Center for Sales Innovation Introduces CRM Sales Course with 3M’s Support

St. Paul, Minn…The Center for Sales Innovation at the College of St. Catherine will launch its ninth sales course this fall for its business-to-business and healthcare sales majors, the only four-year sales degree programs available in Minnesota, with the support of 3M.

The new course, “Customer Intelligence and Effective Communication,” teaches students how to gather customer data, analyze buying patterns and present solid recommendations to customers for increasing sales and productivity while decreasing costs.

The Center for Sales Innovation’s flagship sponsor, 3M, is supporting this new sales course through funding, guest lectures, case study discussions, and role-play exercises.

Salesforce.com, a leading provider of customer-relationship management (CRM) software, is providing licenses for each student’s software usage during the course. They will learn how to use this new technology to build knowledge about customers and make recommendations based on data and trends.

“The course is geared to today’s data-driven, decision-making approach that is critical to our corporate partners’ sales force requirements,” according to Lynn Schleeter, director for the Center for Sales Innovation. “Building long-term customer relationships requires the ability to manage and discuss customer information to cultivate win-win partnerships.”

In addition to 3M, the Center for Sales Innovation’s partners are Ameriprise Financial (formerly American Express Financial Services), Pfizer, Ecolab, ING, Mead Johnson Nutritionals, Tennant Co., and Wells Fargo.

The Center for Sales Innovation at the College of St. Catherine is a national leader in sales education, offering one of the few four-year sales degree programs in the country. In addition to nine available sales courses, students receive a broad business background in accounting, finance, marketing, communication skills, leadership, strategy, and business ethics. The curriculum, combined with internships, mentoring and job shadowing experiences, gives students real-world exposure, plus a strong conceptual framework for successful practices in business-to-business and healthcare sales.

The College of St. Catherine is the nation’s largest undergraduate college for women. Educating women to lead and influence, the College offers a learning experience that promotes personal growth, critical thinking and leadership development. Based in the liberal arts, St. Kate’s offers associate through doctoral degrees and is highly regarded for its diverse healthcare and professional programs. Committed to meeting the educational needs of women of all ages, St. Catherine’s offers many of its programs in both traditional and weekend formats. With two beautiful campuses in a dynamic urban setting, St. Catherine’s environment is socially engaging and intellectually empowering. Total enrollment is 5,246.