Gen-i and the University of Waikato Management School have launched the first Australasian post-graduate sales training programme. Designed to elevate Gen-i’s client relationship skills to a new level of excellence, the new course complements Gen-i’s existing Sales Academy and strengthens Gen-i’s ability to create strong and sustained relationships with its clients.
Gen-i client managers and sales support people who graduate from Gen-i’s existing Sales Academy programme can now enrol in the new post-graduate Certificate in Management Studies jointly taught with the University to further develop their sales and client relationship skills. Gen-i’s Sales Academy talent development programme was recently recognised by the US-based Sales Executive Council (SEC) as one of the most effective programmes worldwide out of the hundreds evaluated by the SEC.
Chris Quin, Gen-i Australasia Chief Executive Officer, explained that the launch of the new programme was a huge endorsement of the quality of Gen-i’s existing Sales Academy and its success at building world-class sales people.
“Our client success is largely due to our approach to building strong and sustained partnerships, based on honesty, trust, relevance and leadership,” said Quin. “The Sales Academy has been pivotal in developing our sales and client relationship skills to new levels, and has been a great contributor to our efforts to recruit and retain the best in the business.”
“The new post-grad course builds on the Sales Academy to give our sales people further development and learning opportunities, and provides them with the tools to enhance their revenue generating capability.”
John Woodyard, Gen-i Sales and Service Academy Manager, says that Gen-i is committed to developing excellence in sales management, and that the training has delivered proven competitive advantage for Gen-i.
“The Sales Academy has been a trailer blazer in the ICT industry and has helped elevate our role to one of trusted partner with our clients,” said Woodyard. “The training across core competencies, followed by a rigorous graduation process, has legitimised sales as a professional skill that is critical to our business success. The recent SEC recognition provides further confirmation that our programme and our people are world-class.”
“We’re thrilled to able to combine the expertise of a leading tertiary provider like Waikato with our corporate experience. Our people can now develop their client relationship skills to an advanced level, while receiving a recognised qualification and getting a head-start on further postgraduate study, such as an MBA.”
"It's a win-win partnership for both organisations," says Dean of Waikato Management School Professor, Frank Scrimgeour. "The post-graduate certificate will give Gen-i access to cutting-edge researchers in the field of sales and marketing, and it's also an opportunity for Waikato Management School to incorporate aspects of an industry best-practice model into our research and teaching.”
The Waikato Management School is also the lead provider of a Management and Leadership Development Programme for the wider Telecom Group.
The new post-graduate sales programme start in early 2009 and is open to graduates from Gen-i’s Sales Academy. It consists of four modules on relationship management, strategic marketing, global marketing and ‘action learning’ where students apply their studies in their daily work. The 18-24 month programme is designed around Gen-i’s salespeople’s jobs, using case studies relevant to converged technology and telecommunications, and classes held at Gen-i’s offices.
Upon successful completion of the programme, participants will graduate with a Postgraduate Certificate in Management Studies with a specialisation in Sales Management. The qualification can also serve as a pathway to further post-graduate study, including an MBA.
Gen-i established its internal Sales Academy in 2005. Over the last three years, 50 Gen-i client managers, out of an eligible 500, have graduated from the rigorous programme. Gen-i plans to extend the model to other parts of its business, with a Service Academy planned for the future.
Last month, Gen-i’s Sales Academy received endorsement from the US-based Sales Executive Council, a global association representing over 500 sales organisations and thousands of executives committed to stewarding sales and marketing practice.
Mary Detterick, Sales Executive Council Research Director, ranked Gen-i’s Sales Academy as world-leading. “The Sales Executive Council has assessed hundreds of sales development programmes. Of all these development programmes, we believe the Sales Academy developed at Gen-i and Telecom to be one of the most effective we have seen. We first recognised the Sales Academy in 2005, and have been greatly impressed by the programme’s continued development and success since then.”
In particular, the Sales Academy was singled out for aligning training with corporate goals and strategy; targeting role-specific skill gaps; sustained coaching; requiring demonstrated performance; and tying success metrics to business outcomes.