On November 8-10, 2007 the Russ Berrie Institute (RBI) for Professional Sales
at William Paterson University launched the RBI National Sales Challenge.
The competition was limited to 60 university students from across the country
that were recognized by their faculty as being their school's top sales talent.
The purpose was to build the profession, secure jobs, and create more relationships
with sales practitioners and academia.
MSU Team members
- Jennifer Evans
- Mary Nelson
- Kari Allen
- Danielle Imlay
The Challenge Details
The RBI National Sales Challenge featured 3 competitive events:
- Sales Call Role-Play: Students engaged in a fifteen-minute sales call
role-play with a business executive. The role-play was then evaluated and
scored on various aspects of the sales call, including approach and overall
communication effectiveness, as well as ability to gather information,
identify needs, provide information, present solutions, resolve concerns,
and gain a commitment.
- Speed Selling: Similar in format to "speed dating," each student
met individually with a number of executives. With each executive, the
student made a two-minute pitch highlighting the reasons why he or
she should be hired and then responded to a one-minute question and answer
session. The student then moved on to the next executive.
- In-Basket Sales Exercise: Each student was given a
file filled with competing demands via e-mail, voicemail, and memo all
requiring immediate attention. Under deadline pressure, students were
expected to sort through the information, prioritize, and make key
decisions.
