As it looks ahead to its next chapter, WSU's Center for Professional Sales continues to play a central role in preparing students for careers that rely on strong communication, relationship-building, and applied business skills. Housed within the Carson College of Business, the center supports hands-onsales education and connects students with industry partners.

That work is now led by Patrick Johnson, assistant professor of marketing, who joined the center last summer as director. Johnson brings more than two decades of experience in corporate sales and marketing, including roles in legal technology startups and multinational corporations, as well as prior teaching experience at WSU.

"I've worked in startups, medium-sized organizations, and Fortune 500 companies - the sales team is so important for those organizations, and everybody knows it," Johnson said. "If you're going into a business field, you need to know how sales work - and a lot of those skills will be transferable no matter what role you're in."

Building skills that translate

The center helps students develop skills that extend beyond a single job title or industry. While the center certainly prepares students for a career in sales, coursework and programming emphasize communication, problem-solving, and professionalism.

"They learn an incredible skill set that they can take with them to do anything," said Bitty Balducci, assistant professor of marketing, who teaches sales courses and works closely with the center. "There is a huge demand for sales talent - many of the students who engage with our programs and events get internships or job opportunities."

Classes associated with the center rely heavily on experiential learning. Balducci said a big part of class is role playing, where students conduct mock sales calls and receive feedback in settings that mirror real sales discovery meetings. She said the most valuable outcome of these activities is teaching students to ask effective questions, identify needs, and approach their careers with an intent to create value.

That emphasis helps explain why sales-related courses draw students from across the WSU system. The Professional Sales Certificate, which is open to all majors, formalizes that training through a structured sequence of required courses and electives.

Connecting students and industry

A defining feature of the center is its close collaboration with industry partners. Johnson said the center currently works with around a dozen companies from various industries, offering students repeated opportunities to interact with employers well before they enter the job market.

"Our industry partners not only meet these students, they get to see them in action," Johnson said. "Whether it's our speed selling competition, our networking event, or our role play competition, they observe people that might be a great fit for their company applying the kinds of skills they'd use on the job."

Looking ahead

After completing his first semester as director, Johnson is focused on ensuring continuity while identifying opportunities for growth. In the near term, that means maintaining strong relationships with existing partners, evaluating current programming, and continuing to support student engagement through events and the student-run Sales Club.

Longer term, Johnson envisions broadening the center's reach and visibility. Expanding the partner base to include a wider range of industries is one priority, as is creating additional, lower-pressure opportunities for students to interact with sales professionals. In the future, Johnson said he is also interested in re-establishing a regional and national sales competition team, and exploring international sales competitions.

"If we can get students doing notable things, going international, or working for international companies, that just enhances the reputation of the center, Carson College, and WSU as a whole," Johnson said.