Eric Janssen
Lecturer, Entrepreneurship
Expertise:
Entrepreneurship • Strategic Growth • B2B Sales • Sales Management
Eric Janssen is an entrepreneur turned educator with deep experience as a multi-time founder and early-stage team member in venture-backed startups across both B2B and B2C. His hands-on background scaling companies and driving global revenue informs a practical, real-world approach to teaching, helping founders and leaders acquire customers, validate business models, and build scalable sales engines.
Eric is a full-time faculty member at the Ivey Business School, where he teaches Hustle & Grit, Sales Foundations and Ivey’s capstone entrepreneurship course New Venture Project. In 2024, he was recognized as one of Poets & Quants’ 50 Best Undergraduate Business Professors and has received Ivey’s highest teaching honour, the David Bergoyne Award, twice (2021 and 2024).
Beyond the classroom, Eric remains deeply engaged in the startup and growth ecosystem. He is a Limited Partner at Stage 2 Capital, a mentor to growth-stage founders, and the host of the Sales Reframed Podcast, where he explores how sales shows up in business, entrepreneurship, and everyday life. His work and insights on sales, growth, and entrepreneurial execution have been cited in Harvard Business Review, The Globe and Mail, Fast Company, and BNN, and he has collaborated with organizations including Facebook, TELUS, MNP, RBC, and Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO).
Known for his engaging teaching style and research-backed, actionable frameworks, Eric is passionate about helping founders and leadership teams navigate the realities of growth and selling in complex markets.
Programs
From call to close, build a high-performance sales practice rooted in structure, strategy, and confidence. Sharpen your mindset, strengthen your skills, and drive real growth.
Starts February 9, 2026
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Starts November 2, 2026
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Ivey Conservation Leadership Program
Develop the skills needed to spot opportunities others might miss using a growth-oriented approach that is essential for scaling conservation efforts.
Starts April 20, 2026
London, Ontario, Canada
Articles
Sales Reframed | The Resilience Engine: A Hidden Upside of Rejection
Featuring Survivor winner Erika Casupanan, 29029 co-founder Marc Hodulich, and psychologist Dr. Meg Jay, we explore the four elements that make some people unstoppable.
Sales Reframed | Unlock Your Hidden Value with Superpowers and Superpassions
In this episode, Eric Janssen brings together positioning legend April Dunford, Rob Ironside, Executive Director at League of Innovators (LOI), and Ivey Alumna Payton Beckett to explore the ultimate sales challenge: selling yourself.
Sales Reframed | How to Turn Cold Calls Into Warmer, More Authentic Connections
In this episode, host Eric Janssen explores how meaningful relationships and career-defining opportunities often begin long before the first “yes.”
Sales Reframed | Why Great Sellers Diagnose First (And How You Can Too)
What if the most powerful move in sales isn’t having the perfect pitch, but asking questions that unlock what your customer actually needs?
Sales Reframed | The GPS Blueprint: Build a Pitch That Lands
You can have real value to offer and still lose the room if your message doesn’t land. Eric Janssen explores what separates pitches that sound ‘fine’ from pitches that actually make people lean in – and say ‘yes’.
Sales Reframed | The CALM Framework: How To Handle Objections And Win Commitment
Objections aren’t rejection — they’re signals that a buyer is engaged and thinking seriously about a decision. The CALM framework (Catch, Acknowledge, Loop, Move Forward) helps sellers stay composed, respond with curiosity instead of defensiveness, and guide conversations toward genuine commitment.
