Professional Selling Students Excel in Fall Competitions
Students in the Professional Selling program at Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business participated in competitions during the fall semester to sharpen their skills and prepare them for real-world business scenarios.
In October, Baylor students took the first-place team finish – including the top competitor finish and top team win – at the 2024 Great Northwoods Sales Warmup (GNW) held at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire.
Student teams from 27 universities participated in the GNW competition which featured grocery products sold through distribution and retail stores. Seniors Hunter Redding and Ashleigh Stuck and junior Emily Jones in the Professional Selling program represented Baylor in this competition. Ashleigh finished first in the field of 78 competitors, while Hunter finished fourth. Emily rounded out Baylor’s representation and placed 17th overall.
“GNW provided the opportunity to learn a new industry, prepare for different buyers and meeting formats that correlate with potential industry contexts,” Stuck said. “I am so thankful to have had the privilege to represent Baylor’s excellent ProSales program and the training we receive that sets us up for success. This was such a fun way to represent Baylor ProSales by competing on a national level.”
The ProSales program leverages a system of student and faculty coaches for the external sales competitions. Andrea Dixon, PhD, executive director of the Center for Professional Selling and the Frank M. and Floy Smith Holloway Professor, served as faculty coach for the team competing at GNW.
Later in the fall, Hankamer students earned second place at the 2024 National Team Selling Competition (NTSC) hosted by Indiana University Bloomington.
Student teams from 24 universities participated in the NTSC where teams were tasked with representing a technology and engineering company offering state-of-the-art in-store customer loyalty technology. Wilson Feezel, Elana Norman and Carina Starr, all seniors in Baylor’s Professional Selling major and program, represented Baylor in the team-based competition. The Baylor team was coached by Stephanie Mangus, PhD, alongside student coaches, Sydney Pjesky, Tanner Moore and Kate Sralla.
“Coaching students for external sales competitions is a joy,” Mangus said. “This year’s competitors worked through significant challenges in the preparation process. Still, they did not miss a step in adapting and persevering, ultimately becoming one of the top-ranked collegiate sales teams in the country.”
Dedicated to excellence in sales education and based in the university's Hankamer School of Business, the Center for Professional Selling is recognized as one of the premier global information resources for the sales profession. For more information on the Center for Professional Selling, visit https://www.baylor.edu/business/selling.
