Even in tough economic times, Caterpillar, Inc. has registered impressive growth in sales and in stock value. With 2010 sales and revenues of $42.6 billion, Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives.  Fortune Magazine in May 2011 reported that, since the beginning of 2010, the price of the company’s shares has risen an astounding 88 percent. “That makes Cat by far the best-performing stock among the 30 components of the Dow index, which rose 18% overall during the same period,” reads the article, aptly titled “Caterpillar is Absolutely Crushing It.”

In fact, for more than 85 years, Caterpillar has been making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change worldwide. In late 2010, the company turned to Rutgers School of Business—Camden (SBC) Executive Education to help it maintain this momentum.

“When Caterpillar contacted us, we quickly focused our resources and energy to design a flexible, global solution that would support its tremendous recent success and aggressive global sales growth forecasts,” said Ray Compari, Rutgers SBC Associate Dean for Executive Education.

The effort centered on the Caterpillar Dealer Network, which includes nearly 200 independent retail and service businesses that support Caterpillar products. The network is regarded by the company as the best in the world at distributing parts and equipment.

“Caterpillar challenged us to design an interactive learning experience for the sales managers at these global dealers,” Compari explained. “The goal was to help them increase their capabilities to effectively sell Caterpillar products in a competitive global market.”

Working in partnership with Caterpillar, Rutgers SBC Executive Education created a multi-month, virtual training program in Sales Management. The curriculum focuses on key sales management competencies such as coaching, leadership, sales funnel management, and sales team management.

The program’s innovative, virtual delivery involves three components. Participants are divided into “cohorts” based on their geographic location. Each group participates in a monthly webinar. Additionally, participants independently take online courses that support the program’s learning objectives. Finally, individual and team assignments promote incorporation of new skills in day-to-day practices.

“We currently are training groups of Caterpillar Dealer Sales Managers in the Middle East, Africa, Canada, and the United States,” Compari noted. “With the success we have achieved so far, Caterpillar recently asked our Executive Education team to translate our program to support Caterpillar Dealers in Russia, China, and Latin America.”

Learner response has been terrific. “The training was essential to my growth as a manager,” said one participant.

“I recommend this course for all sales managers, whether they are new in the position or not,” noted another.

Rutgers SBC Executive Education is a recognized leader in providing non-credit training solutions for business professionals. The team works with clients in industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, gaming, state and local government, consumer goods, and more to maximize workforce and organizational capacity.

Partnerships with global business leaders like Caterpillar allow Rutgers SBC Executive Education to leverage these industry-leading training experiences to deliver similar programs for its client base.

For more information, visit the Executive Education website or call 856-225-6685.

Read more about Rutgers University Executive Education’s Corporate & Custom Training capabilities.

Original article: http://docs.rutgers.edu/alumni/rutgers-helps-caterpillar-maintain-growth