• Entry-level sales professionals seeking to gain the techniques and skills needed to succeed in a sales role
• Early to mid-level sales executives who want to build a personal Sales Toolkit and effectively lead their sales team
• Job-seekers and career-switchers looking to learn the sales process and gain a better growth trajectory
• Entrepreneurs in small ventures looking to develop a strong sales engine and scale revenue
• Sales trainers, coaches, consultants and senior management in sales seeking to equip their sales force with a powerful and practical sales education

• Defining your sales knowledge, skill and discipline at a granular level to gain awareness about the sales actions you are taking and why
• Developing a personal approach to preparation and practice so that you are ready to succeed at every step of any sales process
• Carrying with you at all times a mindset and magnetism that is based on helping people make progress in their lives
• Receive a Certificate of Completion from Kellogg School of Management Executive Education

Module 1:Cultivating a Growth Mindset

Define a growth mindset and recognize how it supports successful learning and selling. Distinguish the three pillars of sales performance: knowledge, skill, and discipline. Apply research-based techniques for effective studying and transferable learning.

Module 2: Sales is Progress

Discover the history of sales, the best-known sales processes, the unique characteristics of the sales role, and the Entrepreneurial Sales Process used in Kellogg Sales School.

Module 3: Deliberate Practice

Recognize the difference between deliberate practice and repetitive practice, the necessity of feedback and coaching, and how to create achievable sales goals.

Module 4: Plan to Win

Create a plan to win prior to customer engagement. Practice managing raw customer data and transitioning it into a deliberate approach for one precise customer persona, complete with a new elevator pitch and competitive talking points.

Module 5: Networking Readiness 

Cultivate powerful networking skills and techniques to drive meaningful conversations with potential customers. Develop readiness for networking situations and codify the follow-up process for capturing insights in your personal or professional CRM database.

Module 6: Proactive Pursuit

Identify the planning process for a successful sales pitch and for creating and maintaining client relationships (cold calling, cold emailing and competitive talking points).

Module 7: Running High-Impact Meetings

Learn valuable strategies for running high-impact, memorable meetings, both with customers and internally. Practice the discipline of running sales meetings that yield tangible value and strengthen relationships.

Module 8: Questions and Conversations

Design and lead conversations that leave your customers feeling heard and respected. Make space for trust by differentiating between the three levels of listening and learning how to effectively handle customer objections.

Module 9: Storytelling — What's Your Story?

Recognize the powerful influence of stories and how they can be used throughout your sales process. Organize stories you currently use and find future stories that can be adopted as effective tools of persuasion.

Module 10: Storytelling — Tell Your Story

Sharpen your storytelling techniques to allow for precise messaging, clarity about the business arc, and a smooth listener journey. Practice infusing your stories with emotion while keeping them crisp and impactful.

Module 11: Presenting with Panache

Employ elements of persuasion in powerful and compelling sales presentations. Create captivating visuals to accompany impactful sales presentations. Identify and practice performance characteristics that enhance your ability to share your message.

Module 12: Show Up, Stand Out, Break Through

Build sales tools that will help you stand apart as a seller—within a company and with clients. Create a plan for team selling situations and networking within an organization.

Module 13: Negotiating and Closing

Employ negotiation strategies to build trustworthiness and overcome bumps and obstacles along the way when closing a sales deal.

Module 14 & 15: Entrepreneurial Selling, Selling Healthcare, or Selling Technology Specializations

Design specialization-specific tools under the guidance of industry experts to become an exceptional entrepreneur, healthcare sales professional, or salesperson who sells technology.

Module 16: Building Your Personal Brand

Identify the impressions and impact you want to make through your personal brand. Develop practical strategies for encompassing your personal brand via in-person and virtual professional relationships.

Module 17: Generating Positive Energy

Develop tools to harness your positive energy, a power asset necessary for driving growth and effective sales solutions.

Module 18: Putting It All Together (Capstone)

Mark the end of your Kellogg Sales School journey by completing your capstone project: a ready-to-go sales portfolio consisting of Win Book records, Interview Readiness Tools, and a demonstration of growth and sharpened presentation skills.

Craig Wortmann - Academic Director; Clinical Professor of Marketing; Executive Director, Kellogg Sales Institute

What is the program about?

In the Kellogg Sales School program, you will develop a sales growth mindset and learn to amplify your impact in any setting. You will develop your personal brand and build a Sales Toolkit to scale revenue. You will master the sales process from scratch, including CRM practices, sales storytelling and customer engagement. You will focus on specialized areas of interest, such as entrepreneurial, selling, healthcare and technical SaaS sales. This program is for those who want to build on or formalize their sales expertise. The program will not only help you develop a deeper understanding of sales but will also help you develop customer-focused insights that are designed to drive impact.

What is the learning experience?

Your learning experience will consist of tools and frameworks delivered via video lectures, live webinars, real world examples and downloadable content. You will put your learning into action through weekly activities, customized assignments and quizzes, discussion boards, and faculty engagement. The program culminates with a capstone project, bringing together all of the key concepts from the program.

What is the program format?

The program consists of 18 modules delivered over 28 weeks. Learners can expect to dedicate 10-12 hours per week to watch videos, complete assignments and participate in discussions. Each module is opened weekly, allowing a flexible but structured approach to learning, with quizzes/assessments delivered at the module’s conclusion. Learners may choose to engage with the program module all in one sitting or in smaller segments of time throughout the week.

Could a learner choose to opt out of some topics?

No. This is an online program in which a topic module is introduced each week and the learner is expected to watch the video lectures, participate in the live webinars, complete the exercises/activities and take the mastery quiz at the end of each week to progress to the subsequent week’s topic.

Are any of the sessions delivered in real time (live)?

No, but optional live sessions with program leaders and career coaches will be available.

What methods will be used for grading and evaluations?

Kellogg program leaders will review assignments, discussions and exercises to determine participants’ understanding of the material.

How much time is allocated to complete assignments

The due date for submitting assignments is typically within 7 days of the module opening, but can be as long as 14 days, depending on the scope of the assignment. However, learners may request deadline extensions to accommodate for business and personal conflicts that may arise during the program timeframe. Reach out to the program leader to discuss any challenges you may have in completing assignments.

Can participation in this program be counted as credit toward a degree, either at Kellogg, Northwestern University or another academic institution?

No. Executive Education offers only non-degree programs and participants who meet the requirements receive a certificate of completion at the end of the program. This certificate does not count as credit toward a degree. In addition, at this time, our online programs do not count as credit toward a Kellogg Executive Scholar Certificate.

Does the program offer community engagement for learners?

Yes, participants can create a profile, connect and collaborate with peers and interact with academic/industry experts such as program leaders and teaching assistants. Office hours will be held during the program and all participants are welcome to join in with questions or to discuss assignments.

What are the requirements for accessing the program?

Participants will need the following to access the program:

• Valid email address
• Computing device connected to the internet (Mac/PC/laptop, tablet or smartphone)
• The latest version of your preferred browser to access our learning platform (Chrome and Firefox are preferred for accessing Canvas)
• Microsoft Office Suite (PowerPoint, Word, Excel) and PDF viewer to access content such as documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDF files, and transcripts
• Additional software and resources may be required for certain programs – this will be communicated upon registration and/or at the beginning of the program
• PLEASE NOTE: Google, Vimeo and Youtube may be utilized in the program delivery

Do the programs offer a certificate?

Yes. Participants will receive a digital certificate of completion from Kellogg following a successful conclusion to the program. Since this program is graded as a pass or fail, participants must receive an 80% to pass and obtain the certificate. This digital certificate can be shared with colleagues and posted on LinkedIn. (PLEASE NOTE: We do not provide reports of assessments, or “transcripts,” since this is a non-degree program.)

Who is Emeritus and what is their relationship with Kellogg Executive Education?

Kellogg Executive Education is partnering with Emeritus Institute of Management, an online education provider, to develop and deliver this program. By working with Emeritus, we are able to provide broader access to Executive Education, beyond our on-campus offerings, in a collaborative and engaging format that is consistent with Kellogg’s standard of quality.

Additional questions?

Please contact us by calling 847-467-6018 or email us at execedonline@kellogg.northwestern.edu.