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Western Reserve Universitv's New ~echnicalSales Curricula' HAROLD SIMMONS BOOTH Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
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OT so long ago the chief equipment of a successful salesman of technical products was a good collection of snappy stories, a generous entertainment fund, and a glib tongue. Knowledge of his product, beyond price per unit and delivery time, were even thought by some sales managers to be a handicap. The salesman might waste time explaining his product, or else get the plant into trouble through misunderstanding. However, with the increased scientific complexity of industrial products today, it is essential that the salesman has an adequate scientific knowledge. He should understand the product and its use, and be able to translate his knowledge into the language of the layman. A number of years ago, the writer persuaded a Cleveland chemical manufacturer to use graduate chemists as the raw material for training chemical salesmen. These men were first sent to the various plants as workers to develop in them a sympathetic appreciation of production problems so that later, as salesmen, they would know better than to make imp
1 Presented before the Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society. 107th meeting, Cleveland. Ohio, April 3. 1944.
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possible promises of deliveries. Eventually they were put into main office sales groups. The idea proved to be sound in the main, and a number of these men are now in charge of branch sales offices. There was, however, one fault with this plan. While these men had the technical and practical plant training they knew little about selling, business methods, and policies, and had to be taught these by their associates in the sales office. This was a slow, inefficient, and unsystematic process. It occurred to the writer that i t should be possible to arrange a course of study leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in which the major studies would be in science, with a minor in sales and business. With the help of a committee, representing the various sciences, psychology, and business administration, and further aided by a skilled registrar, technical sales curricula have now been developed in five fields, in Cleveland College of Western Reserve University. As part of the program, all students, before admission to the new course of study, must pass placement tests to be certain they have the necessary qualifications to succeed in this new field. Personal handicaps undoubtedly militate against ultimate success
more in technical sales than in any other scientific field. It is obviously unfair and wasteful to train an individual in a field as personally exacting as this unless he is likely to succeed. It was agreed that the student should have strong, basic training in both oral and written English, and in psychology, including its applications to selling and advertising. Since candidates for these curricnla would undoubtedly come from all sorts of social backgrounds, a course in the "technique of successful social and husiness usage" was also required. The biggest problem was to cut down the required courses in the field of both science and business to a workable number. There were many courses available that could with profit have been added to the final curricnla. But the requirements of a Bachelor of Science degree and time for electives likewise demanded consideration. The way to further training was left open through the attainment of a degree of Master of Business Administration. The courses in the program were divided into three groups: The Basic Courses and the Sales and Business Courses, both groups being common to all the curricula, and the science courses that are specific for the various sales fields. So far curricula have been developed in the following fields: chemicals, biologicals, foods, fuels, and in the electrical and mechanical fields. Further expansion of the program is under way. When the various curricula had been developed to a point satisfactory to the committee, they were submitted for criticism to an Advisory Committee for Technical Sales Curricula. Leading sales managers of nationally known companies in the Cleveland area served on this committee. A number of valuable suggestions were made by this group and, as far as possible, have been incorporated in the program. The cnrricula are not to be regarded as final and are subject to further modifications as experience may dictate. From the enthusiastic letters received when the new curricnla were announced in the press they bid fair to fill a real need. Judging from the number of requests received thus far for graduates, it will be a long time before the demand can be satisfied. I t is to be hoped that i t will greatly accelerate the change from the old to the new type of selling. A brief description of the courses in the various curricula follows.
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TECHNICAL SALES CURRICULUM
Cleveland College of Western Resenre University Basic Courses ENGLISH COMPOSITION
Training in written expression through original writing. REPORT WRITING
experiences to develop expression and confidence. Attention to posture, appearance, and mannerisms. INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH LITERATURE
Study of representative writers of good English style. ORIENTATION TO COLLEGE AND WORK
Study habits, increased reading proficiency, work habits, job hunting snd application, vocational orientation. TECHNIQUE OF SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL AND BUSINESS USAGE
Detection and correction of unpleasant personal habits; conversational ability; good taste in personal grooming and clothing; developing harmonious relations with business associates and with acquaintances outside business hours. AGENERALINTRODUCTIONTOPSYCHOLOGY
The scientific study of behavior and thought processes and applications t o the personal and social adjustment of the inAivirh7ll ...- . ....--. TllP PSYCllGLOGY OF SELLISG AN" ADVL'RTISIKC
The pcychdogical factors underlying selling, advertising, rhc
salesman, and the consumer. POREIGN LANGUAGE
Choice will depend upon student's plans. ferred a t the present time.
Spanish is pre-
Sales and Business Courses ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES AND PROBLEMS
Analysis of the production and distribution of economic income. ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY
Survey of theway man adjusts economic activities to physical conditions. Emphasis on production and distribution of principal commodities and on chief industries and their locatinnr
Fundamentals of statistical analysis, collection and tabulation of data, graphic methods, statistical distributions and averages, time series in business, business fluctuations, correlations, and an introduction to the practical application of statistics. PRINCIPLES OF ACCOUNTING
Analyzing, classifying, and recording business transactions; adjusting and closing books of record; preparation of periodic work sheets and financial statements for individual proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations.
motion, and operating control. SALESMANSHIP AND SALES M A N A G E m N T
The basic principles that underlie succeSsfn1 selling and govern the management of a sales organization. PROBLEMS I N SALES MANAGEMENT
The organization and operation of the sales department: organization of the department and selling farce; sales policies; selection, training, compensation, and supervision of salesmen; establishment of sales territories, and control of sales costs. Analysis of sales problems of representative companies. INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT
The methods and policies of modern industrial establishments. Industrial organization. Management fundamentals. PRINCIPLES OF TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT (elective) Organization and operation of traffic. Both intra- and interstate commerce problems including Federal and State regulations.
Science Courses-Technical Sales of Chemicals GENERAL BIOLOGY
Introduction to the orincioles of biolow.
Training in the writing of business, professional, and official reports. GENERAL SPEECH IMPROVEMENT; FUNDAMENTALS OF SPEECH
Analysis of speech faults and abilities with suggestions and exercises for improvement. Simple reading and speaking
A systematic study of the metals and of metsllic and non. metallic ions and their qualitative determination
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY The OCNTTenCe, chemical structure, preparation, and relation. ships of the compounds of carbon. QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS Selected typical analyses, calculations from analytical results and interpretation of analytical results. PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY The study of the physical laws as applied t o chemistry, with typical laboratory experiments. ALOEBRA AND TRIGONOMETRY Review of certain topics in algebra,followed hy plane trigonometry. ANALYTIC GEOMETRY
Equations and loci in both rectangular and polar mordinatr systems and practical applications to graphs. DIFFERENTIAL AND INTEGRAL CALCULUS Application to science and industrial problems. MINEF~LOGY (elective) Elements of crystallography. followed b y identification of minerals by means of their physical and chemical properties. GENERAL PHYSICS The fundamental laws and principles of physics in the fields of mechanics, heat, sound electricity, magnetism, and light. LIGHT
Thr fu~~darncntals of geometricnl and physical upti;\. Thiu itnd thick lens optirs, interference, diffraction, polarirariun. and spectroscopy. The theory of microscopes, telescopes, and other optical instruments. ELECTRONIC^ (elective) Theory and application of electronic devices.
Science Course.7--Technical Sales of Biolo&als
COMPARATIVE POOD PREPARATCON
Effects of such variables as materials, temperature, and equipment. Consideration of present researches on food. COMPARATIVE FOOD PREPARATION Effects of such variables as materials, temperature, and equipment. Consideration of recent food research. INSTITDTIONAL ECONOMICS
Problems involved in large group work; selection, use, and care of equipment, organization of service, selection of personnel, management, purchase of supplies, study of institutional records, and planning of menus. RUSlNESS MATHEMATICS ( ~ l ~ ~ t i ~ e )
Science Courses~Techninil Sdes of Fuel.
