The Winona State University Sales Team participated in the University of Toledo Invitational Sales Competition Feb. 25 -27, finishing in the top third of 30 competing universities. The WSU Sales Team will also be competing in the National Collegiate Sales Competition in Georgia, and the Western States Sales Competition in California later this semester.
Last fall, WSU placed 7th out of 60 universities at the International Collegiate Sales Competition hosted by Florida State University and also participated in the National Sales Challenge, hosted by William Paterson University’s Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales in New Jersey.
Sales competitions are designed to strengthen students’ sales skills and offer them an opportunity to network with business executives from companies around the country.
During the competitions students are provided a specific product or service to represent as well as a buyer scenario. The students then sell the product to a business professional acting as the buyer and are judged by a panel of sales managers and recruiters.
Sales competitions are part of the experiential learning component of the Professional Selling curriculum and are an essential learning tool. They provide students with an opportunity to sharpen their selling skills in real-life business contexts.
All competitions include a career fair with an opportunity to network with recruiters. WSU has a 100 percent job placement for members of the sales team with students often receiving several job offers.
The Sales Education Foundation (SEF), located in Dayton, Ohio, has recognized WSU for two consecutive years as a Top University Sales Program for its efforts in preparing and placing top talent in professional selling roles.
For more information, contact Associate Professor of Marketing Marianne Collins at mcollins@winona.edu
