Kansas State University

K-State Sales Team brings home Top Salesperson Award from Great Northwoods Sales Warm-Up

Submitted by Brent Fritzemeier

Kansas State University Sales Team member Abbie O'Grady, junior in marketing, beat out 70 competitors from 22 universities to bring home the Top Salesperson Award at the Great Northwoods Sales Warm-Up Oct. 18-20.

Hosted each year in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the Great Northwoods Sales Warm-Up is a national collegiate sales competition that showcases the talents of some of the top marketing and sales students from across the U.S. Sales competitions allow students to test their selling skills against their peers from other top sales schools through role-playing scenarios.

The Kansas State University Sales Team is comprised of students in the College of Business Administration's National Strategic Selling Institute. Marketing instructor David Lehman is the head coach for the K-State Sales Team. Kellie Jackson, program associate, coached and traveled with the team for the Great Northwoods Sales Warm-Up.

The team for the Great Northwoods Sales Warm-Up included Kaitlyn Porter, sophomore in management, Manhattan, and O'Grady, junior in marketing, and Katie Horton, sophomore in marketing, both from Overland Park. All three team members finished among the top 20 individuals at the competition.

For winning top honors at the competition, O'Grady received a trophy, a custom suit from Tom James valued at $1,000, and a $1,500 cash prize. Porter also was recognized as School Champion for K-State, and was awarded $150.

"Winning the Top Salesperson Award could not have been done without the hard work and preparation of all three sales team members working together," Jackson said. "I'm extremely proud of their efforts in preparing for this competition and look forward to their continued success."

The K-State Sales Team is housed in the College of Business Administration's National Strategic Selling Institute, which has been named one of the top sales programs in the country for seven straight years by the Sales Education Foundation. Students can earn a certificate in professional strategic selling from the National Strategic Selling Institute, which is open to all majors at the university. The certificate program introduces students to the fundamentals of sales and, through the innovative curriculum and sales labs, allows students to develop the skills needed to be successful. This fall, K-State became just the 19th university in the U.S. to offer a major in sales.

For more information on the National Strategic Selling Institute, please contact kstatesalesprogram@k-state.edu.