PENDLETON -- Tri-County Technical College’s Corporate and Community Education (CCE) Division team was among the 17 colleges honored by the National Council of Continuing Education and Training (NCCET) with a 2019 Exemplary Program Award.
Dr. Rick Cothran, dean of the division, accepted the award on behalf of his staff at the NCCET 50th Anniversary Conference held in Orlando, Florida, December 10-13, 2019. NCCET identified outstanding programs from across the country that directly aligned with the three-tiered mission of the organization. Winners must either provide new and innovative staff development capability, or introduce new curriculum for an evolving workforce, or provide a new source of revenue for the school.
“You are deserving of recognition for your outstanding success in the New Workforce Development Curriculum category of this awards program for your innovative launch of the Consultative Selling class and your effective implementation of the Instructor T3 (Train the Trainer) Program at Tri-County Technical College,” said Lorraine Richardson, vice president of operations, Growth Development Associates, Inc.
Consultative Selling is a sales approach that prioritizes relationships and open dialogue to identify and provide solutions to a customer’s needs. This technique helps sales professionals better understand the challenges faced by customers so they can position their solutions in a more compelling and effective way.
Tri-County offered its first Consultative Selling class last fall with 17 individuals enrolled.
Students in Consultative Selling build and hone the fundamental skills necessary for effective sales and customer support conversations. Students learn to build relationships, gain interest, understand needs, present solutions (not pitches), close for true commitment and handle genuine customer objections.
“Our Consultative Selling classes have been tailored to folks in our real estate sales,” said Dr. Cothran. “They learn to interface with their clients to better determine their needs. They also learn how to communicate better with their clientele,” he said.
Three members of the CCE Division completed the three-day class.
“Consultative Selling is a structured approach to sales,” said Wade Pitts, CCE training and development director, who completed the class. “The number-one open job today is sales and we are dedicated to meeting that need,” he added.
“The class also serves as an avenue to a national certification,” said Ron Humphries, CCE training and development director for the Center for Workforce Excellence, who also completed the class.
“The skills emphasized in this class give real estate students an edge in today’s job market. This class offers them the tools to be successful,” said Dr. Cothran.
“This award is indicative of the quality of our team and the heart that each has toward helping people help themselves,” added Dr. Cothran.
“The importance of the Exemplary Program Awards (EPA) cannot be overstated,” said NCCET Executive Director Ed Harper. “This is not a contest. Far more important than deciding whose program is the best, the EPA selection process subjects the programs to intense evaluation and scrutiny to assure evidence-based achievement. What is really important is the willingness and commitment to share the program benefits with other schools and peer organizations.”