New university course for sales professionals

Swinburne University yesterday started a to Diploma of Business and the Certificate IV in Business Sales, a first for the nation and the world, according to Peter Finkelstein, who made the keynote speech at the launch. Finkelstein is a sales strategist for Barrett, a sales consultancy and training company that has partnered with Swinburne to establish the new course, which is now open for applications.

Sales professionals are undervalued by their employers, misunderstood by their marketing colleagues and embarrassed by their own role, Finklestein told participants at the launch of the new diploma.

Professionalising sales through tertiary qualifications will help change attitudes and open the way for sales to participate in executive level corporate decision-making, Finkelstein said.

The course has been the outcome of long effort by Sue Barrett, the founder of consultancy Barrett, who has met with more than a decade of resistance from universities to starting a sales course. Swinburne University eventually heard of Barrett’s proposed course and invited her involvement in developing it.