The personal selling class (Marketing 310) ended the semester on a high note as students hosted a group of professional sales mentors in a networking mixer on May 12. Eleven mentors took time out of their day to join the class during their final exam period.
Throughout the semester, each of the 34 students in the class communicated with sales professionals from Central Kentucky and beyond to discover more about careers in sales and what the world of professional selling looks like. In addition, each student completed a shadowing day, where they participated in a salesperson’s day to experience the process of sales in the business-to-business environment.
A couple of the sales mentors also visited the class as guest speakers during the semester. “When I was in school, all we did was study on paper and take tests. This kind of real world experience is really important for students,” said Jane Davis of United Technologies, who served as a mentor for student Olivia Hornback.
Several students have been hired for sales positions, obtained interviews and received other job leads as a result of the mentor program since its inception two years ago under the direction of Dr. Karen Hood, assistant professor of marketing.
