Two students from the NDSU College of Business took home trophies and cash prizes during the Great Northwoods Sales Warm-Up at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Oct. 31-Nov. 2. The national collegiate sales competition attracted business students from 20 universities.
Senior Andrew Richards, an accounting major from Ogden, Utah, advanced to the championship round of the competition and was named second runner-up. He received a trophy and a $750 cash award. Richards was coached by Mike Krush, assistant professor of marketing and director of the Center for Professional Selling and Sales Technology.
Sophomore Ashley Seitz, a marketing major from Hawley, Minn., was named school champion for NDSU. She was awarded a trophy and $150 cash prize.
Senior Dalton Lingbeck, a business administration major, also competed in the event.
The Sales Warm-Up is a personal sales competition for college students interested in sales as a profession. The competition connects college students with corporate recruiters and provides a venue for faculty to exchange best practices with one another. This year, competitors received more than $5,000 in cash prizes and awards.
The three-person team is one of the activities sponsored by NDSU’s Center for Professional Selling and Sales Technology. In January 2013, NDSU and its College of Business received approval from the State Board of Higher Education to initiate the center, the only academic center dedicated to developing the sales skills of students within the 11 campuses of the North Dakota University System. To enhance opportunities for students, the center introduced a certificate in professional selling in fall 2013. The certificate is available to all NDSU undergraduates.
According to Krush, research suggests more than 50 percent of undergraduates nationwide accept jobs in sales. He said developing sales competencies in the NDSU undergraduate population provides a set of lifelong skills, as well as a pipeline of talent, for local, national and regional employers.
NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.