pinoysalespro
Should sales people take MBA to become better at selling? Any thoughts?
26
No. No no no no no.
The only reason I would tell a sales rep to go get an MBA is if they want to move to another part of the industry or their organization, but are stonewalled by a lack of financial or strategy skills.
If you want to get an MBA to stay in a rep seat then you are flushing money down the drain. That's my opinion, and I know some will debate against that.
The only reason I would tell a sales rep to go get an MBA is if they want to move to another part of the industry or their organization, but are stonewalled by a lack of financial or strategy skills.
If you want to get an MBA to stay in a rep seat then you are flushing money down the drain. That's my opinion, and I know some will debate against that.
I 100% agree.
Couldn’t have said it any better.
I've been in sales for over 20 years and do not have an MBA. It never crossed my mind.
Becoming a better seller does mean continuing to learn and refine your practice. Listen and apply strategies that work.
Becoming a better seller does mean continuing to learn and refine your practice. Listen and apply strategies that work.
MBA is only worth the investment if you go to a top 20 program, at which point you are paying more for the network than the actual education.
100% agree. Seen many folks go down the top 20 route and get a new type of job after.
Having an MBA doesn't necessarily make you a better seller. It may give you a slight edge during hiring or when seeking a promotion, but not enough to justify the investment. If you're company is willing to pay for it and it's something you really want to do, go for it. However, some of the most successful salespeople I know didn't go to college.
No.
I don't think spending two years learning business management will help you be better at sales. Value of MBA could be beyond that but nowadays most people do it.
I think its probably very useful if pursuing a mgmt role
Hard No.
Makes more sense to get specialization training in their realm of sales, unless looking to make moves down the line to get OUT of sales.
Makes more sense to get specialization training in their realm of sales, unless looking to make moves down the line to get OUT of sales.
Depends on what you're selling.
For Surety Bonds? Yes. You basically need a CPA designation, and to get that you must have an MBA.
I don't have an MBA, but I have a business degree which is similar (specialized program) and 15+ years of financial and management experience so *samsies*
For Surety Bonds? Yes. You basically need a CPA designation, and to get that you must have an MBA.
I don't have an MBA, but I have a business degree which is similar (specialized program) and 15+ years of financial and management experience so *samsies*
Waste of time and money unless you looking to move up the ladder.
You’ll learn more and earn more by skipping the MBA. Sales is a hands on learning experience in my opinion. Working on deals I’ve learned far more than any training, class, or degree has provided me.
I think an MBA becomes more useful if you’re looking to move into management than it does in sales
I know very few managers with MBAs.
Management yes, sales no.
Maybe if you're in a specific niche where having an MBA would give you some sort of product credibility or industry knowledge, but I can't think of what kind of product/vertical that would even apply to.
As others have said an MBA is a significant time and cost investment that probably isn't worth it unless you're looking for a different type of job or to get into management (even then I question how much it would actually help you beyond just making you look better on paper)
As others have said an MBA is a significant time and cost investment that probably isn't worth it unless you're looking for a different type of job or to get into management (even then I question how much it would actually help you beyond just making you look better on paper)
Worth it if your current company will pay for it and you have aspirations to be a VP or eventual C-suite member. Other than that, no.
My brother has an MBA and is a VP at a startup but he pulled the trigger because he was supposedly being groomed for upper management at his last job and they paid for it. They got acquired and then that plan went down the drain.
If you have a poor business acumen then sure but I do not see it directly impacting an individual contributor’s ability to grow revenue.
My brother has an MBA and is a VP at a startup but he pulled the trigger because he was supposedly being groomed for upper management at his last job and they paid for it. They got acquired and then that plan went down the drain.
If you have a poor business acumen then sure but I do not see it directly impacting an individual contributor’s ability to grow revenue.
No. I have an MBA and used it to transition into sales after leaving finance. The MBA is just for switching fields, or advancement within the consulting, finance, and general management sectors.
Nope
Agree w/ @TheOverTaker . I’ve only ever seen sales reps get MBAs so they can more easily go into upper mngmt. Or get out of sales all together.
Nah. You don’t need an MBA to be a better seller. If it’s a requirement in your company for you to get promoted and/or make more money, do it. Just use the money that you’ll spend for the tuition fees to invest in stocks/crypto/real estate, etc
So I’ll take the opposite argument highlighting where it can be valuable.
I was in operations, got an executive MBA and then moved into sales. What I learned during the EMBA (while working full time and paying 80% of the cost myself) makes me a better sales person, especially in enterprise deals. I have a much better understanding of how CXOs think and what they care about.
There were people in my class who didn’t get anything valuable out of getting the same EMBA.
You don’t need to go to college to sell… but that doesn’t mean it can’t be useful to selling better.
I wouldn’t suggest anyone go get an MBA to “sell better” as there are probably 50 books and classes they should focus on first… and I’ve seen how valuable it has been for me.
I was in operations, got an executive MBA and then moved into sales. What I learned during the EMBA (while working full time and paying 80% of the cost myself) makes me a better sales person, especially in enterprise deals. I have a much better understanding of how CXOs think and what they care about.
There were people in my class who didn’t get anything valuable out of getting the same EMBA.
You don’t need to go to college to sell… but that doesn’t mean it can’t be useful to selling better.
I wouldn’t suggest anyone go get an MBA to “sell better” as there are probably 50 books and classes they should focus on first… and I’ve seen how valuable it has been for me.
HEEEEELLLLLLLLLLL NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
If you are going to start a business, then MAYBE investors will trust you more. In the world that is sales, results are the only thing that matter, and an MBA will not do anything to help that.
If you are going to start a business, then MAYBE investors will trust you more. In the world that is sales, results are the only thing that matter, and an MBA will not do anything to help that.
Definitely not. So much free information online that is free that is more beneficial to selling roles.
I have an MBA and didn’t get it to advance my sales career. Got it for the experience and the network
Learning the coursework is INCREDIBLY valuable, but you don't need to enroll or pay 6-figure in school expenses to do so.
If you have eyes on a CRO role, an MBA can give you an edge in hiring, but I would see if your company could sponsor you when you're a VP for instance.
If you have eyes on a CRO role, an MBA can give you an edge in hiring, but I would see if your company could sponsor you when you're a VP for instance.
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