|
|
 |
WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY OPENS RUSS BERRIE PROFESSIONAL SALES LABORATORY
—Unique interactive resource to teach sales skills to students
and professionals
The Russ
Berrie Professional Sales Laboratory has been opened by William
Paterson University in Wayne to enable business students and working
professionals to learn sales skills in a unique interactive environment
that simulates business offices.
The lab, part of the Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales
at William Paterson University, is housed in the University’s
1600 Valley Road building.
“This interactive lab is unlike anything I’ve seen in
our region and gives us an exceptional ability to prepare students
and working professionals for success in the complex field of modern
sales,” says Jim Brown, executive director of the Russ Berrie
Institute. “Employing advanced technology that has been adapted
specifically for our needs, the sales lab will help students master
the art of communication in a face-to-face situation. This is crucial
to professional sales, particularly in today’s economy when
successful people not only sell products and services, but present
business strategies and solutions.”
The facility, which includes a control room connected to five labs
and a smart conference room, features state-of-the-art technology
including robotic digital cameras to record students practicing sales
presentations, plasma screens to display the interactions on single
or split screens, one-way mirrors to allow viewing by professors,
an editing room for creating electronic DVD portfolios, and computer-based
stations for teaching inside sales. Distance learning and videoconferencing
capability are also available.
“Faculty will use the lab to teach students skills ranging from
how to make a good first impression to how to effectively describe
a product or service to how to maintain ethics in the sales process,”
Brown says. “For example, students will practice presentations
to a buyer and faculty can observe students’ progress through
the monitors in the control room and through one-way glass as students
work in pairs or small groups on presentations. All sessions can be
saved on DVDs to evaluate student progress.”
The lab supports the Russ Berrie Institute’s undergraduate curriculum,
which includes undergraduate courses for business majors in negotiation,
customer relationship management systems, and professional sales.
“The sales lab supports our philosophy concerning the professional
enrichment of our students, which will enhance their readiness and
awareness when entering the workforce,” says Jess Boronico,
dean of the University’s Christos M. Cotsakos College of Business.
“Real world experiences and experiential learning are vital
in preparing our students for the complexities of the world of business.”
The Russ Berrie Institute also provides education and training to
sales professionals through its Center for Sales Education, offering
customized training programs and continuing education workshops; Center
for Sales Management, which offers professional executive programs
dealing with managing a sales force and supervising the sales professional;
and Center for Strategic Account Management for account executives
responsible for large account management. All programs offer an intensive
one-week certificate program along with shorter programs, and all
will have access to the labs.
The opening comes just a year after Russ Berrie, the late founder
and chief executive officer of Russ Berrie and Company Inc., announced
that he would invest $6.2 million to establish the Russ Berrie Institute.
The Institute represents a unique partnership between the private
sector and higher education designed to advance the field of professional
sales. It is the first program of its kind in the Northeast.
William Paterson University, one of the nine state colleges and universities
in New Jersey, offers 30 undergraduate and 19 graduate programs through
five colleges: Arts and Communication, the Christos M. Cotsakos College
of Business, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Science
and Health. Located on 370 hilltop acres in Wayne, the University
enrolls approximately 11,200 students and provides housing for nearly
2,300 students. The institution’s 366 full-time faculty are
highly distinguished and diverse scholars and teachers, many of whom
are recipients of prestigious awards and grants from the Fulbright
Program (28 scholars), the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment
for the Humanities, the National Institutes of Health, the National
Science Foundation and the American Philosophical Society.
# # #
- For
Further Information, contact:
- Mary
Beth Zeman, Director, Public Relations 973-720-2966
12/12/03
|
|
|
