active throughout Europe today evolved form Operation Enterprise.
1953 SMEI Graduate School of Sales and Marketing Management
The SMEI Graduate School of Sales and Marketing (GSSMM) started as a result of the NSEI president Robert Whitney visiting the Newark New Jersey Club. NSEI members Pete Bove, Gordon Bass and Frank Bowles suggested he visit Rutgers University in New Brunswick where the American Banker Association had a graduate School of Banking.
After several meetings with educators from Northwestern, Harvard, Ohio State, Indiana State, Michigan State and the University of Pennsylvania a plan was worked out for starting the GSSMM. Many educators were skeptical because there were no case studies available at that time, however with the support of Jim Hawkinson a curriculum was organized.
There was still considerable resistance by some influential members whose companies had “Sales Schools” of their own. With the strong support of Tom Watson of IBM and Ray Eppert of Burroughs the NSEI Board of Directors approved it.
In 1953 a preliminary operation for GSSMM was started at Rutgers University. The beginning faculty included Jim Hawkinson of Northwestern, H.H. Maynard of Ohio State, Maynard Phelps of the University of Michigan and representatives from Harvard, Indiana State, and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Interestingly the NSEI Board had approved the name of the school as the Graduate School of Sales Management. In the course development stage, it was found that the name “The Graduate School of Sales Management” did not go far enough for educational and recognition purposes. While the NSEI
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Board had approved the name when they printed the first promotional brochure they added the word marketing. The reason for this was the professors had trouble interesting students in selling but they had no trouble getting them to take marketing.
For the first five years the NSEI President was Chancellor of the GSSMM and the school operated on three principles:
First, the school was designed for students and originally it was two three- week terms but later reduced to two, two- week terms - one each year.
At the end of each lecture the students graded the professors as to how successful they were in presenting their material. Every evening the evaluation cards from each student of each course were reviewed and the professors were told how they rated. If their programs did not meet the expectations of the students they either improved or were not brought back the next year.
Second, at the end of each year NSEI would restructure the next year’s course curriculum. The class officers who were elected by the students were paid to come to New York and sit down on Friday evening and Saturday morning with the NSEI Educational Director and the NSEI President and go over each course and determine what items needed to be improved and also review how efficiently the professors were doing the job expected of them.
This strong in-put from practicing Sales and Marketing Executives gave the GSSMM a credibility that could not be achieved were the program strictly in the hands of professors.
Third, that women/wives were invited to visit their spouses while at the school. On the last two days for the graduating class their wives were invited to attend. This gave the entire program a more family spirit and a great deal more acceptance
marketingtimes
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