TAMPA – The University of South Florida sales competition team ended the fall semester on a high note, finishing strong while honing their sales tactics at multiple home and away contests.
The team, made up of nearly 30 students, hosted one event at home — the Selling with the Bulls event in the Muma College of Business atrium — and traveled to two away competitions in Orlando and Rhode Island.
Over USF 25 students competed in the Selling with the Bulls event hosted by USF’s Center for Marketing and Sales Innovation.
The Oct. 20 competition challenged students to sell cybersecurity solutions to a food packaging company. The competitors were tasked with writing an email, leaving a voicemail, and making a live prospecting call. Students then had two role-play scenarios with live prospects.
After several prep days, the event concluded with five first-time USF competitors
winning awards.
In early November, five USF teammates traveled to Orlando for the International Collegiate
Sales Competition. The annual event, known as the “Collegiate World Cup of Sales,”
is hosted by Florida State University.
The event required students to sell corporate financing to an insurance company. Teams honed their relationship development skills in the role-play event, exercised their problem-solving tactics in the sales management case event, and showed off their presentation and speech skills in the speed-selling (elevator pitch) competition.
A week later, 10 members traveled to Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, to compete with over 160 students in the Northeast Intercollegiate Sales Competition. This role-play competition had students sell staffing services to a travel company.
The team also competed in the speed selling, with one USF student entering the Spanish speed-selling portion.
Three USF students won awards: Michele Fario Melo placed second overall in the Spanish Speed Sell competition; Emily Therrien placed second in the advanced round of the sales role-play competition; Elif Sagun took second overall in the Speed Sell competition.