The sales people are coming! The sales people are coming! To MIT Sloan that is.
MIT Sloan announced today that it is hosting its first ever MIT Sloan Sales Conference with guest speakers Tim Armstrong, president of Advertising and Commerce at Google; Jim Tobin, president and CEO of Boston Scientific; and best-selling author Richard Whiteley, who wrote Customer Centered Growth: Five Proven Strategies For Building Competitive Advantage, among other best sellers.
According to the announcement:
“The force behind the conference is the MIT Sloan Sales Club, which, since its launch in 2006, has quickly become one of the largest clubs at the school. Members cite their interest in entrepreneurship, pitching business plans to investors, raising seed money, launching start-up businesses, and conducting fund raising campaigns as reasons for pursuing sales training.”
MIT is famous for its quant strengths and technical prowess. Its Sales Club and Sales Conference are admirable efforts by Sloanees to round out their impressive skills and complement their formal MBA education. The club and conference also reflect the entrepreneurial interests and strengths at MIT Sloan.
Interesting to see a school having a conference in an area of "non-strength" like this. Might change some perceptions.