The Sales Program hosted a Pitch Competition for both underclassmen and upperclassmen, with 100+ entries across both competitions. A live role play competition was also hosted for upperclassmen.
Underclassmen Pitch Competition
The underclassmen competition featured one round, scored by the Sales Ambassador team. This was the first year hosting an underclassmen competition, and featured first year and sophomore students. The prompt was an elevator pitch to secure an interview for Paycom's Executive Sales Internship, and enabled students to apply for Paycom's Summer Sales Summit.
“I am extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to participate in the inaugural underclassmen sales competition as well as winning first place. I am super grateful for Professor Weber, Ryan Reilly, and Paycom for putting together this awesome event to get underclassmen involved in the CUA Sales Program. I am also very excited to continue my passion for sales and to participate in more events like this.” – Nolan Terry, Catholic ‘26
Winners
- $250: Nolan Terry
- $150: Aidan Harrigan
- $100: Emerson Sheldon
Upperclassmen Competition
Upperclassmen were given a scenario of pitching Deltek's GovWin IQ Platform. They were then judged by 22 Sales Partner Represenatives.
“The Upperclassmen Sales Competition, specifically the Live Role-Play round, provided a unique opportunity to get valuable hands-on experience. This round, with the help of CUA Sales Program Partner Bloomberg, offered finalists a chance to do important prep work and then showcase it during the 10-minute live role-play. I am very grateful and excited to be part of a program that not only offers opportunities such as this but also provides the instruction necessary to come out successful!” – John Fischer, Catholic ‘23
Winners
- $1,000: Caroline Beckett, Marketing & Sales '23
- $500: John Fischer, Philosophy Pre-Law '23
- $250: Luke Bakke, Management & Sales '23
- $150: Clare Gorman, Marketing & Sales '23
- $100:
- Aubree Narus, Biomedical Engineering '23
- Tucker Alch, Marketing & Sales '23
Upperclassmen Live Role Play
The upperclassmen live role play consisted of 10 Live Role-Play sessions hosted in the Maloney Conference Room. Bloomberg Industry Group came to role-play with students, and participants were assessed by a representative from Bloomberg, Professor Mark Weber, and Ryan Reilly, Sales Program Manager. Students were judged on the quality of their Needs Identification, Platform Demonstration, Overcoming Objections, Close & Next Steps, and more. The scenario was a Bloomberg Tax introductory call with a Vice President of Chick-Fil-A's Legal team.
Live Role-Play Finalists
- Caroline Beckett
- Luke Bakke
- Clare Gorman
- Liam Sklar
- Tucker Alch
- Aubree Narus
- Emily Branchide
- John Fischer
- Isa Salazar
- Dom Decker
"The CUA Sales Competition is yet another reason why I am so thankful for all the opportunities that the Busch School and Sales Program has to offer. As a sales program ambassador, I had the honor of judging the entries for the underclass competition that enabled me to apply the skills I have acquired over the past year and to take note of the great potential that the Class of 2025 and 2026 possesses.
As for the Upperclassmen competition, I presented an effective, enthusiastic, and professional features and benefits pitch for Deltek's GovWinIQ platform that landed me a spot in the final round as the only junior. This competition provided me valuable experience to allude to in future interviews and I am looking forward to returning as a competitor and judge next year!"- Emily Branchide, Catholic '24