Purdue offering new online Professional Selling Certificate and Virtual Selling Microcourse

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University is offering two new online programs in professional selling: a Professional Selling Certificate and a Virtual Selling Microcourse. Both programs are designed for sales professionals who want to develop more expertise in the sales cycle and get hands-on experience learning from industry experts.

The Professional Selling Certificate program is an online version of Purdue’s popular Relationship Selling courses. Relationship Selling teaches salespeople how to take a relationship-oriented approach to sales, which helps businesses retain customers, build loyalty and increase word-of-mouth referrals – a vital source of new business.

“Sales is an essential component of every economic unit,” said Anita Dale, managing director of the Center for Professional Selling at Purdue. “Until something is sold, the business has no revenue from which to pay all the other essential expenses of its operation – understanding the sales cycle can increase revenue and expand business opportunities.”

To earn the full Professional Selling certificate, learners must complete two fully online courses. The first course is an entry-level, self-paced introduction to the sales cycle, covering topics such as building rapport, making ethical sales and handling negotiations. The second is an advanced course for learners who have completed the entry-level course or have an educational background in sales, and it gives them the opportunity to perfect their skills by working with other experienced sales professionals.

“While sales is a skill that can be continuously refreshed and upgraded, deeply understanding the fundamentals of the sales process can improve your sales call irrespective of time in a role,” Dale said. “These courses cover both fundamental and more advanced skills and are useful to new sales professionals and more seasoned sales professionals.”

Skills learned from the professional selling courses are relevant to every area of sales – from real estate to insurance and retail. The online course delivery gives learners the opportunity to study from anywhere and fit coursework into their schedules.

“Whether you are looking to make a career move or simply upgrade your skills to become a stronger contributor, being able to work at your own pace and on your own schedule is a key benefit of this certificate program,” Dale said.

Both online professional selling courses are taught by faculty in Purdue’s Selling and Sales Management Program, which has been listed as a top-ranked program in Sales Education by the Sales Education Foundation for the past four years. Learners can elect to take both courses and earn the full certificate, or they can enroll in a single course.

The Virtual Selling Microcourse is another new online offering from Purdue’s Center for Professional Selling that gives sales professionals the opportunity to increase their expertise in virtual sales.

“The cool thing about sales is that there are always new tools and ideas we can add to the tool kit,” said Scott Downey, coordinator of Purdue’s Sales and Marketing degree program. “Virtual selling is one of those tools. While nearly all of us use the tool, we’re still figuring out fun new ways of using it.”

The online microcourse is a convenient upskilling opportunity for sales professionals, sales managers, business developers and people who work in sales leadership. Learners will consider how best to incorporate virtual selling into their sales approach through a series of self-paced, instructor-led training videos.

“Thinking strategically about the when, where, and how to incorporate virtual into the sales process is something every seller needs to do in order to accelerate relationship building with customers and prospects,” Downey said.

The microcourse is also ideal for professionals who want to build new virtual selling skills in less time than a traditional college course. The instructor-led training videos take just 6 hours and 45 minutes to complete, giving students the opportunity to add a new credential to their resumes quickly.

Learners who finish the microcourse will be awarded a digital badge that they can add to their social media pages and LinkedIn profiles to highlight their new skills to prospective employers. Additionally, the microcourse can be used as a prerequisite for the advanced course in the online Professional Selling Certificate.

“There is a lot of training available for salespeople today,” Downey said. “The virtual selling course and certificate add a credential that differentiates learners from other salespeople. Maybe most importantly, though, those who participate in these offerings can differentiate themselves with their customers and prospects by applying some of the most current approaches to these topics.”

Learn more about Purdue’s online Professional Selling Certificate and the Virtual Selling Microcourse at the programs’ webpages.

Writer: Rachel Barton, 240-818-1189, barton53@purdue.edu

Sources: Anita Dale, dale11@purdue.edu

Scott Downey, downeyws@purdue.edu