Engage with the Center
There are many ways to engage with the Center for Professional Sales, but they all have one common thread: the direct connection with students and the chance to draw on your career experience to add dimension to their classroom learning. From guest speaking to attending networking events to playing the role of buyer or judge in a sales competition, you can find a way to engage that fits your schedule and leverages your expertise.
Start bringing student career dreams into focus by contacting Richard Tate.
Get in front of students while contributing a valuable component to their education. You can share your career journey, business success and industry insights with them in undergraduate classrooms or at a marketing student organization meeting.
Leverage your JMU passion and professional networks by becoming a mentor. Join the private JMU College of Business Career Mentor Network on LinkedIn to connect with other JMU alumni and students. Provide invaluable career advice and guidance from the business world to those seeking to develop their networking skills, explore their career options and develop their knowledge of industry news and trends.
Reach out to JMU's University Career Center office for your personnel recruitment needs. Gain career-ready students who assimilate more quickly than their peers, exceed the average tenure and work well in teams. Meet short-term employment needs with highly skilled interns from a specific degree field or academic interest.
Collaborate with our Center for Professional Sales faculty to stay ahead of the curve in today's dynamic sales landscape. Our expert faculty conduct advanced research in professional selling, sales technology, and leadership, delivering customized, data-driven insights that directly enhance your organization's sales performance.
Learn more about how our tailored, research-backed strategies can help you overcome sales challenges and achieve excellence in your organization
Invest in the Center
A donation to the CPS is an investment in the truest sense, one where your funds open doors. The Professional Sales Corporate Partnership Program provides companies with the opportunity to engage directly with our students and participate in their educational development.
We are seeking corporate partners who are eager to develop strong, lasting relationships with some of the best sales students in the country.
Our three donation-based tier levels offer engagement opportunities that match your desire to be involved:
- Opportunity to name one of the Center for Professional Sales Competitions and Networking Dinners during the academic year, be the primary partner for that competition using your company’s product or service scenario, and provide at least two buyers out of the four needed. Company representatives will announce the competition winners during the networking dinner. Sales competitions occur once per semester. This benefit rotates among interested Gold Partners.
- Opportunity to have four corporate representatives participate in the Center for Professional Sales Competitions and Networking Dinners and act as judges, buyers (2), or observes.
- Opportunity once each semester to be the primary partner using your company’s product or service in a classroom role play and play the role of buyers (2). Classroom role plays are usually preceded by a classroom information session and presentation that introduces your company and prepares students for success in the role play.
- Opportunity to present once per semester to a professional selling Topics must include current sales issues that provide educational benefit and may not just be a recruiting pitch.
- Opportunity to present once per semester to student business organization such as Pi Sigma Epsilon, Madison Marketing Association, or Professional Sales Club.
- Opportunity for role playing the corporate buyer role during other partners’ classroom role
- Opportunity to attend a Center for Professional Sales off-campus networking event. These typically occur each semester.
- Access (with student permission) to competition role play videos from the Center for Professional Sales
- Access to sales student resume These are updated each semester and will be provided via .pdf format.
- Opportunity to place a framed corporate poster (2’x3’) inside the Center for Professional Sales offices and training rooms.
- Annual recognition on the Center for Professional Sales web
- Center for Professional Sales assistance in posting and distributing your job opportunities to sales students.
- Opportunity to have two corporate representatives participate in the Center for Professional Sales Competition and Networking Dinner and act as judges or observers. Sales Competitions and Networking Dinners occur once each semester.
- Opportunity once per academic year to be the primary partner using your company’s product or service in a classroom role play and play the role of buyers (2). Classroom role plays are usually preceded by a classroom information session and presentation that introduces your company and prepares students for success in the role play.
- Opportunity to present once per semester to a professional selling class. Topics must include current sales issues that pro- vide educational benefit and may not just be a recruiting presentation.
- Opportunity to present once per semester to student business organization such as Pi Sigma Epsilon, Madison Marketing Association, or Professional Sales Club.
- Opportunity for role playing the corporate buyer role during other partners’ classroom role plays.
- Opportunity to attend a Center for Professional Sales off-campus networking event. These typically occur each semester.
- Access to sales student resume books. These are updated each semester and will be provided via .pdf format.
- Opportunity to place a framed corporate poster (2’x3’) inside the Center for Professional Sales offices and training rooms.
- Annual recognition on the Center for Professional Sales web page.
- Center for Professional Sales assistance in posting and distributing your job opportunities to sales students.
- Opportunity to have one corporate representative participate in the Center for Professional Sales Competition and Networking Dinner and act as a judge or observer. Sales Competitions and Networking Dinners occur once each semester
- Opportunity to make one presentation a year to JMU student business organizations such as the Professional Sales Club, Madison Marketing Association or Pi Sigma Epsilon
- Opportunity for role playing the corporate buyer role during other partners’ classroom role plays.
- Opportunity to attend a Center for Professional Sales off-campus networking event. These typically occur each semester.
- Access to sales student resume books. These are updated each semester and will be provided via .pdf format.
- Annual recognition on the Center for Professional Sales web page.
- Center for Professional Sales assistance in posting and distributing your job opportunities to sales students.
Platinum
TEK Systems
Gold
ALKU
Cvent
Dexian
Gartner
memoryBlue
Ricoh
Take2
Tom James
Silver
Benco Dental
CoStar Group, Inc.
Henry Schein Inc.
KPMG
The Health Management Academy
Vertosoft
Inquire about how to become a sponsor by contacting Richard Tate.
Opportunities for all through the JMU Career Center
- Opportunities to conduct practice job interviews with students.
- Register for an information session or an information table can be set up at various high-traffic locations across campus.
- Post company logo or information on digital bulletin boards.
- Register and organize semester University-wide Career Fair participation.
Invest in your Employees
The CPS can also help you invest in your current employees and develop their skill sets.
Boost your team’s sales skills and refine their understanding of client relationships with regard to establishing trust and demonstrating product features by having the CPS as a training partner.
Drawing on over 50 years of combined marketing industry experience and three decades of academic research experience, the center is a unique sales resource-rich tool ready to develop continuing education and certificate programs that address the specific needs and goals of your sales team.
Whether you need to enhance communications skills or want to gain real working knowledge of new digital technologies and approaches, the CPS can help your teams reach their potential and exceed their goals.
Be an advocate for JMU while helping your employees--or yourself--develop potential and deliver refined skills to your company’s efforts by supporting their graduate studies in programs like the JMU MBA Programs. Reach out to mba@jmu.edu for more information.