Southwestern Advantage Blog

Southwestern Advantage - A Member of Southwestern Family of Companies Our Family of Companies features  over 20 brands  that serve businesses and consumers through financial services, consulting, real estate, fundraising, insurance, direct sales, executive placement and more. Southwestern Advantage is the founding company (1855), providing America's oldest entrepreneurial program for university students (1868). Participants of the program regularly find career opportunities within Southwestern Advantage and our  Southwestern Family of Companies . AWARDS & RECOGNITION 1,500+ participants from 200+ campuses and 20+ countries  each year Winner of the  CEIA  Charles F. Kettering Award for  Top Internship in the U.S.  - presented to Southwestern Advantage and Dr. Ralph Brigham, our Global Director of Campus Relations Recognized by the industry experts at  WayUp  as one of the nation's  Top 100 Internship Programs Recogni...

Our thanks to Jennifer Zimdahl Galt, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State for hosting participants of our entrepreneurship and cultural exchange program. https://twitter.com/ECA_AS/status/951529378164469760

i know that this is the exact opposite of everything our parents beat into our heads growing up. but to me, talking to strangers is one of the most valuable and interesting interactions one can have. perhaps this ‘stranger’ will someday become your next bunco partner or your doctor? a conversation with a stranger could result in learning about a different culture or religion, finding an apartment, gaining a recipe, improving your vocabulary, 5 minutes of belly laughter, a best friend, a lover, a long lost relative, or a business partner. i encourage you to ask people their names if you see them at least 3 times per week. your mailman, your doorman, the man in your elevator, bank line, your tailor, or the librarian. ask them where they’re from, what they like, and how they got where they are. take an interest in other people, and they will likely take an interest in you. everyone has a story to tell, it’s only a matter of sticking around long enough to hear it....

One thing Southwestern Advantage has learned in our 157 years, and something we teach our student reps , is that no one likes a pushy salesperson . Sales aside, a great way to turn people off in any situation is to make them feel pressured into your own personal agenda instead of focusing on their wants, needs, or feelings.  That being the case, saying  No to purchasing our products is perfectly fine. They're not affiliated with your local school -- they're purely supplemental -- they're not a fit for everyone. In fact, good luck finding a single company that makes a product that's a fit for everyone.  Are we convicted in our products?  Absolutely .  Can a family move closer towards their educational goals by using our products?  We believe so . Do we encourage our student reps to be pleasantly persistent when approaching families and asking to speak with them about education?  Definitely . Education is life-changing . It should take ...

One of the most common questions we are frequently asked is...  "Why do you sell door-to-door??" What is this – the 1950s? Ever heard of e-commerce? Fair questions. The answers are pretty simple though and will likely make sense to you. It starts with our Sales and Leadership Program for college & university students – a program where students are able to gain valuable and transferrable skills by building their own local small business. Students work heavily through networking, referrals, and recommendations – and yes – even door-to-door cold calling! Why though? The human part Have you noticed that our culture spends more and more time staring at screens, but less and less time empathizing with the people around us? Communication skills, relationships, and healthy mental and emotional development do not grow by staring at a screen. They do by interacting with people face-to-face. The college student at your door knows they are part of a society...

If you've been visited by a smiling college-aged door-to-door salesperson with some books , there's a good chance it was one of the collegiate salespeople with our company,  Southwestern Advantage   (est. 1855) . We're always making efforts to listen to the voices of families whom our student salespeople visit so we may always be striving to serve communities more effectively.  So why did they come to my house?  To explain why you were visited, the student rep who stopped by your home is running their own business out-of-state (or country) this summer meeting with every family, if possible, in your community selling Southwestern Advantage apps/sites/books -- educational products designed to fit the goals of families from reading basics up to college prep. The products are found helpful by about 150,000 customers each summer, however, many choose instead to pass. Regardless of a sale or a No Thanks, the student rep is making efforts to visit ever...