Lively celebration for 180 new federally certified sales managers

Today, the business world places high demands on sales managers. They are expected to be able to develop and implement a sales concept based on the company's objectives. They are able to successfully manage a sales department in all areas, both in the office and in the field, and achieve maximum impact in relation to the effort required.
Jean-Paul Zürcher, President of the examination board, emphasized in his speech: "The sales manager examination as a higher federal examination is celebrating its 35th edition this year - that alone shows how enduring the value of this certificate is in the economy."
The professional examination is organized by the sponsoring associations Swiss Marketing (SMC), KV Schweiz and Verkauf Schweiz. Of the 264 candidates who completed the written and oral examination, 180 (68 percent) were successful, while 84 (32 percent) did not pass. The youngest participant was 25 years old, the oldest 52 years young. Around 12 percent of the newly qualified sales managers are women. Examiner Stephan Günther calculated that the distance from Bern to Thun could be covered on paper if the 30,000 A4 pages marked in the five written exams were lined up.
The following were specially congratulated as ranked candidates: Bernhard Däppen, Eich/LU (grade 5.1), Gabriel Troyon, Champvent/VD (grade 5.0) and René Bachmann, Winterthur (grade 5.0).
Evelyne Binsack then reported on her top performance and very personal impressions, who first crossed Europe and then the entire American continent by bike from Innertkirchen BE, before finally setting off on an expedition to Antarctica and reaching the icy South Pole by sledge after around 28,000 kilometers. Her personal conclusion to the almost inhuman exertions: "There are no shortcuts to big goals."
This was followed by a gala dinner in the festive setting of the Salle de Versailles, where the newly appointed sales managers and their families were able to celebrate their success in style. In the bar, not only mineral water was drunk until long after midnight ...
Patrick Bernd Buchert

Doped economy, doped training
By Dr. Peter Petrin, Vice President of Swiss Marketing (SMC) and Director of the SIB Swiss Institute of Business Economics (ww.sib.ch).
I was almost moved when I saw the television images of millionaire top managers asking the state for financial help. This brief touch of emotion was followed by annoyance. When the high priests of the market economy suddenly want to tap into the state or the public purse, things are really bad for us. Is that credible? And what happens in an economy and society in which the leaders are no longer credible? There is another way of putting it: In certain industries, top managers unashamedly request doping in order to survive in a competitive environment. Doping is when you use illegal means and methods to increase your own performance. Doping also means administering drugs. Drugs have fatal consequences. They only appear to strengthen the body; in reality they destroy it. And they are difficult to get off. In sport, we have seen that doping can also take on epidemic dimensions. Once someone starts, it doesn't take long - and almost everyone is doping. The consequences are devastating. We can only hope that we will be spared this in business.
I know what I'm writing about because I work in an industry where doping has become socially acceptable, and not just since the financial crisis. Doping is widespread in the training industry. It is simply called subsidizing. And the consequences are what you might expect. Those who do not have to distinguish themselves on the market through innovation and customer orientation will eventually become complacent and self-centered. The market economy is a marketing economy; there are many methods and instruments in marketing. However, you will not find the term subsidies in the index of any marketing textbook. We have suffered repeated setbacks in our economy, but we owe our high standard of living to the market economy and competitive economy. Doping does not belong in any industry; incidentally, this also applies to the further education sector.

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