NJIT's New Graduate Certificate Injects Value into IT Sales and Analytics

Selling information technology is a skill, but understanding its value in the buyer’s organization is a real differentiator. Both are core to a new graduate certificate program at New Jersey Institute of Technology. 

Engineered in part by a sales professional, the certificate in IT sales and analytics comprises courses on sales management, sales process and analytics, service management and legal and ethical issues. The courses are delivered online to accommodate the busy schedules of working professionals and can be completed in just two semesters.

The certificate is among nine offered by NJIT’s Martin Tuchman School of Management (MTSM), which also offers master’s degrees and a doctorate. A member of its Board of Advisors, Erik Gaston of AppDynamics, helped craft the curriculum with Dean Oya Tukel, faculty and Michael Koskinen, director of master’s programs at MTSM.

“This program will enable you to speak the same language of IT pros, as if you were part of IT itself,” Koskinen said. “It’s not just about making a sale but also understanding tech needs, life cycles and analytics. That leads to a much more strategic, client-centric approach to sales.” 

Gaston, chief technology officer for the East field sales team at AppDynamics, added that students will "learn from people who are in the field selling technology and will gain firsthand insights on how the best people, organizations and companies design and execute in this space."

IT salespeople identify customers who can benefit from a particular solution and show them how that solution meets their needs. Tech sales encompasses everything from hardware (computers, servers, networking devices) to software (operating systems) and services (applications, big data, and cloud computing). Strong technical knowledge of the product and industry is particularly important to identify customers who need IT.

The certificate is designed for early- to mid-career professionals who want to break into sales, advance their skill sets or change course. Having such certification increases their value in the marketplace and job options. Also, those who complete the certificate program can apply its 12 credits toward earning a MBA at MTSM.

"Graduates entering into the technology industry with the type of experience and understanding this certificate course will offer will have a clear advantage not only in the initial interview process and first years, but for their career,” Gaston said. “It has been proven that companies that train their sales forces in this manner are far more successful than those that do not and this is why we focus so much on sales process execution to ensure success!" 

Gaston further noted that "while having great soft skills, product knowledge and likability do go a long way in technology sales, the best salespeople have a strategy and follow a clear and consistent sales process to effectively measure their sales execution and success." The new certificate program aims to deliver just that. 

For more information on the certificate and other graduate programs please visit MTSM’s website or email the school directly at management@njit.edu.