Alumnus Patrick Klesius (political science + MS information systems), who has spent his career in the luxury retail industry, is passionate about helping Auburn students achieve their sales career dreams. Recently, he made a major gift to the Harbert College of Business to support the Department of Marketing’s instructional efforts.

This fall, marketing faculty Jisu Kim and Emory Serviss are using part of Klesius’ donation to enhance the MKTG 4450 Customer Relationship Management (CRM) course. CRM software platforms are a powerful tool companies use to extract actionable insights from customer data and ultimately strengthen relationships with their customers and increase sales.

We teach the students why it’s important to have a broad view of their customers and their preferences, Serviss said. He and Kim also cover topics such as data collection complexities and governance and CRM data integration with other applications.

“It’s not really a technical class, but we give students just enough to see that CRM is a tool [that facilitates] a 360-degree relationship with customers and how it enables [sales and marketing] professionals to personalize offers and segment customers,” said Serviss.

CRM in the classroom: Learning by doing

Thanks to the gift, students are for the first time receiving hands-on instruction in how to use Salesforce—one of the leading CRM platforms that Klesius said holds 20% of the CRM product market and is used by more than 150,000 companies and organizations worldwide.

“With the new Salesforce training support, thanks to the donation, our CRM course now offers a more unique and highly valuable experience for Auburn’s marketing students,” said Kim, who learned CRM technology from the ground up when she designed the course in 2022.

According to Serviss, the course addresses a major industry need—graduates who can make actionable insights from the massive quantities of data that companies collect from customers.

“Companies are choking on the amount of data that they have,” he said, noting how there’s a need for newly minted graduates to build marketing campaigns based on customer segmentation.

About halfway through the semester, a Salesforce professional training firm provided multiple in-class sales scenarios for the 93 marketing students, teaching them to think critically while gaining practical experience with how the software functions.

As the semester winds down, Serviss and Kim are having guest speakers come into the class and show the students how they use Salesforce and other CRM products to excel in their careers.

“Marketing and sales reps are showing our students how they use data in their CRM system to drive strategy,” said Serviss, who noted that representatives from Auburn’s Miller Writing Center will end the semester with self-reflection exercises so the students can take what they’ve learned and add it to their resumes and LinkedIn profiles.

The students' perspective

Already, marketing senior Daniel Etherton, who graduates in December, has touted the benefits of the course in job interviews, where, he said, recruiters have asked about CRM experience.

“The course has been insightful and really helpful,” said Etherton, who plans to enroll in a master’s degree program at Auburn after graduating in December. “The in-person Salesforce training is invaluable because it’s so much better than just [an] on-line certification.”

Senior Morgan Prudenti said the Salesforce training has given her a competitive advantage in the job search.

“I’ve been able to give concrete examples of how I’ve used CRM platforms,” said Prudenti, who plans to pursue a sales career in media or new home construction after she graduates in December. “The [in-class] scenarios have [allowed me] to practice what I’d be doing on a daily basis.”

Marketing senior Hunter Pilgreen said the Salesforce training has really helped him understand the power of CRM systems.

“It’s been so valuable,” he said. “I definitely learn better when I can get my hands on something rather than just sitting in a classroom and learning about it.”

For Klesius, who is the director of strategy at luxury jewelry brand David Yurman in New York City, the student feedback is rewarding, especially since he saw first-hand how CRM platforms can help drive sales and retain customers.

“They all had CRM systems, and [it] was important to talk to their retail customers to make sure they’re communicating their brand’s heritage,” said Klesius, who also worked for upscale fashion brands Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors earlier in his career. “Knowing that last customer you have a relationship with is critical.”

Klesius is pleased that his gift is enhancing the marketing and sales skillsets that get students hired.

“I strongly prefer a tutorial system—small group teaching with in-person dialog—which is what we’re doing in the CRM course,” he said. “It’s immersion in the real world of technological innovation and industry is clamoring for this talent that can get to work immediately.”

Prudenti expressed gratitude for Klesius’ gift and what it has enabled.

“It feels great that [he] wants us to succeed,” she said.

Serviss said he and Kim will continue offering the CRM Salesforce training each year.

“I want students to leave this class saying, ‘wow, I really got something out of it,’” Serviss said. “CRM can be pretty dry, but we can help [students] connect the dots without [having programming experience]. They’ll realize that they might have to put their shoulder down and push through it, but then they’ll see the benefit of CRM.”

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