WMU sales program nationally recognized for excellence

KALAMAZOO—The Western Michigan University sales and business marketing program has once again been identified by the Sales Education Foundation as a top sales program among universities.

This is the ninth consecutive year that WMU's sales program has been recognized by the foundation for preparing students for careers in professional selling and helping elevate the sales profession. With 280 students and more than 1,500 alumni, the program is one of the largest in the country.

Consistent with the average reported by the Sales Education Foundation, more than 90 percent of WMU sales and business marketing graduates find full-time careers in their field within six months of graduation. The WMU sales program is regularly lauded for its achievements in a number of areas.

Program highlights

• Student competition successes—Teams from WMU have placed in the top 10 at national sales competitions more than 17 times, and recently placed third at the 2015 National Collegiate Sales Competition with one student finishing second overall.
• Harold Zeigler Interactive Sales Lab—The program includes role-plays in the state-of-the-art Harold Zeigler Interactive Sales Lab.
• Sales and Business Marketing Association—The association is one of the largest and most active student organizations in the college with more than 125 members. The SBMA engages with industry by hosting an employer at each weekly meeting.
• Study abroad—Sales students are one of the largest groups at WMU to study abroad, gaining a global perspective on business.
• National recognition—The program is listed as No. 1 on the list of Top U.S. Sales Schools by study.com.

"We are very proud of the continued recognition of our sales and business marketing program being named one of the best in the country according to the Sales Education Foundation," says Dr. Steve Newell, professor of marketing and a member of the sales faculty. "Our excellent reputation is achieved through our most rigorous curriculum, excellent facilities, top faculty, and some of the best and highly motivated students in the country. We will continue to work hard to maintain our status as the best sales and marketing program in the country."

For more information about the major, visit wmich.edu/marketing/academics/sbm or contact Newell at @email or (269) 387-6166.

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