Professional Selling Microcredential

You can earn a credential in professional selling from the University of Kansas!

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In August 2026, Professor Helling hosted a free webinar on the course, "From Conversation to Opportunity: The Consultative Selling Skills That Win Meetings and Interviews." Click below to join our newsletter and view the 1-hour webinar!

View the webinar here

Register for the Spring 2027 Course

Our next course begins on January 13, 2026, with weekly Zoom meetings on Wednesdays from 7 - 8:15 p.m., CDT. Introductory pricing is $3,150 before Dec. 1, 2026.

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Online

Every Wednesday students attend 60-75 minute synchronous Zoom meetings, with asynchronous lectures and assignments.

12 Weeks

Twelve modules with role-plays and sales simulations.

3 hours

Estimated weekly commitment.

This professional selling microcredential is designed for professionals who want to launch a career in consultative sales or strengthen the selling skills they already use in their current roles.

Kristen S. Helling

Director of Professional Selling Program

Professional Selling

As our world becomes increasingly services-based and knowledge-oriented, there is a growing demand for sales professionals who can effectively identify client needs, craft customized solutions, and marshal company resources to deliver superior value. Without sales, there is no business.

Accordingly, this credential is designed to teach professionals about selling and how to sell effectively. Many professionals, both in the business world and other professions/industries, recognize the value of selling and want to increase their knowledge of effective selling.

The credential is designed to be 12 weeks, starting twice a year in the fall and spring semesters. The delivery mode will be fully online and mixes live, real-time meetings with flexible, self-paced work between classes.

Professional Selling includes mastering interpersonal skills through interaction. As such, synchronous meetings via Zoom will take place once per week on a set night for 60-75 minutes to engage in various classroom activities including role-plays and case studies.

In addition to the Wednesday evening Zoom classes, assignments and video lectures will be assigned via weekly modules to be done at your own pace. The course will be taught by distinguished professors in the KU School of Business Professional Selling Program.

Your Instructors

Kristen S. Helling

Kristen Helling earned her B.S. from KU and an MBA from UMKC while building a sales/marketing career at Lancôme and Hallmark Cards. She joined KU's marketing faculty in 2015 and now directs the Professional Selling Program, growing it from 40 to 700 students. She believes that the ability to “sell yourself” is a trait that is important for all people to master—regardless of one’s career aspiration

Duane Myer, Ph.D

Duane Myer, Ph.D., teaches Marketing at KU, including Sales Management and New Product Management, plus summers at Pepperdine. He holds a Ph.D. and MBA from KU, coaches Sales Competition teams, leads KU's Marketing in Europe program, and brings 20+ years in sales/valuation from Sprint PCS and the Fed.

Emma Sittenauer, Ph.D

Dr. Emma Sittenauer holds a Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati and a B.S. from KU, her alma mater, where she teaches Marketing, coaches the Professional Selling Team, and advises KU Women in Business. Published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services; prior experience in insurance and consulting.

Gail Kelsey

Gail Kelsey brings 24+ years of sales and marketing experience from Hallmark Cards, including retail partnerships with Walgreens and Walmart and launching Hallmark's national USPS sales team. She holds a master's from UCM and teaches Brand Management, Global Marketing, and Professional Selling at KU.

What You'll Learn

Selling is an integral part of not only business, but everyday life. Professionals will be called upon to sell ideas, products, services, and even points of view in all careers. By completing this credential, professionals will learn the latest concepts concerning several elements of the professional selling process: prospecting, needs-identification, handling objections, closing, and negotiation. In addition, these concepts will be reinforced via role-plays and sales simulations. Additionally, modules in emotional intelligence and sales industry career planning enhance this credential.

Module 1 – Overview of the course, what is sales, exploring the sales profession

Module 2 – Effective communication and the elevator pitch

Module 3 – Emotional intelligence and the social style matrix

Module 4 – Value-based selling and ethics

Module 5 – Prospecting and pre-call planning

Module 6 – Needs discovery/SPIN method

Module 7 – Presenting solutions

Module 8 – Handling objections

Module 9 – Obtaining commitment

Module 10 – Managing your new role

Module 11 – Sales resume

Module 12 – How to interview for a consultative sales position

Who Should Enroll

Current sales professionals who are seeking expanded sales knowledge and skills to improve career outcomes.

Current professionals who are looking to make a career pivot to sales and wish to learn the sales process to launch into a new endeavor.

Those looking to earn more money, provide stability in career, advance more quickly in career, or get a promotion.

Those looking to have more control of the future, advance more quickly in their career, reinvent themselves, or learn something different.

All professionals who are interested in learning the sales process and adding additional skills to their professional learning or professional career.