CatalyzU Sales Success Fellowship
COHORT STARTS
17 February 2025
DURATION
4 Weeks
APPLICATIONS OPEN
23 October 2024
TUITION
$500
FORMAT
About
The Sales Success Fellowship is a focused, 4-week program designed to equip aspiring sales professionals, especially those in the BPO sector, with the skills and strategies needed to excel. Combining expert-led lectures with hands-on, asynchronous learning, the program covers essential sales concepts, communication techniques, and advanced negotiation skills.
Participants will learn to analyze and optimize sales processes using CRM tools while also developing a personalized career plan for long-term success. The Fellowship culminates in a capstone project, allowing participants to apply their knowledge to real-world sales challenges, preparing them for dynamic sales roles and accelerated career growth.
Is this for you?
- Early-Career Professionals: Those with 1-2 years of experience in customer service, retail, or related roles who are motivated to transition into more specialized sales positions.
- Career Switchers: Professionals from other industries seeking to enter sales and develop the essential skills needed for success.
- Ambitious Individuals: Learners driven by targets, eager to learn, and interested in long-term career growth within dynamic and innovative companies, particularly in the BPO industry.
Curriculum
Learning Outcomes
Master Sales Roles and Core Concepts
Clearly define and differentiate between critical sales roles (e.g., SDR, BDR) and articulate the evolution of sales practices from traditional methods to modern, inbound strategies. Understand the significance of buyer personas in shaping sales approaches within various industries, particularly in the BPO sector.
Analyze, Manage, and Optimize Sales Processes
Develop a Long-term Sales Career Plan
Develop and Apply Essential Sales Skills
Execute Advanced Sales and Negotiation Techniques
Lecturers
Our lecturers are drawn from a select pool of industry leaders and potential employers, providing you with invaluable insights into the skills and strategies essential for success in their companies. These seasoned professionals will share what they’ve learned throughout their careers, offering real-world perspectives and practical advice. Participants who excel in the program will have a strong chance of being recruited by these lecturers’ companies or other affiliated organizations, opening doors to exciting career opportunities.
CatalyzU's Job Placement Platform
CatalyzConnect is our Talent Marketplace and a key value-add for our alumni, it’s focused on helping you secure a job. To be eligible for placement through this exclusive marketplace, you must pass the required aptitude tests and excel throughout the program. Consistent strong performance during the fellowship grants access to CatalyzConnect, where top graduates are connected with leading companies, including those linked to our lecturers, unlocking promising sales career opportunities.
Fellowship Support Ecosystem
Grading
To earn a certificate, students must attend 80% of sessions. Assignments will only be graded as an outstanding effort, pass or not passed. Assignments submitted after the deadline will not be considered. CatalyzU may roll out additional exclusive benefits over the program, which will be by invitation and based on overall fellowship participation.
Requirements
- Stable internet connection
- Availability to join synchronous, online lectures
- Diligence to submit assignments and quizzes before the due date
Delivery
The Fellowship is delivered over ten live virtual sessions, each lasting approximately 2 hours, alongside supporting asynchronous content spread across five weeks. This amounts to up to 4 hours of scheduled live sessions per week. The live sessions are designed to be interactive and engaging, supplemented by self-paced learning materials to reinforce and expand on the topics covered.
Student Experience
Testimonials from our Various Fellowships
Alan Mwangi
“Whether you are just getting started or you’re already on the journey, this program is designed to equip you with the necessary skills and insights to strategically build and scale in Africa.”
Elisa Ostet
“What a wonderful journey it was! I have enjoyed all the lectures in this comprehensive Venture Capital Fellowship program. It felt like a
pressure cooker sometimes while getting a holistic understanding of the VC landscape in Africa. My compliments to CatalyzU for this excellent and interactive program!“
Shuai Zhang
“The fellowship journey was an incredible learning experience, covering a comprehensive range of topics…A big thank you to CatalyzU
for the thoughtfully planned
curriculum and to all the guest lecturers for their excellent
sessions and engaging discussions!”
Phillip Madanire
“As part of my journey pursuing global investing and creating global investing
“value chain”, this completes the full exploration, research, immersion,
exposure and understanding of the gaps, opportunities, ins and outs of the global
VC and investment ecosystems for better things to come.”
Grace Jerolgan Nganakala
“This is a great opportunity. As a founder and aspiring player in the VC space, I’ve learned a lot from this fellowship, the lectures, assignments and the network have helped me better understand the VC ecosystem and their investment approach. I strongly recommend“
Adesola Adesanya
“As I reflect on my time in CatalyzU’s fellowship, I am incredibly grateful for the professional growth it has facilitated. It has been a rewarding journey filled with knowledge, connections, and inspiration. One of the most significant outcomes of my participation in the fellowship has been the honing of my skills in venture capital. I now feel more confident in my abilities and better equipped to navigate the complexities of this dynamic field.”
Kwame Gyamfi
“The Venture Fellowship is highly recommended if you want to understand the dynamics of Africa Venture Capital. In addition to the insights, I had the opportunity to learn from top-notch investors on the continent. The icing on the cake is the Africa-wide alum community I belong to; these young, competent professionals are poised for impact.”
James van Heerden
“The VC Fellowship was comprehensive and full of incredible people who I was able to learn a lot from and add to my personal network. The CatalyzU team have created a rich learning experience that is a lot of fun to complete.”
Mouhammad Dieng
“Contextualized learning. Amazing trainers. Reactive team. Valuable content.”
Richard Omondi Orido
“I’m glad I did the fellowship because I got actionable insights on what it takes to build a successful software business on the continent.”
FAQ
When will I hear back from CatalyzU?
- Typically within 10 days of applying as applications are processed on a rolling basis.
- Note considering the rolling acceptance process and our limited capacity, applying early is beneficial.
What is a Young African Catalyst?
- A Young African Catalyst is a member of our esteemed CatalyzU Alumni Community. By way of characteristics, it is a young leader in the African startup & venture ecosystem.
- At inception, CatalyzeU (formerly Young African Catalysts) focussed on individuals within the Venture Capital ecosystem that were under the age of 35, operating on the continent and catalyzing investment to startups. YAC connected VCs with one another to support their day to day function. Moving forward, YAC will do this for YACs in the entire venture ecosystem.
- During our pilot, this was restricted to the VC ecosystem. It has now been expanded to our continent’s entire startup & venture ecosystem.
- All graduates from a CatalyzU Fellowship program (such as CatalyzU into Venture Capital – Fundamentals) are admitted in the CatalyzU Alumni Ecosystem and awarded Young African Catalysts status.
Do you offer scholarships / financial aid?
- We offer need-based financial aid on a case-by-case basis. This process is determined post a candidate’s acceptance into the fellowship.
How much time is required per week?
Approximately 8 hours per week