The Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College launched the first executive education course focused on direct selling this week in Winter Park, Fla.
This inaugural program, in collaboration with the Direct Selling Association (DSA), facilitates the successful integration of new and existing business executives within direct selling companies and delivers a thorough onboarding program to enhance retention, increase self-efficacy, promote company culture, facilitate role clarity and expedite social integration.
Greg Marshall, Ph.D., Charles Harwood Professor of Marketing and Strategy in the Crummer Graduate School of Business, stated, “An experiential learning approach is essential for professional executive development and something we pride ourselves in doing well here at the Crummer School at Rollins College. By combining real-world expertise from C-Suite direct selling veterans as along with insights from top-of-field faculty members, we have created a dynamic learning environment that focuses on honing executive talent to foster more innovation in the increasingly competitive marketplace.”
Crummer created this course in collaboration for senior-level executives who are experienced in the direct selling channel. The target audience is individuals who are relatively new to the direct selling channel and who desire a best-practices immersion. Key areas of curriculum focus includes attention to emerging issues as well as nuances unique to leading in the direct selling channel, broad-based executive-level skills, real-world insights from case studies and situational examples facilitated by marketing and other business professors from across the country paired with seasoned, successful direct selling professionals.
Joseph N. Mariano, president of the DSA, shared, “DSA is committed to helping provide new and interactive methods like the Crummer Graduate School of Business course for members to expose and train talented executives who will be the future of direct selling. We are excited to collaborate in the course offerings and work alongside expert business and marketing professors as they explore the direct selling industry and provide new insight on the channel.”
The program, which includes two in-person immersion components and a variety of blended learning elements, began on January 28, 2020, and will conclude on April 1, 2020, with executives receiving a certificate for course completion.
