Grau Center for Professional Selling
Dedicated to advancing the sales profession through academics, professional experiences, and research.
The Grau Center for Professional Selling promotes the field of professional sales to all UC students and develops graduates who are extremely prepared for a successful sales career. The Professional Selling minor is a great complement for students in other majors, like Finance, Fashion Design, Engineering or IT, to build upon and strengthen their career options. Each year more and more students declare a Professional Selling minor. For students enrolled in the Lindner College of Business, a Professional Selling minor enhances the opportunities established in our PACE curriculum.
Similar to other Lindner programs, the Center for Professional Selling combines classroom teaching with experiential learning to provide a unique opportunity for our students. We partner with industry representatives to offer a wide variety of engaging activities for both our students and corporate partners, including mock interviews, elevator speech practice, classroom sales competitions, networking socials, workshops and the bi-annual Sales Expo. Each of these activities develop our students' skills and helps prepare them for a prosperous career in sales.
The professional sales program at the Lindner College of Business has been named one of the top programs in North America by the Sales Education Foundation and is an Associate Member of the University Sales Center Alliance.
In this episode of the Bearcats Mean Business podcast, Ann Sojka, assistant professor of marketing and academic director of the Grau Center for Professional Selling, challenges common stereotypes of sales and explains why “sellers aren’t born, they’re made.” She shares how her own sales career taught her that no experience is wasted, why great selling starts with listening and asking the right questions, and how treating customers the way they want to be treated can turn a transaction into a lasting relationship.
Sojka also takes listeners inside Lindner’s hands-on approach to sales education — from sales labs and real-world role plays to resilience training and national competitions — and explains why sales skills are life skills.
Academics
Our courses include:
- Insight-Based Selling
- Confident Selling
- Professional Selling
- Strategic Business-to-Business Sales
- Sales Management
- Strategic Selling
Experiences
Held twice a year, this sales-focused career fair matches sales students with companies needing qualified salespeople. The companies represented have immediate full-time positions, internships or co-op rotations available for our current students and soon-to-be graduates.
Varsity Sales Team
An elite group of selected professional sales students who represent the Grau Center for Professional Selling at regional and national collegiate competitions.
Sales Leadership Club
A student-run organization providing participants fantastic opportunities to establish themselves as leaders and ensure professional growth in the sales field.
Medical Sales Club
This student-run organization is for students interested in a career path centered on medical device and/or pharmaceutical sales.
Research
Our Center provides opportunities for sales executives to take workshops offered by noted researchers and authors in the field. Additionally, our sales faculty and doctoral students routinely publish and present research at professional conferences and in academic journals.
The Center for Professional Selling is a proud member of the Sales Education Foundation.
Contact Us
For more information about the center, a career in sales or becoming a partner, please contact:
Jennifer Barlow
Executive Director, External Relations, Grau Center for Professional Selling
Ann Sojka
Academic Director, Grau Center for Professional Selling; Assistant Professor-Educator, Department of Marketing
