Illinois State’s Professional Sales Institute listed as top sales school

Illinois State University was one of 110 national universities as well as 15 international universities listed this year as a Top Sales University by the Sales Education Foundation. This is the 10th year the Sales Education Foundation has recognized Illinois State’s Professional Sales Institute.

“Illinois State offers a sales program that is light-years ahead of other programs,” said Professional Sales Institute Director Mike Boehm, who added the Sales Education Foundation surveys universities across the globe about sales education.

This is the 10th year the Sales Education Foundation has recognized Illinois State’s Professional Sales Institute.

With a mission of encouraging sales education, the foundation evaluates whether a program will: 1) Offer a minimum of three sales-specific courses; 2) Receive accreditation from an external source; 3) Have university recognition of the program.

Boehm noted Illinois State not only exceeds these requirements, but also fulfills the majority of categories included in this year’s Sales Education Foundation’s magazine titled, ANNUAL. Among these categories, Illinois State’s sales program offers an online course, seven sales-specific courses to the required three, five faculty members, and a sales lab.

The multiple sales internships offered to each sales student (sales students often complete more than one internship)—as well as the 2.8 job offers averaged among them—depict the Professional Sales Institute’s successes for students. Boehm became most enthused when discussing individual successes of the sales students. “Illinois State’s sales students have been coached and taught the right way to swing the bat. Within the first two years, students are entering corporations’ President’s Clubs,” he said. “When you teach someone something, it can be hard for him or her to reinforce what he or she is learning. But the sales students take what they learn here and put it into practice.”

According to Boehm, the University’s sales students habitually receive three pre-graduation job offers. Boehm added that out of the 50-60 sales students per year, an average of 10 students have accepted positions over the summer leading into their senior year. It is no wonder that a 98 percent job placement for Illinois State’s sales students was reported to the Sales Education Foundation, that corporations are expecting success from the sales students, and that those same students are found to be working hard and expecting successes of their own.