How do you attract people to a field (sales) that they think has a notoriously suspect reputation? How do you turn perceptions of sales as a “pushy,” “manipulative,” and “untrustworthy” endeavor into a respectable opportunity that could launch participants into a world of respectable and lucrative work?
That was the challenge John Kratz faced in 2019 when he went after Gen Z students to enroll in the first public university sales major that he created in the state of Minnesota.
He had the university’s blessing and he had backing from Fortune 500 company 3M. Now, all he needed was the students!
How did he do it? With story and metaphor.