sales,” says Messer.
A professional sales career can include
business-to-business and business-to-
consumer transactions and represents one
of the more lucrative fields in the job market
today. Ultimately, says Messer, “professional
sales is all about solving problems.” And
professional sales people exert a lot of control
over their own destiny, he adds. Effort and
perseverance largely determine how successful
professional salespeople are in the field.
Since Manchester awarded its first bachelor’s
degree in professional sales in 2016, graduates
and students in the program have found
success. “I enjoy the professional sales
program because it is hands-on and students
have the freedom to create projects,” says
Kenny Doss (pictured at left with Messer), a
senior professional sales major from Chicago.
Doss, who played basketball at Manchester,
is already vice president of Bridging the Gap
Globally, a nonprofit organization in his
hometown that uses basketball to empower
at-risk youth to grow into successful adults.
He plans a career in business-to-business
sales after he graduates and says Manchester’s
program “will prepare you to be a well-
rounded business professional.”
Megan Stouder ’17 can attest to that
preparation. “I never wanted to go into sales
but I knew I wanted to work in professional
athletics,” says Stouder from the office of
her dream job as an account executive in
the Business Development Department of
the Arizona Diamondbacks, a Major League
Baseball team.
A sport management major at MU, Stouder
was a sales intern for the Pacers when she
was a student at Manchester. “During my
junior year I realized that I needed to know
the principles of professional selling,” says
Stouder. She opted for a professional sales
minor and the courses with Messer and
Hoffman helped. “The soft skills that I
learned at Manchester helped me be ready
for the job from Day One. Experience
with cold calling, strong communication
and interpersonal skills, as well as a passion
for sales will make a student attractive to
employers.”
That career preparation at Manchester
helped Stouder get her first job with
the Diamondbacks as an inside sales
representative responsible for cold-calling
prospective clients to gauge their interest in
buying game tickets.
Stouder says working for a Major League
Baseball team is exciting and presents new
challenges every day. She also knows that sales
positions for professional sports teams are
coveted. Stouder was one of more than 400
people who applied for three inside sales jobs
with the Diamondbacks. She got one of those
positions because her Manchester experience
helped set her apart from the crowd.
Professional sales is one of the academic
programs in MU’s College of Business, which
will occupy the second floor of the Lockie
and Augustus Chinworth Center when that
building is completed in 2019. “The new
building and a professional sales simulation
room will create more opportunities for
experiential learning,” says Messer.
By Andrew Fox, MU student
VIDEO
See the video at magazine.manchester.edu
Manchester | 19