New certificate designed to give Ohio State students an edge in sales

As a professional sales leader at some of the world’s most recognizable companies, Mike Isler has long understood the importance of sales as a business discipline and has seen the demand grow for professionals with sales-related skills.

So when he arrived at Fisher as a lecturer in the Department of Marketing and Logistics in 2024, Isler made it a priority to begin designing a sales curriculum and program to ensure students at his alma mater had the necessary skills to succeed in the field.

That vision ― Fisher’s Strategic Sales Certificate program ― launched in spring 2025.

“When we looked at the statistics and saw that 88% of marketing graduates start their careers in sales, it made sense to equip our students and make them more competitive in their job searches,” said Isler (MBA ’96), who previously held executive sales leadership roles at Visa and VMware.

“This certificate is an important designation that will help students compete for the leading B2B sales roles after graduation.”

According to the Journal of Marketing Education, over 50% of all college graduates start their careers in sales. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the number of sales managers is expected to grow 6% by 2033.

The diploma certificate, open to all business majors and minors at Ohio State, encompasses four, three-credit hour classes. They include the principles of marketing, foundations of strategic sales, strategic sales leadership and applied strategic sales, an action-based class that puts students in real-life role-playing situations and simulated sales calls similar to an internship. The curriculum is designed to help students develop real-world practical skills in professional sales.

“This certificate will add long-term value to my career by equipping me with a strong foundation in consultative and strategic selling,” said Molly Montanus, a fourth-year marketing major. “I’ve learned how to identify client needs, tailor solutions, handle rejection, and build long-term relationships, which are all essential skills in any sales-driven role.”

Students enrolled in the certificate program not only earn the Strategic Sales Certificate designation on their diploma, but they can also earn five additional certificates: a Griffin Hill sales process accreditation; basic simulated accreditation in strategic sales; Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Copilot for Sales learning path certifications; and an advanced simulated internship certification.

“The certificate and classes were created to address the misconceptions about what sales is,” said Scott LaCross, senior lecturer of marketing and logistics. “When most students think of sales, they tend to think of certain negative stereotypes that make them uninterested. In reality, professional sales is a very interactive and relational job that requires leadership skills and strategic thinking.”

Audrey Breen couldn’t agree more.

“One of my favorite things I have learned is the importance of getting to know the needs of the buyer,” said Breen, a fourth-year marketing major. “Professor Isler emphasizes the importance of building trust in a sales relationship. Approaching sales with integrity, open communication and by taking a consultative approach rather than a direct push process, helps to build a trusted partnership.”

Professional sales-related roles may encompass meeting load goals for a logistics company, managing account relationships, overseeing merchandising, health care sales and technology sales for various industries.

“Taking the foundations class helps students decide if they want to go into sales,” said Isler. “It's fun to see those students say, ‘I've learned enough that I think I really want to do this’ and get serious about a sales career. There are also students that realize they want to develop skills around persuasion and selling because they know it's going to be useful in their career no matter what.”

Breen discovered her passion for sales through the experiential nature of the certificate program.

“I have always been intrigued by sales, but there weren’t any courses offered before this program that gave me exposure to the field,” Breen said. “Professor Isler came to speak at my professional business fraternity Pi Sigma Epsilon and explained how sales impacts everyday life by connecting people who have a need with people who have a solution. I was inspired and found that sales could very well be the career path for me.”

Working towards the sales certificate has already helped Breen differentiate herself as a strong job candidate — taking Isler’s class led to her securing a sales internship at Henkel Corp. this past summer. These opportunities, she said, have given her the opportunity to truly understand business, how sales works cross functionally with other departments, the art of value selling and how to be a creative solution maker.

Throughout the program, Isler invites employees from corporations such as Microsoft, Visa, Johnson & Johnson and health care distributor McKesson into the classroom. They discuss their career trajectories, giving students insight into career options, different industries, sales leadership roles and product management.

“We partnered with the Center for Software Innovation and built a case study generator,” said Isler. “In this AI platform, guest lecturers provide a company scenario and the generator creates a real-world case study for students to get hands-on experience understanding a complex sales opportunity. The students examine the generated sales strategy options in terms of pros and cons and present their findings.”

Montanus has found this emphasis on hands-on learning and professional development extremely beneficial.

“This program has given me practical sales experience through role-playing and case studies,” she said. “The hands-on exercises connecting our in-class learnings with actual sales cases, shows how theory translates directly into conversations with clients.”

An academy on the horizon

Thanks to a recent $5 million donation from Jeff Prestel (MBA ’89), retired CEO of health and safety product company Sarnova, Isler and LaCross are now focusing on integrating the certificate curriculum into a sales academy created by the gift.

The academy will feature real-world projects that bring together corporate partners, academic departments, student clubs and career services. Ultimately, students will learn how to close deals and drive business outcomes.

The academy also hopes to drive innovation by partnering with university centers and organizations such as the Center for Software Innovation, Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

“Jeff’s generous support enables us to build a pipeline of professional sales talent that is not only technically skilled but ethically grounded and strategically minded,” says Aravind Chandrasekaran, interim dean of Fisher College of Business. “We are cultivating a new standard of excellence that benefits our students while building and strengthening connections with our corporate partners and the broader Ohio State community.”