Professional Selling Specialization and Sales Lab launched

Students learn in the Northwestern Mutual Sales Lab in the Herberger Business School. Photo by Adam Hammer ’05

The Herberger Business School at St. Cloud State recently established two new initiatives geared toward students who are looking to develop skills for careers in the sales and sales management professions.

The Northwestern Mutual Sales Lab provides a state-of-the-art learning environment where St. Cloud State students receive hands on experience to prepare them for a real-world business setting. The lab offers facilities with digital recording capabilities, presentation critiques and real-time instructor/student feedback. Northwestern Mutual has offices in St. Cloud, Minneapolis, Edina, Eden Prairie, Woodbury and Duluth.

“We (Northwestern Mutual) couldn’t be more excited about our partnership with St. Cloud State University and the Herberger Business School,” said Joshua Longnecker, managing director for Northwestern Mutual. “We hope to accelerate students’ learning through the use of the Northwestern Mutual Sales Lab. This first-class learning space will give students a glimpse of real-world business experiences allowing them to prepare for future success.”

The lab consists of the simulation room that offers a professional office setting complete with digital high-definition cameras, Internet capability and two-way real-time connectivity. The control room allows for connectivity with both the classroom and the simulation room, immediate recording of presentations, and feedback and Cloud capability. The classroom adjacent to the lab has Cloud capability for remote presentations as well as opportunities for feedback and student interaction.

“Having these classrooms linked together allows us to teach hands-on professional sales classes,” said Denny Bristow, director of the Sales Lab. “Students will spend one semester in teams, choosing a product and building their professional sales presentation. They will give their presentation in the Sales Lab, and have it recorded digitally, and we can then have a link to their presentation available to them within minutes so they can break down their presentations, as well as allow those in the classroom provide their feedback.”

The Herberger Business School’s new Professional Selling Specialization was developed to help meet the needs of the ever-growing professional selling and sales management fields, as well as to strengthen their competitive advantage as they pursue careers in sales, particularly in the business-to-business sales world. This specialization will provide students with the essential communications, leadership, professional selling and sales management skills to succeed in the sales world.

This concentration is a 5-course, 15-credit hour program where courses are taught by Herberger Business School faculty, as well as having participation from area business professionals. Courses include traditional classroom sessions led by faculty and guest lecturers, combined with experiential learning opportunities through role-play, digital recording and feedback on sales presentations in the Northwestern Mutual Sales Lab.

“The Professional Selling Specialization gives SCSU students a competitive advantage from an employer’s perspective – knowledge, education, and experience – that is unmatched in the collegiate world today,” Longnecker said.

Bristow added, “We are excited that several Central Minnesota businesspeople are already very enthusiastic about coming to our classes to speak, lecture, and to provide feedback on presentations that take place in the Sales Lab.

“We also will be conducting a Northwestern Mutual Sales Competition where we bring in the top 16 students each semester for two days to make their presentations and be judged by local businesspeople. We will then recognize the top three students at a formal recognition dinner at the end of the competition. Our hope is to see this grow into a regional competition over time.”