Business Graduate’s Sales Competition Experience Prepared Her for Success

April 25, 2022 | Graduate News, News, Student Success, UToday, Alumni, Business and Innovation
By Cherie Spino



For Jordan Fannin, there’s only one speed — and that’s full speed.

For eight years — from high school in Chelsea, Mich., through her four years as a business student at The University of Toledo — Fannin has taken advantage of every opportunity to get involved, learn, grow and meet new people.

Graduation Cap

CELEBRATING SUCCESS: UToledo recognizes the Class of 2022 with a series of stories featuring students receiving their degrees at spring commencement.

Jam-packed days and long nights in college have paid off for Fannin, a double major in professional sales and organizational leadership and management. Her resume is long, and her list of accomplishments is impressive.

She graduates Saturday, May 7, from the John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation and already has a full-time sales job with 3M, where she has been an intern the past year.

A graduate of UToledo’s Klar Leadership Academy, Fannin has served as executive vice president of UToledo’s business fraternity, Pi Sigma Epsilon, and president of Kappa Delta, her sorority. She also was selected as one of the top 13 leaders on campus and received the highest leadership honor bestowed on UToledo students — membership in the Blue Key Honor Society.

Fannin hit the ground running when she arrived in Toledo. That go-getter attitude made an impression on one of her mentors.

“Something I always found very impressive about Jordan is that she got involved right away,” said Courteney Buchanan, part-time instructor and alumni advisor for UToledo’s Pi Sigma Epsilon chapter. “She jumped right into the sales competition team, Pi Sigma Epsilon and job fairs her freshman year, which gave her such a strong foundation to build on the rest of her college career.”

Jordan Fannin was crowned national sales champion at the Pi Sigma Epsilon National Convention in Minneapolis, where she also placed first in the interview competition for the second straight year.

Every time Fannin competed in a sales competition, she honed her skills. She won UToledo’s Internal Sales Competition in 2020. This year, she was crowned national sales champion at the Pi Sigma Epsilon National Convention in Minneapolis, where she also placed first in the interview competition for the second straight year.

Building relationships means a lot to Fannin, and it’s why she loves the sales profession.

“Sales gives you the opportunity to understand someone else’s needs and help them meet their goal,” she said. “I like how relational it is. Ultimately, it’s helping people.”

Fannin’s efforts to cultivate relationships has contributed to her success, said Dr. Ellen Pullins, a UToledo business professor.

“She builds lasting connections with not only faculty members, sponsors and corporate recruiters, but also with her peers across campus,” Pullins said. “Networking is a critical business skill, especially in professional selling, and she has grown to be excellent in this area.”

Fannin went from competing in UToledo’s sales competition to becoming a peer coach, a role she relishes.

“It gives you a chance to teach and empower someone else,” she said. “It’s fun to see people go from being scared to [compete] to then excelling.”

Graduating with a double major in professional sales and organizational leadership and management, Fannin has a full-time sales job with 3M, where she has interned for a year.

Deirdre Jones, director of UToledo’s Edward Schmidt School of Professional Sales, said Fannin has taken advantage of all the opportunities UToledo offered her. She’s been open to new experiences and encourages her peers to be as well.

“[Jordan] wants to keep the tradition of paying it forward and has been involved with competing, coaching and working behind the scenes at sales competitions each year she has been at UToledo,” Jones said.

Being involved is how Fannin met all her best friends, she said. In fact, she and her freshman-year roommate, Anna Regis, presented together at the Pi Sigma Epsilon national competition this year.

For the first time in chapter history, UToledo won gold as the best chapter in the country. Despite all her individual accolades, Fannin said she is most proud of this award.

While other student organizations were struggling to survive during the pandemic, UToledo’s chapter had a record-breaking year, Fannin said.

“We kept a family-oriented atmosphere during the pandemic,” Fannin said. “It took all 110 people to be all in and create an environment for that to happen.”

Fannin credits UToledo’s comprehensive sales program and her relationships with supportive faculty with helping her excel.

“I feel like I personally know each one of the sales faculty,” she said. “I’ve had multiple one-on-ones with them throughout the years. They’ve helped me get internships. Despite being from a smaller MAC school, I’ve been able to have the same opportunities as my peers in my intern class who attend larger universities.”

 

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