Kent State University's College of Business Administration Students Compete at Sales Competition

Nov. 30, 2015 - PRLog -- Kent State’s College of Business Administration students competed at the International Collegiate Sales Competition (ICSC) at the Rosen Plaza hotel in Orlando hosted by Florida State University over the week Nov. 4, 2015. Students were coached by Ellen Daniels, Marketing and Entrepreneurship instructor, and participated in both the sales roleplay and sales management case competitions.

Advanced Professional Selling students Grace Durbak, senior Managerial Marketing major and Matt Rickey, senior Marketing major, represented Kent State in the roleplay portion of the competition. Participating with a corporate buyer to sell Salonbiz, an online appointment booking and inventory management service by NeillTSP, they were evaluated on their ability to meet sales call objectives, demonstrate product knowledge, follow the sales process and exhibit professionalism. In a tournament style fashion, competitors advanced through each round earning a custom-tailored Tom James suit, $2,500 in cash and a $1,000 honorarium to the faculty coach. Florida State University took the grand prize.

In the sales case competition, student teams analyzed complex management problems and then presented their solutions to a panel of executives. College of Business Administration Managerial Marketing students Katie Draa and Courtney Glenn felt confident competing in the competition with the case study analysis skills and sales knowledge they learned in their Personal Selling course. Each member of the winning team from University of Texas, Dallas earned $1,000 in cash.

Kent State student coaches were on-site to prepare the competitors for both events. Preparation involved practice sales roleplays and extensive strategy development. The coaches included Chris Jones, Alexis Rau, Molly Schatzel, Carli Ebert and Katie Shifferly.

During ICSC, a two-day career fair was held giving students the opportunity to network, pitch and interview with 34 companies recruiting students for sales internships and job opportunities. The businesses attending varied across industries including DHL Express, Aveda-The Salon People, State Farm, Sherwin-Williams and Tom James Company. Students were enticed to visit every company, earning a pass to Universal Studios Florida.

As part of ICSC’s Social Legacy Project, all attendees were asked to bring one non-perishable food item to be donated to charity. Each donor was recognized with a red wristband signifying ICSC’s motto: “Work hard, play hard and give back to the community.”

Chris Jones, entrepreneur and graduating senior Marketing major, discussed the benefits of attending the 2015 International Collegiate Sales Competition, “This was one of the highlights of my college career,” said Jones. “I am very proud to attend Kent State and we represented ourselves very well. I am now more than ever interested in the field of sales and looking forward to the career opportunities ahead.”

For more information about the College of Business Administration, visit http://business.kent.edu/departments/marketing-and-entrepreneurship.

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Kent State University’s College of Business Administration is fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) and one of the largest colleges of business in Ohio.  The college has more than 4,300 students representing 50 countries with over 89 full-time faculty from 16 countries.

The college grants undergraduate through graduate degrees, and is one of only three colleges in Ohio with a comprehensive Ph.D. program.  The MBA program is offered with nine concentrations and five dual degree options. The Executive MBA program offer two tracks: one targeting corporate professionals and the other healthcare executives.  The M.S. in Accounting and M.A. in Economics are specialized master’s degrees for those seeking advanced study in these disciplines.  The college boasts nine undergraduate majors, 12 minors and a Professional Sales Certificate program.

The college is listed as a Best Business School by Princeton Review, ranked as a Best Business College by U.S. News and World Report, one of only 23 accounting programs worldwide to be endorsed by the IMA (Institute of Management Accountants), ranked Top-Tier for Executive Education in North America by CEO Magazine and ranked fourth by the SEF (Sales Education Foundation) in Ohio for Professional Sales Education.

The college boasts an onsite Career Services Center and International Programs Office dedicated to business students, and operates the Global Management Center, the Center for Information Systems and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation all propelling scholarly research, establishing innovative industry partnerships and providing outreach to Northeast Ohio and beyond.

Media Contacts:

Michelle Manning, Director of Marketing Communications, mparris3@kent.edu, 330-672-2717

Molly Schatzel, Marketing Communications Specialist, mschatze@kent.edu, 330-672-1279