Professional Sales Program receives multiple honors

The Sales Education Foundation (SEF), a leading ranking group for sales programs across the world, has again included the Professional Sales Program in its “Top Universities for Professional Sales Education.” The list can be found in the 2021 edition of Sales Education Annual magazine.

The Professional Sales Program, which was established in 2011, is housed within the Marketing Department in the Pamplin College of Business. The program is comprised of both the Professional Sales Minor and the Professional Sales Concentration and is open to students in all majors.

Despite the economic downturn internationally due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Professional Sales Program currently boasts a job placement rate of 100 percent.

“The growth in the B2B sales world continues to fuel the need for professional selling students, even throughout the pandemic this last year,” explains Brian Collins, professor of practice with the Marketing Department and director of the Professional Sales Program. “Our average starting salary continues to climb and the demand for new salespeople far outweighs the supply.”

To be listed among SEF’s top sales universities, a sales program must: offer a minimum of three sales-specific courses; receive accreditation from an external source; and, have university recognition of the program. The Professional Sales Program possesses accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, Pi Sigma Epsilon, the Global Sales Science Institute, and is an associate member of the University Sales Center Alliance.

The Delta Epsilon chapter of Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE) also garnered recognition, as the chapter received multiple awards at the recent PSE virtual national convention.

The chapter was named a finalist for the Top Chapter Recruitment Program in recognition of the chapter’s extraordinary performance over the past year. At 144 active members, Delta Epsilon is Pi Sigma Epsilon’s second largest chapter.

Delta Epsilon also received the William H. Harris Top Silver Chapter, which recognizes the PSE chapter that excelled in all areas of chapter operations, including programming, membership development, recruitment, and chapter operations, while attaining the Silver Standing in the Chapter Operations Guide.

Several students from Delta Epsilon were also honored at the convention. They include:

• Alexa Berkey, who qualified for the final round in her first “Speakers Competition.”
• Jack Allen, a first-year member of Delta Epsilon, qualified for the final round in his first PSE National Competition.
• Madison Mitchell, whose outstanding performance in the “Pro-Am Sell-a-Thon” preliminary round qualified for the semifinal round of the event.
• John Wertz, who was named a 2021 PSE Future Leader. Wertz serves as the chapter’s vice president of human resources.
• Myles Williams, chapter president, was the recipient of the Mutual of Omaha Scholarship for $1,500. This past fall, he partnered with a local business, Righteous and Eagerly Determined, to feed over 30 families in the New River Valley.
   

“We’re very proud of the work our students have put in. Three years ago, this chapter was barely on the radar in the national discussion,” said Collins. “Through hard work and great student leadership, we are now a Top Silver Chapter and the future looks very bright.”

The Delta Epsilon chapter has been on Virginia Tech’s campus since 1986. As Virginia Tech’s only marketing and sales fraternity, the organization offers networking and professional development opportunities that help its members and alumni gain an inside track in the world of business.