KENNESAW, Ga. | Apr 9, 2018

Kennesaw State University Professional Sales students Megan Colapinto and Stephanie Carvajalino led the University to an impressive 9th place finish at the 20th annual National Collegiate Sales Competition, held April 3-6, 2018 at the Michael J. Coles College of Business.

Undergraduate sales teams from 71 universities competed at the event, which is the world’s largest sales role-play competition for college students. Between the competing sales teams, the nearly 50 corporate sponsors, and the judges, coaches, and other volunteers, more than 1,000 people came together to make the event a success.

The NCSC includes three rounds of 20-minute sales role-plays. Each student plays the part of a salesperson meeting with a prospective buyer. Judges score students based on 25 criteria, including whether they made good eye contact, presented a business card, properly set the agenda, or led with an effective attention-getting statement.

Not only did the Kennesaw State sales team finish in the top ten, but Colapinto also earned 9th place overall out of the 142 individual undergraduate competitors.

Colapinto, a junior in the Professional Sales program, values the experience she gains from role-play competitions like the NCSC. Two weeks before the event, she competed in the Granite Sales Open, where she earned her spot on the NCSC team.

“[Sales role-plays] are really great experiences because you are putting yourself outside your comfort zone," Colapinto said at the Granite Sales Open, "and surrounding yourself with people who also want to be outside their comfort zones in order to grow professionally."

Founded by Dr. Terry Loe, Co-Director for Kennesaw State’s Center for Professional Selling, the NCSC is designed to promote professional selling as a credible and honorable profession and to inspire other universities to develop sales curriculums.

“This is a way to get industry and academia together and establish the basic principles of sales on which we can all agree,” he says.

NCSC Top Results

Team First Place: Michigan State University Second Place: Kansas State University Third Place: Illinois State University Fourth Place: Bradley University Fifth Place: University of Central Florida Sixth Place: (Tie) Kent State University Sixth Place: (Tie) Central Michigan University Eighth Place: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Ninth Place (Tie): University of Houston Ninth Place (Tie): University of Texas Dallas Ninth Place (Tie): Kennesaw State University Tenth Place: Purdue University

Individual First Place: Heidi Surdyk Michigan State University Second Place: Rachel Kipper Kansas State University Third Place: Alexis Anderson Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Fourth Place: Omar Nasser University of Central Florida

- Patrick Harbin

Photo courtesy of Arianna Lasha, Student Assistant with the Center for Professional Selling