Students at The University of Toledo’s Edward Schmidt School of Professional Sales in the College of Business and Innovation continued the program’s winning streak at national sales competitions by claiming two more trophies.
Kyle Teague, center, is shown here with teammates Sarah DeLisle and Anthony Sopko.
Students from across the U.S. and world competed remotely via voicemails, phone calls and webinars in the months prior to the on-site competition. The top 16 U.S. and top four international students were finalists and were invited to compete at NIU. UT commanded three of the top 16 U.S. finalist spots and one alternate spot at the competition. Other participating universities included Indiana University, Baylor, Northern Illinois and Strathclyde in Scotland.
Once in the finals, students participated in five rounds of role-playing involving simulated voice messages, phone calls, face-to-face meetings and elevator pitches to sell software. Business professionals judged the competition.
Jeff Tippy posed for a photo with his award and Dr. Ellen Pullins.
“The Edward Schmidt School of Professional Sales has achieved more than 30 nationally recognized awards since its formation in 2000,” said Dr. Ellen Pullins, UT professor of marketing and director of the Schmidt School. “The UT program won the national team championship at the National Sales Challenge three consecutive years, as well as a number of other awards, including top four finishes in individual events. The program also has brought home a number of awards from other competitions, including consistent top 10 team finishes, first place and top 10 individual awards at the National Collegiate Sales Competition, and a series of wins in the Pi Sigma Epsilon National and Regional Pro-Am Sellathons.”
Earlier this year, the Schmidt School also won the Rich Media Student Impact Award from Sonic Foundry, she added.
“The awards are wonderful and reflect the hard work of our students, but the proof of our program is found in the fact that 100 percent of Schmidt School students are securing employment upon graduation,” Pullins said. “This is a particularly significant achievement given recent economic conditions. The school is very engaged with the business community; dozens of major companies recruit our students on campus each year, and we provide customized sales training for some firms.”
The Schmidt School serves more than 300 UT students at the undergraduate and graduate level. The school was recognized as the top sales program in the country in a December 2009 white paper from DePaul University.
For more information on the Schmidt School, go to sales.utoledo.edu or call 419.530.2978.
