Shakori Fletcher ’16 competed against more than 50 students, earning second place in the national collegiate sales competition.
Elon junior Shakori Fletcher was named first runner-up in the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Great Northwoods Sales Warm-up, Oct. 23-25.
The Sales Warm-Up is a national collegiate sales competition for students interested in sales as a profession. More than 50 students from 20 schools participated in this year’s competition. Contestants made two 20-minute sales presentations—one for a product and one for a service—to sales professionals acting as buyers. A panel of sales managers from sponsoring companies evaluated contestants on all elements of the sales call, including their ability to communicate effectively and professionally.
Senior marketing major Jacob Light also represented Elon in the competition and placed in the top ten. Erin Gillespie, assistant professor of marketing, served as the faculty coach for Light and Fletcher.
“The opportunity to compete in the Great Northwood Sales Warm-up and represent Elon on a national scale was such a rewarding experience,” said Fletcher, a broadcast and new media major and professional sales and statistics double minor. “The interactions with students from some of the top sales programs in the country were invaluable as there was an astronomical level of talent among the competitors. As a result, everyone collectively rose to match the clear standard of excellence set by all attendees.”
Fletcher, a native of Grayson, Ga., noted the Sales Warm-up provided several opportunities for networking with recruiters from top sales organizations.
“From a day-long career fair to recruiters serving as judges, many aspects of the weekend featured opportunities for relevant relationship building,” Fletcher said.