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Social Commerce and Sales Certificate

Connect with consumers through effective sales strategies and marketing

Program facts Business icon


  • Credit hours: 18
  • Stackable to degree: No
  • Potential job outcomes: Account representative, marketing associate, sales associate

Do you enjoy helping people solve problems? Do you like to work on your own schedule and build a career path based on your own performance? Prepare for a career in sales with this 18-credit-hour certificate program. This is an ideal program for individuals interested in obtaining entry-level sales positions, along with people who want to expand their selling and account servicing skills. Sales careers are experiencing continuous growth and have a bright career outlook for the future.

Our program focuses on helping you understand your target market and how best to reach them, how to use social media as a tool to grow your customer base and complete sales, and how to use your smartphone as your sales support. Learn social commerce techniques that will escalate your sales career to the next level.

Completing this certificate program is a convenient and affordable way to determine whether a career in social commerce and sales is right for you. Some students may qualify to graduate debt-free by participating in Harper’s Sales and Retail Management Apprenticeship program.

This program is available in an accelerated Fast Track format, giving you added flexibility, and a great start in Spring 2021. Or join our fully online program that will allow you to honor your commitments and get your education staring this Fall.

Certificate program requirements

This 21 credit-hour certificate program is designed to provide in-service and pre-service training and development for professional sales and sales management personnel representing manufacturers, service marketers, wholesalers and retailers. Through the selection of courses, this program can satisfy both the career needs of individuals seeking to develop and expand their selling and account servicing skills and individuals preparing for sales management responsibilities. This certificate program would be especially appropriate for individuals who are entering the professional field without a formal sales or marketing education.

To achieve an individualized program designed to complement the student's industrial and educational background, the selection of electives should be made in consultation with the coordinator.

The Associate in Applied Science in Business Administration includes a specialized study area for Social Commerce and Sales. Please refer to Business Administration in this section of the catalog if you are interested in pursuing a degree in this discipline.

Required:

Number Course Title Credits
ENT 154 or

Description:  Investigates positives and negatives of entrepreneurship and the process of concept to new venture. Analyzes typical venture errors and focuses on strategic management. Evaluates business ownership and franchising, pricing strategies, financing, location selection and human capital management. Discovers personal leadership traits. Assesses the personal entrepreneurial mindset.

Class Schedule:  Summer 2023 | Fall 2023

MGT 111 3

Description:  Introduces the nature of business and the environment in which it operates. Forms of business ownership, introduction to operative and facilitating facets of business operation, management, marketing, accounting, statistics, business law, finance, investments, insurance and labor-management relations.

Class Schedule:  Summer 2023 | Fall 2023

MKT 140 3

Description:  Focuses upon the principal factors of successful selling of goods or ideas. Examines buying motives, sales psychology, customer approach and sales techniques.

Class Schedule:  Summer 2023 | Fall 2023

MKT 145 3

Description:  Focuses on how to source, identify and evaluate prospective customers and consumers. Identifies the uses various tools and techniques to distinguish and assess likely sources for new customers and convert customers into buyers to beat the competition.

Class Schedule:  Summer 2023 | Fall 2023

MKT 180 3

Description:  Introduces the fundamental skills needed to develop Web-appropriate written content that can be leveraged for strategic marketing purposes on multiple digital platforms. Evaluates platform requirements and explains the nuances of multimedia writing. Presents techniques to identify success metrics, assess and report content performance and make data-driven recommendations.

Recommended: ENG 101 or placement options into ENG 101: english-placement-grid.php

Class Schedule:  Summer 2023 | Fall 2023

MKT 242 3

Description:  Emphasizes the principles, components and processes of marketing and sales for creating and sustaining a competitive advantage to consistently beat the competition. Identifies and evaluates how to develop and retain a competitive advantage in the rapidly changing business environment.

Class Schedule:  Summer 2023 | Fall 2023

MKT 243 3

Description:  Provides an introduction to social commerce and how to use the major social platforms on a smartphone to market and increase sales. Reviews sales initiatives including programs and alerts to increase sales with targeted customers. Explains the importance of using reward programs in social commerce to increase sales, referrals and customer loyalty.

Class Schedule:  Summer 2023 | Fall 2023

Electives: Select three credit hours from the following courses:

Number Course Title Credits
ACC 211 3

Description:  Presents the history of the source of law, civil and criminal wrongs, law of contracts, agency, employment, property, and related topics. Problems and case materials are used. (NOTE: Transfer students should check with the school they will be transferring to regarding the transferability of this course.)

Class Schedule:  Summer 2023 | Fall 2023

MKT 217 3

Description:  Purposes of advertising, how advertisements are prepared and delivered in media, and how effectiveness of advertising is measured and evaluated in relation to the selling and marketing process. IAI MC 912

Class Schedule:  Summer 2023 | Fall 2023

MKT 247 3

Description:  Reviews and analyzes areas of consumer and organizational buying behavior that guide marketing management decisions. The focus of the course will be directed toward the application of concepts on buying behavior to specific functional areas of marketing management in both the industrial and consumer markets.

Class Schedule:  Summer 2023 | Fall 2023

MKT 252 3

Description:  Presents techniques on how to design, maintain, and market effective digital storefronts. Focuses on communicating, selling, and providing content to Web-based stores and other Internet businesses.

Class Schedule:  Summer 2023 | Fall 2023

Related programs

Students interested in business may also be interested in:

Resources

Next steps

For more information about courses in sales and management at Harper, contact Admission Outreach at 847.925.6700, or submit a request information form. You can also apply online.

Last Updated: 5/23/23