ProSales Takes 2nd Place in National Team Competition
On October 15, Grant Holmes, Ayana Taylor, Luke Thompson, and Ben Watson represented Baylor ProSales at the National Team Selling Competition (NTSC) hosted by Indiana University. The NTSC attracts 21 universities, each fielding a four-person selling team. Teams participate in a two-sales-call process, facing expert buyers from sponsoring corporations. Teams compete in three room divisions with the top competitor in each room advancing to the finals. Baylor ProSales took top room honors to advance to the finals ultimately clenching a 2nd place victory. What would be considered a photo finish in track & field, Baylor ProSales gathered 41% of the final vote compared to the 45% vote capture by the first place team, University of Washington. Northern Illinois University rounded out the voting pool capturing 14% of the final tally.
“The 2014 National Team Selling competition required a huge time commitment by our students as they learned the complexities of selling private label flavors/products/marketing expertise to a national grocery chain. Not an easy context for students who are also learning how to sell as a member of a team,” according to Dr. Andrea Dixon, the executive director of the Center for Professional Selling and the faculty coach for this team. Dr. Dixon was joined by ProSales senior Olivia Offringa for the on-campus coaching and preparation. At the IU-based competition, Baylor ProSales alum, Madeline Giering picked up the coaching responsibilities. “Once again the National Team Selling Competition was a great success! The best part about this competition is its ability to engage students in a team environment. Students have to rely on each other and build a presentation that allows each one to shine. The Baylor students gave excellent presentations! They worked incredibly hard and even better, they are getting prepared for careers after graduation,” says Baylor alum and 3M sales representative Madeline Giering from Chicago.
Judges also select the most valuable player (MVP) for each room. Ben Watson, a Prosales senior, was awarded one of three MVP awards out of the field of 84 competitors. “I enjoyed the case, I thought it was very challenging and really demanded the best from us as students. I also enjoyed the team aspect, and thought it was great practice for real-world situations. The whole experience was fun, challenging, and great practice for a future in sales,” said Ben Watson.
Other participating schools were: Ball State University, Indiana University, Kansas State University, Michigan State University, Northern Illinois University, Purdue University, St. Catherine University, St. Mary’s, San Diego State University, Tuskegee University, University of Connecticut, University of Florida, University of Kansas, University of Richmond, University of San Diego, University of Toledo, University of Washington, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Villanova University, Xavier University of Louisiana.
About the Center for Professional Selling
Dedicated to excellence in sales education and based in the university’s Hankamer School of Business, the Center for Professional Selling is recognized as one of the premier global information resources for the sales profession. For more information on the Center for Professional Selling, visit https://hankamer.baylor.edu/prosales.