Sales competition puts selling skills to the test

A man speaking to employers at their booth

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Students speak employers during the Professional Selling Competition. The competition includes a speed selling competition where student act as job candidates and have 90 seconds to make a sales presentation to potential employers.

Marketing major Tyler Sterner, Rogers, is the winner of the April 26 St. Cloud State University Professional Selling Competition.

He took home the Per Gunnar Rasmussen’86 and Nina Skage ’86 Award at the annual competition, which provides a venue for St. Cloud State sales students to showcase their selling skills, knowledge and abilities and receive feedback from local sales professionals. It is put on by the Department of Marketing. 

The students were 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 were also judged on their visual aids and ability to handle buyer objections and close the sale.

Marketing major Courtney Kanduth, Norwood Young America, took second; and Mass Communications major Kirsten Krull, Rochester, took third. 

Marketing majors Tyler Stadler, New Holstein, took first in the Speed Selling Competition; Cynthia Lor, St. Paul took second; and Jordan Redmond, Pequot Lakes, took third. 

In the Speed Selling Competition, each student selected a minimum of five firms participating in the competition or career fair. They researched the firms and then had 90 seconds to promote themselves to the firms’ representatives.

In turn, representatives from the firms had 90 seconds to “sell” their organization to the students by talking about internship and career opportunities or about the firm itself.

During this fast-paced event, the firm representatives judged the Speed Selling participants on their knowledge of the firm, application of their selling skills, verbal and non-verbal communication skills and upon their creativity.