FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE \@ "M/d/yyyy" 12/15/2006
CONTACT:
- Sheri Byrd, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360/546-9602, byrds@vancouver.wsu.edu
- Christopher Plouffe, College of Business, 360/546-9147, plouffe@vancouver.wsu.edu
Vancouver, Wash - Three Washington State University Vancouver business students will represent all of WSU in the National Collegiate Sales Competition near Atlanta, Ga., in March 2007. Senior Nate Scholz, marketing; junior Ashley Wayman, marketing; and senior Merlinda Sain, management operations, placed first, second and third respectively in the local NCSC qualifying competition at 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø Dec. 1. The three will travel, all expenses paid, to Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University. The 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø students will compete against teams from nearly 40 other leading universities.
Thirteen local students competed in the qualifying event, conducting a 20 minute mock sales call on a mock buyer, a volunteer from the business community. This year, students were playing the role of an account manager for United Parcel Services, selling shipping and logistics services to a small but rapidly growing fictitious company. Four volunteer judges from area businesses scored the contestants on their ability to ask good questions, effectively build rapport with the prospect, present an effective solution, and - most importantly - close, or secure a business commitment from the buyer.
Several high-level corporate representatives volunteered to act as buyers and judges, some of whom flew in from out of state to participate. Executives and senior managers from Aramark Corporation, Herman Miller Workplace, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Nautilus and Discover Mortgage participated.
Dan Zebrowski, Worldwide Director of Sales Talent for the Aramark Corporation, used the occasion to announce several new funding initiatives for 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø's Professional Sales certificate program.
Aramark is now contributing:
• Full financial support for all costs associated with hosting the annual qualifying event for the NCSC at 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø each fall.
• A new $1,000 scholarship, the Aramark Prize in Professional Sales, to be awarded each year to the student with the highest overall grades in the four-course Professional Sales certificate program.
• Expenses for 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø's third place finisher in the local NCSC qualifying event to attend the national competition. NCSC covers only the first and second place finishers.
"The NCSC sends a strong signal to students that the corporate community truly values enthusiastic salespeople entering the profession," said marketing professor Christopher Plouffe, local coordinator.
At the national event, nearly 50 companies offer financial support and a career fair. Plouffe said that in five years of participating, each student has come away with multiple job offers.
For more information on 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø's Professional Sales certificate program, visit . For details on the NCSC visit .
91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø is located at 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205. 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø offers 14 Bachelor's degrees, 9 Master's degrees and 1 Doctorate degree and more than 35 fields of study. Visit us on the Web at
Photo cutline: 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø marketing junior Colin Ault, right, competes in the local qualifying round of the National Collegiate Sales Competition Dec. 1. Acting the part of buyer is Chris Hill, from Discover Mortgage. Also observing the 20 minute mock sales call are (from left) volunteer judges Darin Acopan of Nautilus and Dan Zumbrowski of Aramark, as well as business professor Tom Tripp. Ault placed fourth in the local competition. (Photo courtesy 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø)