Virginia Tech hosts 5th Annual Short Course on Advanced Sales Training in Forest Products Industry

BLACKSBURG, Va., March 18, 2005 – Virginia Tech's Center for Forest Products Marketing and Management will offer its fifth annual short course on Advanced Sales Training in the Forest Products Industry. The event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, April 21, and continues from 8:30 a.m. to noon Friday, April 22, at the Donaldson Brown Hotel and Conference Center in Blacksburg.

The course's objective is to offer individuals in the forest products industry ways to develop self-management and communication skills to become more successful salespeople. Topics will include: good salesmanship, effective communication to improve sales, asking effective questions to improve sales, sales negotiations, improving sales through effective time management, trends in the industry, improving sales by improving attitude, and relationship selling for the wood products industry.

The course is open to salespeople in the forest products industry who care about customer-salesperson relationships and wish to enhance skills in communication, time management, and negotiation.

Along with Virginia Tech's forest products marketing center, sponsors for the short course include the Virginia Forest Products Association, Hardwood Manufacturers Association, and Virginia Tech's Continuing and Professional Education Department. The instructor for the course is Bob Smith, associate professor and Extension specialist in forest products marketing. Smith, who directs Virginia Tech's forest products marketing center, has more than 15 years of experience in personal selling and wood products field.

Registration fees and costs begin at $325. For more details on cost or to register, visit the website.