SUU Professional Sales Hosts Annual Sales Never Fails Competition
Published: November 08, 2023 | Author: Mary Amateis | Read Time: 3 minutes
Southern Utah University’s Professional Sales program was thrilled to hold the annual “Sales Never Fails” competition. The competition is the biggest sales event of the semester, offering ProSales students the opportunity to refine their sales skills through a sales pitch setting. Students also have the opportunity to get feedback from the judges on their performance to further their personal and professional development. This year, three contenders came out on top: Marlee Ressler, Chandler White, and Jakob Harrison Stock.
The Professional Sales program holds a large-scale sales event in the spring and fall semesters to continue to give students opportunities to hear from professionals in the field and practice their sales skills. These events use real-life sales pitch scenarios to prepare them for anything they may face in the real world. “Sales Never Fails” is open to all majors across the university.
The students receive a prompt and have minutes to convince the judges why they should invest in their product above the others.
This year, the prompt was to sell SalesForce (a Customer Relationship Management Software– to a fictional medical device manufacturing company named MedTech with a small market cap. Contestants were instructed to pretend they were marketing specialists for SalesForce selling the software to MedTech employees.
The students competed head-to-head in four rounds that simulated the sales process. First, they competed in the virtual qualifier, or prospecting round, to determine who would compete in the in-person competition. Those who passed the qualifier competed in the final three rounds in person. The different rounds simulated discovery, proposal, negotiation and closing. Students were allowed a certain amount of time in each round to impress the judges and those who passed continued on in the competition.
After each round, judges were allowed to provide individual feedback on how the students did and how they could improve. The winners were declared at the end of the night and awarded the prize money respectively. The feedback and suggestion portion of the competition is one of the most valuable parts of the competition; it fosters growth and development both personally and professionally.
The first-place winner, Marlee Ressler, also competed in last year's competition and took first again from the prompt surrounding wedding planning services. Ressler is a graduate student in SUU’s MBA Program with an emphasis in leadership. This year, Ressler walked away with the first-place prize of 500$. “This is my sixth sales competition,” said Ressler. “But every time, I have the opportunity to refine my selling skills and be more comfortable with public speaking.”
"Sales Never Fails was a showcase of the improving quality of our sales students and the expanding reach of our academic and experiential learning activities. The contest attracted industry leaders and mentors who contributed time and prize money to reward our amazing students for their efforts,” said Kurt Wankier, director of Professional Sales. “I am continuously reminded of the quality of our students. I would put our students up head-to-head with any university in the world. They are first-class, gritty and determined individuals from all cultures who prove that SUU is a magnet for the best of the best. Without reservation, I can say we will become the best Professional Sales program in the State of Utah and will do whatever it takes to live up to that expectation. The remarkable students, supportive donors and sponsors and willing mentors have laid a foundation of success. We will be a leading source of noble sales professionals."
The Professional Sales program holds sales competitions every semester that are open to all SUU students across the University. Keep an eye out for the Thunder Sales competition in the spring or learn about degrees in professional sales.
Tags: CurStu Business Professional Sales