[arturs]

In order to get a job as sales representative I need to submit the answer to the following question:
You are director of the MBA course in some university, you are also selling this course. From your peer you got to know that some CEO does not have highest education, but after you talked with him he did not seemed to be interested and he also did not understand why he as a successful businesman needs to learn.
Now you are getting with him in elavator, you have just one minute time, how will you convince him to cooperate?
Main Idea - How to sell an MBA course to millionaire? It must be just creative idea, has nothing to do with my job responsibilities.

I had ideas like:
"It`s posibility to prove your professionalism and so on.... "
"You have reached a certain level in your career and now you want to take the next step. You are not as interested in switching careers as you are in advancing your existing career and so on..."

Sorry for my bad English...

I`ll be grateful for any ideas!

thanks in advance

[akula]

one way:

a post MBA salary is typically 80-100% higher than pre MBA salary

over the term of someone's career, this diffrence adds up to well over a million dollars in benefit for less than 100 thousand in cost.

to sell the MBA, you can program an online calculator that would crunch salary surveys data and project how much a financial return the prospective student is likely to get, in return for their tuition fee.

the other way to decide is:

1) list all the features of the MBA. The campus, the proffessors, the cost, alumni etc..

2) compare these features to the features of all of your competition

3) Find a feature which you have, that your competitors don't.

4) Translate that feature into the benefit and make that into a sentense.

E.g. You find that your MBA's take the shortest time to compete, therefore your pitch is:

Do a (insert college name) MBA and get on with life.

You find you have the most cited proffessors on faculty:

Come to (college name) and learn from the best.

etc etc...

[akula]

Originally Posted by arturs

How to sell an MBA course to millionaire?

Stress non financial benefits:

- The MBA has the hardest course load

" Do our MBA and be challanged"

- The GMAT cut-off is very high:

" Do our MBA and be in good company".

People are motivated by sense of achivement and sense of affiliation with others. Play on these motivations.

[akula]

Also, sense of recognition.

The MBA has an elaborate graduation ceremony-

"Do our MBA and be recognised"

the you explain the feature...e.g. because you will be invited to some event.

[MidAtlanticCoins]

Originally Posted by arturs

he did not seemed to be interested and he also did not understand why he as a successful businesman needs to learn.

Very interesting thread. As one whom gets solicited with many proposals and ideas each week, I have yet to be convinced by any. However, you will have to convey the "facts" rather than possibilities.
The other person stated basic facts such as post MBA salaries are 80 to 100 percent higher, but how will this effect someone who already makes a significant income?
Challenge? Again this would not sell me on the idea. The typical CEO has enough challenges everyday.
MBA's are in good company? Again, success will bring you good company.
Do our MBA and be recognised and The MBA has an elaborate graduation ceremony are pretty much fluff in the real world.

I have noticed that is the people who already have the highest education that promote the "need" for it.
However, I have found that education will only get you in the door. Desire takes you where you want to be.

When I consider "key" people, it is based on their desire and accomplishments, not the paper.

[arturs]

Thanks for every answer I`ll think about those ideas..
also thanks to MidAtlanticCoins but it would be great if you could provide some good ideas not just saying what`s not good!
Question to MidAtlanticCoins how to find this desire in successful businesman to take MBA course?

Currently I`m writing down some things that are of interest to successful businesman like:
1.more money -knowlegde brings more money anytime..
2.great contacts - many students in MBA course or executive MBA are successful businesman
3.more free time - as you learn to do things more efficiently you have more time
.....
..... and so on

Currently my main challenge is to write it all in short direct speech also called 10`s commercial, elavator speech, wich I could say while driving with him in elavator - that is stated in this task!

I like challangees, so I hope I`ll find some good solution!

Looking for some more ideas...

Thanks in advance

[evolvingentrepreneur]

I think in many cases entrepreneurs like myself are into reaching new pinnacles of personal achievement and personal growth.

I would craft a marketing message based on this theory.

[MidAtlanticCoins]

Originally Posted by arturs

Question to MidAtlanticCoins how to find this desire in successful businesman to take MBA course?

I wish that I could provide a more positive answer. When trying to "sell" to a person, you have to take into consideration that persons goals and desires. I will give you an example of my industry. There are roughly 3500 professionals in my industry, and 1 person has a PHD. There are a handful of others with B.S. degrees. Now this is an industry that generates around 18 billion dollars each year in the U.S. alone. So higher education is not a high priority in my industry.
So I tend to look at business in a different aspect than most. When I receive offers or proposals from others, the first question that I ask, is what will this do for me. Providing general information does not tell me what this will do for me. Just because "others" have experienced gains, does not always equal similar success for all.
I know people who are extrememly successful in MLM ventures, yet many fail when they try. This is the same principle.
If I were to try to "sell" higher education, I would get very specific with the person with whom I was trying to sell to. I would have to learn his/her goal. Then translate how higher education would benefit them directly. Tossing out to a millionaire that by spending time and money will make them X amount of dollars doesn't really tell them much.

I will give you a silly example:
If each morning your morning newspaper was delivered with $1000 inside, how long would it take before it wasn't worth your time to go outside and pick up the paper? A year? Two? Three? If you were a millionaire, would it truly be worth your time to go out and pick up a thousand dollars?

This is why you must "know" the person with whom you are dealing with. You will have to work within their goals and desires.

[arturs]

I just read one more time my question:
Question to MidAtlanticCoins how to find this desire in successful businesman to take MBA course?
and understood that actually I wanted to ask what should I tell him that he would have this desire to take this MBA course, but it`s not important anymore, I already submitted my answer! I`ll post it later if you wish.

Anyway thanks for your answer! I agree to all your statments I think the same, but as I sad my main problem was to make up some small elavator speech in wich to persued him to take this MBA course.

Anyway I enjoyed a lot my first posts and answers in this forums and I`ll come back more often now. I enjoy discussions with intellegent and respeonsive people..

Thanks for your answers!

c ya