Rising Stars in Sales Place at Competition

Juday, Phillips and Nowakowski

rising stars in sales place at competition

A team of two sales and business marketing students placed third overall at the University of Toledo Invitational Sales Competition, with one student placing second individually and the other ninth.

Junior Kaitlyn Phillips and sophomore Lauren Nowakowski represented WMU. They were tasked with selling 3M VHB Tape, an industrial strength tape, to buyers, role-playing for 15 minutes per round with groups representing different stakeholders at a Display Sign Manufacturing Company.

Nowakowski made it to the semi-final round, and Phillips went on to the finals to finish as the runner up. Students were coached by a student coach, senior Jeremy Juday and Associate Professor of Marketing Kelley O’Reilly. The students met three times per week for two-hour sessions for seven weeks where they did research, practiced role-plays and received feedback on their presentation skills.

For second place finisher Phillips, the most challenging aspect was being immersed in the role she was playing. “Really owning the role of a rep for 3M was a challenge. Role-playing can be odd in that you are pretending to be something you are not, and the person you are selling to is doing the same. You might think that would be uncomfortable, but it was actually much easier and more natural than I expected as I became more and more immersed in my role and selling scenarios.”

The team’s third place finish, moving up five spots over last year, makes O’Reilly proud. “What impressed me the most was the degree of competence, focus and composure that our students displayed during the event. This year, I engaged a student to coach the team with me, and the success of the team is directly related to how strong Jeremy’s coaching was.”

To find out more, read the press release.

Learn about the expansion of our sales lab facility, which helps prepare students for competitions like this one and for the workplace.