WMU sales students win Desert Cup for third straight year

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—When WMU Haworth sales students traveled to Arizona this spring, they carried with them a simple mission: Extend the winning streak. And they delivered—bringing the Desert Cup back to Kalamazoo for the third consecutive year.

The annual Arizona Collegiate Sales Challenge, held at Arizona State University, featured teams from 15 universities competing in a team marketing presentation and individual sales role-play. WMU placed first overall, surpassing notable competitors including Brigham Young University and Texas A&M, with students earning first and second place in the sales role-play and second in the marketing presentation. 

The team included Drew Gassman of Littleton, Colorado, Caroline Gratsch of Troy, Michigan, Joey Pisano of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and Ashlyn Thom of Plainwell, Michigan. Mary Nielsen and Teresa Greenlees, both faculty specialists II in marketing, served as team coaches. 

Gratsch and Pisano competed in the individual sales role-play, with Gratsch placing first overall and Pisano placing second. The students spent weeks preparing for the competition, building deep product knowledge, developing customized sales materials, practicing full sales call role-plays and preparing for a wide range of challenging objections. 

For Gratsch, not only did her hard work result in a win, but she learned something new about herself in the process. “With each of the three sales role-play rounds, you walk in not knowing exactly what the buyer will say or which direction the conversation will take, so there is always a level of uncertainty,” she says. “What surprised me most was how much I genuinely enjoyed that unpredictability. I had so much fun navigating each conversation and overcoming the challenges in the moment.”

Gassman and Thom competed in the team marketing presentation, taking on the roles of Canon USA representatives responding to an RFP from a healthcare system looking to digitalize their document infrastructure. Greenlees notes, “The judges were particularly impressed with how well they understood the client’s needs and translated product features into meaningful benefits, showing how Canon Solutions would enhance the client’s goals and solve the real problems they were facing.”

Preparing for this real-life scenario gave students skills that they can take with them into their career. “Responding to an RFP and learning how to tailor a sales pitch to the client’s priorities and needs is one of the most realistic and true-to-life experiences they could have at WMU,” Greenlees says. 

For Thom, a senior who had watched previous teams compete, the win carries special weight. “Every year when students get ready for this competition, I see all the hard work they put into it, and I see it pay off. They always come back excited, proud and happy. I wanted the chance to be a part of that experience and the opportunity to bring home a Desert Cup for WMU!”

Gassman credits the support of the coaches with helping the team succeed. “They kept us focused when things got chaotic, challenged us when we needed to level up and reminded us of the bigger picture.”  

Nielsen marvels at the students’ preparation, which was the foundation for another championship performance. “Their level of research amazed me. They went into the role-plays as product and company experts and were completely believable as Canon representatives. This paid off in a huge way in the final round when they weren’t allowed to look at any of their materials and had to engage in a face-to-face conversation, answering questions and addressing objections.”

Greenlees agrees. “The students are so talented, dedicated and hard-working, but also so much fun to work with. I was really impressed by how they supported each other through every step of the journey and operated as a true team with a single mission—to be the best they could be.”

The power of team dynamics stand out for Pisano, as he prepares to graduate and begin his sales career. “What I enjoyed most was working with a team I knew I could trust and lean on when I needed help. We were there for each other every step of the way and would not have succeeded the way we did without all of us.” 

Learn more about sales and business marketing at WMU Haworth.

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