There are many different types of MBA programs, and each offers unique opportunities for career growth. If you work in sales, the skills learned in an MBA program not only can help you become a better closer but also can broaden your professional network and connect you with people who can take your career to the next level.
In our opinion, these are the five best MBA programs in the United States for sales professionals:
- University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business
- UCLA Anderson School of Management
- Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management
- Boston College Carroll School of Management
- University of Michigan Ross School of Business
Table of Contents
- The Best Sales MBA Programs in the United States
- Why Should I Get an MBA for a Career in Sales?
- Do I Really Need an MBA to Get a Job in Sales?
- What Will I Learn in an MBA Program Focused on Sales?
- Is a Certification as Good as an MBA in Sales?
The Best Sales MBA Programs in the United States
The best sales MBA programs in the United States are ones that put you in contact with high-level executives in a variety of industries and enable you to build your network. In many ways, the specifics of the coursework is secondary. You’ll learn valuable business skills at any top MBA program, but very few have specific classes on how to close (honestly, you’ll learn more from watching Alec Baldwin’s famous scene in Glengarry Glen Ross on repeat!).
Top business schools tend to be highly selective and don’t admit just anyone who applies. You’ll need a strong resume, high GMAT scores, and good recommendations. We recommend putting a lot of work into your application to give yourself the best chance. If a successful sales career is your goal, it just isn’t worth it to spend money on a low-rated MBA program — of which there are thousands, with more being added seemingly every day — that won’t plug you into lucrative executive networks. Online graduate programs generally aren’t useful for salespeople for the same reason.
Consider starting your search with these five programs:
University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- Acceptance rate: 9%
- GMAT average: 733
- Tuition: $109,450
The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business is one of the most prestigious business schools not just in the country but in the world. The school offers a two-year MBA program where you’ll take core courses such as leadership, marketing, economics, and statistics. Your classmates will be rising buisness stars from every industry imaginable. The Wharton School is the #1 ranked graduate business school in the nation by U.S. News.
UCLA Anderson School of Management
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Acceptance rate: 35%
- GMAT average: 714
- Tuition: $104,954
The UCLA Anderson School of Management is another of the most prestigious business schools in the United States. It offers a wide range of graduate-level programs, including a full-time MBA program, a part-time MBA program for fully employed students, and a variety of executive MBA programs. The Anderson School also offers a number of doctoral programs.
Anderson is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the country. It is ranked in the top 20 of all MBA programs by U.S. News and in the top 5 for part-time programs. The school has also been ranked #1 for entrepreneurship and #1 for best faculty research.
With a 35% acceptance rate, Anderson is not as brutally selective as programs like Wharton.
Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management
- Location: Evanston, IL
- Acceptance rate: 20%
- GMAT average: 724
- Tuition: $108,016
The Kellogg School of Management is a world-renowned business school at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, on the shores of Lake Michigan. It has an innovative curriculum, highly credentialed factory, and impressive student body that comes from all over the country and an array of business backgrounds. With its Chicago location, Kellogg plugs you into prestigious business networks in fields such as banking, accounting, consulting, and finance.
Boston College Carroll School of Management
- Location: Boston, MA
- Acceptance rate: 25%
- GMAT average: 646
- Tuition: $114,000
Boston College Carroll School of Management has a long history of educating some of the top business minds in the world. Its Boston location puts you in the middle of one of the top insurance and banking centers on the East Coast. With a GMAT average of 646, Carroll’s admissions criteria are more manageable than that of schools like Wharton and Kellogg.
University of Michigan Ross School of Business
- Location: Ann Arbor, MI
- Acceptance rate: 20%
- GMAT average: 722
- Tuition: $147,500
The University of Michigan Ross School of Business is another top business school with a large and dedicated alumni base. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the Ross School offers a range of programs and concentrations, and it has a strong global focus. Ross students come from all over the world, potentially tapping you into international business networks.
Why Should I Get an MBA for a Career in Sales?
Sales is a critical function in most organizations. It is the lifeblood of any company, as it’s responsible for bringing in the revenue needed to keep the business running. For those looking to have a successful career in sales, an MBA can be a great option. Here are four reasons why you should get an MBA for a career in sales:
Skills and Knowledge
There’s more to sales than “ABC: Always Be Closing” and “coffee is for closers.” In fact, most salespeople who repeat those kinds of phrases as mantras succeed only at the lower levels of sales (think shower curtain rings). Selling big-ticket products and services to C-suite executives requires a different set of skills. You learn these skills at a top MBA program.
Networking
If you want to be a top sales professional, your network is everything. And there is no better place to build it than at a top-tier MBA program.
Alumni Networks
Graduates of top business schools are kind of like a fraternity: extremely close and extremely loyal. Once you join that fraternity (and yes — it’s coed!) its members will have your back for the rest of your career.
Earning Potential
MBA graduates on average earn almost double what college graduates with bachelor’s degrees earn.
Do I Really Need an MBA to Get a Job in Sales?
You don’t need an MBA to get just any old sales job. There are call centers all over the country begging for high school dropouts to come work for them. Those are technically sales jobs.
But to get the kind of sales job that involves an expense account, a country club membership, and plenty of “work days” on the golf course entertaining prospective clients, an MBA is a huge asset.
Employers know when they hire out of prestigious MBA programs like Wharton that they’re getting a candidate who has rubbed elbows with the best and brightest in the business world. They know that compared to the candidate they just interviewed from the Enterprise Rent-A-Car management trainee program, the Wharton candidate is likely to be intimidated when an Elon Musk-type figure walks into the boardroom.
What Will I Learn in an MBA Program Focused on Sales?
A sales-focused MBA program can provide you with the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in a field that is critical to most businesses — after all, if nobody is buying a business’s products, how does it stay afloat? In a top sales MBA program, you can expect to learn about the principles of selling, effective communication strategies, and how to build relationships with clients. Additionally, you’ll gain insights into modern marketing techniques and learn how to create sales plans and forecasts.
Just as importantly, you’ll learn to be comfortable in high-level negotiations with executives whose net worths have a dizzying number of zeroes and commas at the end. This is a critical skill that can take your sales career from the mid level to the elite.
Is a Certification as Good as an MBA in Sales?
A certification can be beneficial to your sales career, but it isn’t a substitute for an MBA. A certification can show that you’re dedicated to your job and committed to learning new skills, and yes, you’ll learn a few things in the process of picking one up.
But an MBA shows you have a broader knowledge base and are equipped to handle complex business situations. Because sales is such a critical function, companies are beginning to realize the importance of a highly educated sales force, particularly in the business-to-business realm. You just can’t have amateurs walking into a Fortune 500 CEO’s office and making a do-or-die product pitch. A certification, while not useless, isn’t going to get you to that level.
The skills learned in an MBA program can help you advance your career and be more successful in sales. Additionally, an MBA can help you build relationships with clients and colleagues and give you the tools you need to be a successful leader. But you need to choose the right program; otherwise, you could end up spending a lot of time and money on something that doesn’t move your career forward. The five best sales MBA programs described in this guide are a great place to start.
