Celebrate the 20 Year Transformation of the ESSPS

How the Edward Schmidt Professional School of Sales began: 

• Professional sales concentration
• Role play recordings on VHS in a basement classroom and supply closet 
• Faculty personally paid for students to go to the only national sales competition 
• 2 faculty teaching sales but mostly marketing classes
• No enrollment tracking 
• No sales technology 
• No events 

 Our accomplishments 20 years later: 

• 1^st AACSB university to have a professional sales major 
• 1^st endowed professional sales program in the country 
• 1^st and only national sales competition dedicated exclusively to the non-senior 
• 1 of 3 universities in the country to have a professional sales major, minor, "other" undergraduate degree designation, and a graduate degree designation
• Multiple national sales competition championships and top 10 placements 
• 6 faculty teaching mostly sales classes and some marketing classes 
• 1 staff 
• Role plays live streaming from four rooms simultaneously on the top floor 
• 28 companies as ESSPS corporate partners and/or UToledo Invitational Sales Competition (UTISC) sponsors 
• Tracking on enrollment (160 students), placement (88-100% placement year after year), engagement, etc.
• In-house developed sales leadership simulation, onsite and Zoom role plays, role play practice with artificially intelligent buyer, hands-on customer relationship management lab, etc.
• Large scale, small group, and 1-1 events/interactions that are on campus, online, or hybrid concurrent 
• Co-founded University Sales Center Alliance (USCA) and Global Sales Science Institute (GSSI) 
• 2,200+ citations of faculty research 

How you can help:

The UToledo Edward Schmidt School of Professional Sales (ESSPS) has impacted over 2,000 UToledo and 600 UTISC professional sales students (and their 2,600+ employers and 228,000+ customers) thanks to the generosity and shared vision of Edward Schmidt and our ESSPS corporate partners and UTISC sponsors.  There are also the 80+ universities that have launched and grown their professional sales programs thanks to UTISC, USCA, and GSSI. ESSPS staff and operations continue to be 100% externally funded.  

Please consider a gift to help us keep moving forward with creating knowledge, shaping people, and making connections so we can continue to transform the profession of sales. 

Thank you for your support!