Sales Concentration​

​The Sales Concentration provides an opportunity for RBS students (all majors except Marketing) to obtain the essential knowledge and skills required to begin professional careers in sales. Sales representatives provide value for their business customers by satisfying needs and solving customer problems. In order to accomplish this, sales representatives develop strong relationships with their customers that are built on trust, cooperation, commitment and information. These representatives may sell consumer goods and services, industrial products, business goods and services, and health care products and services.

According to Business News Daily, sales is ranked 4th out of the 19 hottest jobs for 2016. Furthermore, according to a recent Career Builder survey of sales hiring managers, nearly half of them say that bringing in good sales employees is critical to their businesses. Finally, according to a recent Sales Education Foundation survey, 90 percent of sales graduates secured a job by graduation.

Goals of the Concentration

• To acquire an understanding of the theories, concepts and practices that are relevant to the field of sales.
• To apply this understanding and knowledge of sales in a business setting.

Advantages

A sales career path leads to a wide variety of positions. Here is a sample of some entry-level corporation positions:

• Consumer Goods Sales Representative:
  • Works for companies such as PepsiCo, Google, Mars and Johnson and Johnson.
  • Sells household goods, food, clothes, electronics, and specialty items to wholesale and retail customers like Target, Whole Foods, Best Buy, etc.
• Industrial Products Sales Representative:
  • Works for such companies as 3M, Dow Chemical and Alcoa.
  • Sells industrial products such as adhesives, steel, engines, chemicals, aluminum and oil to other manufacturers and wholesalers, such as Toyota, Whirlpool, etc.
• Business Products Sales Representative:
  • Works for such companies as Xerox, IBM, and Hewlett Packard.
  • Sells products such as copying equipment, computers, paper products, office supplies, etc. to all other businesses.
• Service Sales Representative:
  • Works for such companies as ADP, AT&T, and American Express.
  • Sells services such as telecommunications, financial services, and CRM systems to other business and institutions such as universities and governments.
• Health Care Products Sales Representative:
  • Works for such companies as Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Pfizer.
  • Sells pharmaceutical products or services to medical practices, medical centers and rehabilitation centers.

The Concentration's Structure

Required (6 credits)

Electives (3 credits)