Business School Hosts All-Virtual Thunder Sales Event
Published: July 25, 2024 | Author: Mary Amateis | Read Time: 2 minutes
The Dixie L. Leavitt School of Business Professional Sales program was thrilled to host another successful Thunder Sales event, although this year looked a little different than years past. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the competition shifted to a virtual event. Using online video conferencing, and personal recordings, the program still managed a successful competition despite the challenges.
"Thunder Sales was great! It provided me with the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and really grow my professional sales skills,” said Luke Perkins, a student who competed in the competition. “One of my favorite parts of the competition was the opportunity I had to network and connect with all of the partners and sponsors from some of the top companies in Utah and the nation! Every student should be getting involved with the Professional Sales program at SUU to set themselves up for success after graduation no matter what career path they choose!"
The competition was divided into two separate sections, the Personal Pitch competition and the Role-Play competition. Students competed in these sections separately. The first section, Personal Pitch, was open to any SUU students and consisted of participants submitting a short video of their pitch to judges. Four first place winners and four second place winners were awarded $100 and $50 gift cards from our judges respectively. Role-Play, was limited to sales students who competed twice in a role-play scenario selling products from DOMO to a hypothetical potential buyer. These were also submitted to judges for evaluation.
The second round of the Role-Play, or final round, was conducted as an in-person meeting between the finalists and the director of the Professional Sales program, Kurt Wankier, who acted as the final buyer for the participants. This round was also sent to finalist judges to decide the top three scores. The first-place prize of $1,000 sponsored by Federated Insurance was awarded to Luke Perkins. The second-place prize of $500 sponsored by BZI was awarded to Josh Miles. And the third-place prize of $250 sponsored by Fastenal was awarded to Emree Olsen.
Despite having to forego the usual activities for the annual Thunder Sales, such as a career fair, dinner for students, and competing in person, the Professional Sales program still managed a successful competition and offered students valuable experience in their future fields.
Professional Sales at SUU is committed to providing students with valuable experience that they can use to launch their careers after graduation. The program offers students the fundamentals of sales and entrepreneurial skills. Through competitions like Thunder Sales, the Professional Sales program can make all the difference in students' lives.
Learn more about the Professional Sales program at SUU and watch for competitions in the fall semester!
Tags: Professional Sales School of Business Student Life
Contact Information:
Brooke Heath
435-586-5400
brookeheath1@suu.edu