Performances by two seniors involved with the Chandler Family Professional Sales Center land Elon its second top placements in as many years.
Elon University seniors Lindsay Richardson and Allison Kutz took first place last weekend at the 2011 Russ Berrie Institute National Sales Challenge at William Patterson University in New Jersey.
Richardson placed first in the sales call role-play portion of the competition, which involved engaging in a fifteen-minute meeting with a business executive. The role-play is evaluated and scored on various aspects of the sales call, including approach and overall communication effectiveness.
Kutz competed against 54 students to win the speed-selling event where students met individually with executives to give two-minute pitches on why he or she should be hired.
The annual RBI National Sales Challenge brings sales students from across the country to meet with representatives from major corporations for a sales competition designed to hone students’ sales skills and help students obtain real-world business knowledge while networking with executives.
“The National Sales Challenge was certainly an eye-opening experience,” Kutz said. “It provided a glimpse into the sales atmosphere I can expect after I graduate.”
Richardson and Kutz, both Chandler Family Professional Sales Center students in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, were accompanied to the competition by their faculty coach Michael Rodriguez, assistant professor of marketing, and students Chris Antal ‘12 and Cody Lance ‘12.
Richardson noted the dedication and continual support from Rodriguez played a crucial role in her success.
Twenty-eight schools participated in the challenge, including Baylor University, Florida State University, the University of Toledo, Temple University, Kennesaw State University and Northern Illinois University.
This is the second year Elon has won the sales role-play and speed selling events at the RBI National Sales Challenge. Meg Anderson ’11 won both events last year.