Top Hat Launches Sales University Aimed at New Grads

A leading educational tech company in Toronto is launching a new program designed to attract and train new employees in the city.

Top Hat has unveiled their Sales University, a two-year training regiment that will offer those who enrol a chance to learn what it takes to succeed in a sales and tech role. The program is aimed at new graduates and candidates with little to no sales experience, as well as those who have been hired on as territory sales reps at Top Hat.

Sales University covers the fundamentals of what it means to sell a product or service and comes with progressive certifications at each stage. Once the program is completed, graduates will receive a two-month paid sabbatical to pursue independent work or leisure.

“We’re looking for grads who are creative problem-solvers, who are positive and resilient and who can provide unique solutions on-the-fly to interesting and challenging problems,” wrote Top hat’s CEO Mike Silagadze.

The program is split into four semesters, starting off slowly then ramping up into more specialized topics. The first semester addresses topics like prospecting clients and learning the basics of cold calling. The final semester teaches students how to be a Salesforce guru, high-level negotiation skills, and leadership, among other traits.

Leaders of the program involve some of the leading executives at Top Hat, such as Shannon Hamilton, the VP of inside sales; and Naseem Saloojee, the VP of revenue. Other leaders include serial entrepreneur and Groupon co-founder Jens Hutzschenreuter and Cerebral Selling sales consultant David Priemer.

The program essentially acts as a sales training program with the intent of using Top Hat’s talented staff and partners to bring expertise to new grads and hires who may be interested in expanding their knowledge but can’t really go to a separate program or make mistakes when learning on the job. The added perk of two-months of paid time off will hopefully entice new workers to check out Sales University and recognize the quick-growing top Hat as a great place to start a sales career.

A sales role at Top Hat builds off the company’s goal to redefine education and bring a new inexpensive way for people to learn to the masses. The company targets professors and teachers instead of institutions, which means sales reps often have a lot of ground to cover and a lot of names to reach out to. Reps have to pitch Top Hat’s SaaS platform and bring the program into as many classrooms as possible.