Casandra Howder competes in the Professional Selling Competition.
The Herberger Business School’s professional selling competition is an opportunity for St. Cloud State students to showcase their selling skills, knowledge and abilities and receive feedback from sales professionals in Central Minnesota and the Twin Cities who serve as judges and “buyers.” The competition is held each December and April in the Northwestern Mutual Sales Lab.
“The entire Professional Selling Specialization program, including the sales competition, was developed in order to provide students with a comparative advantage in the marketplace and to meet growing demand for professional salespeople who have completed university level sales education courses and programs,” said Dennis Bristow, Department of Marketing professor. Students are judged on their ability to develop strategic sales openings, ask probing questions to determine the buyer’s needs and develop a strategic needs-based professional selling presentation. They are also judged on their visual aids and ability to handle buyer objections and close the sale.
Professional Selling Specialization courses are taught by Herberger Business School faculty, along with participation from area business professionals.
The courses include traditional classroom faculty and guest lectures combined with experiential learning opportunities through role-play activities, digital recording and feedback on sales presentations in the state-of-the art Northwestern Mutual Sales Lab. The 15-credit program, open to students from any academic discipline, is taught in a five-course format.
The sales lab was made possible through a gift to the St. Cloud State University Foundation from Northwestern Mutual – The Columns Resource Group. The competition is sponsored by Anderson Trucking Services and Marco.
