Volunteers needed for “Selling with Purpose” on April 25

Selling with Purpose

Do you love to sell? Does your heart flutter at the thought of closing a deal or winning a new customer?

If so — the Prison Entrepreneurship Program needs you!

We are seeking a executive volunteers (particularly those with sales experience!) to join us for Class 21’s “Selling with Purpose” event will be on Friday, April 25, 2014 from 11:30am-5:00pm at the Cleveland Correctional Center in Cleveland, Texas (about 45 minutes North of Houston).

Our “Selling Night” event gives our participants the opportunity to present their Business Plan to you as a potential customer. This fast-paced event involves volunteers hearing one-on-one “sales pitches” in a speed-dating format. You then grade the presenters so that they can strengthen their approach over the final months of the program, all in preparation for the ultimate test before graduation.

See schedule to RSVP here.

This Week In Prison: Sell, Baby, Sell!

The college textbook PEP uses in prison

With two major BPC events on Friday and Saturday, this is a really big week in prison for Class 19!

This afternoon, our CEO Bert Smith will cover another new chapter in “Entrepreneurship: A Small Business Approach.” This week, we discuss Chapter 14: Franchising and Purchasing an Existing Business. This is one of the final lessons that our participants receive on their path towards securing a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business.

On Friday, over 60 executives have registered to attend the “Selling with Purpose” event where our participants will pitch them one-on-one in “mock selling” presentations. The executives get to set the scene for the role-playing (i.e. “we are sitting next to each other at a little league game, and our kids are on different sides of the ball.”), and then our participants have 10 minutes to begin a conversation that leads to them either closing the deal or booking an appointment for a follow-up.

See photos from last class’s Selling with Purpose event at http://prisonentrepreneurshipprogram.zenfolio.com/c18selling

The very next morning, our participants return for Business Plan Workshop … and they will be greeted by one of our largest crowds EVER for such an event — over 70 executives! The participants and executives will share valuable one-on-one time, during which the participants share the feedback that they have received on their presentations/business plans so that the executives can help them to improve their pitches. This is all aimed towards strengthening the initial presentations that our participants will make at their May 17 “Pitch Day” event.

See photos from last class’s Business Plan Workshop at http://prisonentrepreneurshipprogram.zenfolio.com/c18bpworkshop

All of this preparation culminates on June 6 and 7, when PEP launches its 19th Business Plan Competition in prison.

Learn more about these events here.

See you in prison!

This Week in Prison … Integrity Selling

A photo from last class’s “Selling with Purpose” event. Click to see more.

Later this month, Class 19 will have its “Selling with Purpose” event on Friday, April 19 from 11:30 – 5:00 pm. This event gives our participants the opportunity to present their Business Plan to our executive volunteers as potential business contacts. This fast-paced event involves volunteers hearing one-on-one “sales pitches” in a speed-dating format. Volunteers then grade the presenters so that they can strengthen their approach over the final months of the program, all in preparation for the ultimate test before graduation.

The very next day – Saturday, April 20 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm – the guys return to the PEP Classroom for our Business Plan Workshop. During this event, they will get their hands dirty on improving their pitches and their plans while working one-on-one with executive volunteers to respond to the written and oral feedback the participants received on their business plans the prior day. These back-to-back events combine to make good business plans even better!

(Register to attend either event here.)

In preparation for these events, the guys on the unit are getting ready for an intense “Integrity Selling” class this Friday. The class is taught by long-time volunteers (and members of PEP’s Dallas Advisory Board) Steve Hausman and David Rains, as well as other executives who will be joining them. These tremendous volunteers help our participants not only learn how to hone their salesmanship skills, but how to cultivate relationships with customers that stand on a firm foundation of personal integrity. Our goal is not just to make our participants better salesmen … but better MEN overall.

Volunteer Blogs about Taking Vacation … to Prison!

Thank you to our volunteer Amanda for writing this great blog about her experience visiting PEP this past week:

Today I went to prison.

I have supported Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) for several years with small financial gifts and this year as an Executive Business Adviser. So, this year when planning my vacation to the U.S., I decided to make a stop in Houston. I wanted to see firsthand what they do and also participate in “Selling Night” where PEP participants gain valuable experience pitching and crafting their business plans.

Then, all of the sudden last night I began to think, “What the heck am I doing?” In Houston, going to a prison? And I was a little bit nervous.

The event today was amazing. I have rarely been so welcomed into a community of people eager to meet me and have what we refer to in the Dominican as anintercambio – the meeting of two or more people on level ground to learn from and serve each other.

The men in the PEP are near release and have undergone an intensive interview process to be able to participate in a challenging-MBA like program. I had read the literature, but still was not prepared for how well spoken, genuine, and eager to work hard they would be.

The biggest take away for me today was: we are all the same. As the men pitched to me they were nervous. As I got ready this morning I was nervous. They have made some mistakes and the good Lord knows just how many of those I have made too. I saw myself in them. I have been given many second chances and good gifts I did not deserve. I want to be a facilitator of those same things to them too.

Several Executive Volunteers stood up and addressed the men and told them they came to this event and to serve them because the men are worthy. So true.