INFORMATION FOR
The Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales (RBI) at William Paterson University’s Cotsakos College of Business is hosting the 12th Annual National Sales Challenge, and anticipating its largest turnout ever, for an intense series of selling competitions and workshops, on campus, from November 14 to 16, 2018.
“The RBI National Sales Challenge provides students with an opportunity to learn directly from industry leaders,” says Siamack Shojai, dean of the Cotsakos College of Business. “This is part of our commitment for students to learn via the Cotsakos College of Business’s close connections with local, regional and national businesses. Our corporate sponsors are eager to participate because it introduces them to a new generation of up-and-coming sales leaders.”
The competition is designed by the University’s Russ Berrie Institute to strengthen students’ sales skills and offer them an opportunity to network with business executives from companies around the country who will judge the events and serve as sponsors.
Approximately 120 college students representing 40 universities from across the country, as well as Douglas University and McMaster University in Canada and Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland, will participate.
This year, 82 executives from 17 sponsor companies are participating in the National Sales Challenge. Sponsors include: ADP, Canon, CBRE, Complete Document Solutions (CDS), IBIS World, Gartner, Granite Telecommunications, Lennox Industries, Mutual of Omaha, North American Plastics, Russ Berrie Foundation, Paycom, Polymershapes, Thyssenkrupp and UPS.
Competitions include the sales-role play event, in which students will sell CDS-Xerox printing solutions and CDS value-added technology services to a medium-sized company. In the speed-selling competition, students will rotate through tables seated with company executives to pitch themselves for two minutes for a generic job. The event will be held in the Russ Berrie Professional Sales Laboratory, a unique computerized multimedia facility that simulates business office environments.
The National Sales Challenge is one of only a few select such competitions in the country. Prior to the event, students competed on their own campuses in order to win the opportunity to compete in the National Sales Challenge at William Paterson.
Students from all 40 schools will participate in the boot camp and speed-sell competition on Wednesday, November 14, and the role play competition on Thursday, November 15. Also on Thursday, the organizers will have table talks and corporate presentations to facilitate opportunities for participants to hone networking skills. Finalists will compete on Friday, November 16.
The Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales is consistently recognized as one of the top sales programs in the nation by the Sales Education Foundation of Dayton, Ohio. William Paterson is the first higher education institution in the world to offer a bachelor of science degree in professional sales and the first in the nation to offer the executive master of science degree in sales leadership. The degree is offered through the University's Cotsakos College of Business and prepares students for careers in sales and sales management, providing them with the academic knowledge and practical skills required for success in today's complex business environment.
Participating schools for 2018 are: Ball State UniversityBaylor UniversityBloomsburg UniversityDouglas College (Canada)Edinburgh Napier UniversityFarmingdale State CollegeFerris State UniversityGeorgia Southern UniversityHigh Point UniversityIllinois State UniversityJames Madison UniversityKansas State UniversityMcMaster University (Canada)North Carolina A&T State UniversityPenn State HarrisburgPlymouth State UniversityPurdue UniversitySalisbury UniversitySiena CollegeSouthern New Hampshire UniversitySt. Catherine UniversityTemple UniversityThe CitadelUniversity of Arkansas-Little RockUniversity of Central FloridaUniversity of Central OklahomaUniversity of IdahoUniversity of MinnesotaUniversity of MissouriUniversity of Nebraska LincolnUniversity of New HampshireUniversity of North AlabamaUniversity of Texas-ArlingtonUniversity of Texas-DallasUniversity of Wisconsin – ParksideUniversity of Wisconsin-WhitewaterUtah State UniversityWestern State Colorado UniversityWidener UniversityWilliam Paterson University
Follow the Competition:Twitter: @wpunjbusiness; #wpnsc18Facebook: facebook.com/wpunjbusiness
Link with updated information - https://rbisaleschallenge.wpunj.edu/home/competition/
