Combine Creativity with Marketing by Attending an Account Management Program
Excellent interpersonal skills, excellent listening and oral
communication skills, self-directed, thrive under pressure, and highly
organized: These are some of the words used to describe professionals in
the marketing field of sales and account management who have acquired
training from the sales account management program at Centennial
College. This field entails acquiring and maintaining relationships with
major client accounts in business-to-business organizations that have
their own sales force. This especially applies to companies that are
mid-to-large in size. Job titles include: Account Executive, Sales
Consultant, Commercial Sales Representative, Sales Specialist, Technical
Sales Representative, Sales Coordinator, Inside Sales Representative,
Territory Sales Representative and Key Account Manager.
All jobs
in sales and account management come with different responsibilities.
Let’s take a closer look two of them. For example, an Account Executive
is responsible for establishing new business, developing current
business relationships and ensuring client satisfaction. To do this, the
Account Executive must seek out purchasing decision makers and develop
relationships with them, design and deliver presentations that highlight
the products of his or her company, negotiate contract terms with
clients, close sales and more. Meanwhile, as a Key Account Manager this
professional preserves the business within the client accounts and
generates new business. This involves analyzing and adapting new
strategies in order to react to changing business trends.
At
Centennial College, students who participate in Marketing: Sales and
Account Management (as it is officially known) graduate in just two
semesters with an Ontario College Graduate Certificate. Therefore,
applicants are required to possess a degree or diploma in another area
of study. In addition, they must submit an official transcript
demonstrating proof of successful completion of a post-secondary
advanced diploma or degree program. Lastly, students may be required to
conduct an interview with officials, submit a resume and undergo an
English and/or math skills assessment.
Facilitated out of Progress Campus, which houses many other business offerings, the Account Management Program
is taught by professors with extensive experience in sales, negotiation
and account management in the business-to-business realm. The program
is known for its learner-centered approaches such as role plays,
simulation and cases, with a focus on developing selling, negotiating
and presentation skills. Hands-on training using sales force automation
software rounds out training.
Specific courses within the sales account management program
include: Case Analysis and Marketing Metrics, Marketing Analysis and
Planning, Fundamentals of Selling, Fundamentals of Project Management,
Employment Preparedness, B2B Marketing, Strategic Account Development,
Sales and Account Management, Business Ethics and Negotiation Skills,
Sales and Force Automation and Technology and more. In addition to these
courses, the sales account management program offers a field placement
that sees students applying what they have learned and gaining new
knowledge from industry professionals. During this time, students are
actually embedded in companies at which they may be hired upon
graduation.