Development of a technical sales course in the engineering technology curriculum

In a recent survey of electrical engineering technology students at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA, over 5% of the respondents were in technical sales. The number of job listings each week in major metropolitan newspapers for sales are greater than virtually any other technical discipline. However, the education for this area in most technical programs has relied on one of two methods. Either the student has received hands-on experience after graduation, or has taken a marketing course where some brief description of selling occurs. An understanding of selling is important even if a student does not intend to enter the technical sales field. Ideas and projects need to be “sold” within a company. In addition, students must “sell” themselves when they first graduate and try to find employment