February 18, 2021
K-State Sales Team competes at 2021 Redbird National Sales Competition
The Kansas State University Sales Team competed in the virtual Redbird National Sales Competition hosted by the Professional Sales Institute at Illinois State University on Feb. 11-12. The competition had 86 students from 35 universities participate in the event.
The team included Katie Horton, senior in marketing and professional strategic selling, Overland Park; Lucas Johnson, senior in professional strategic selling, Shawnee; and Kara Krannawitter, senior in marketing and professional strategic selling, Lawrence.
The sales competition is a developmental event that provides students the opportunity to demonstrate their selling skills through simulated sales role-plays. The objective of the sales competition is to provide collegiate sales teams an opportunity to prepare and compete in a competitive setting before the National Collegiate Sales Competition. All three competitors completed two role-play scenarios in which they sold Gartner to buyers in technology roles, such as chief information officers. Johnson advanced to the semi-finals and placed in the top 24 students.
"Even during this virtual environment, we are still grateful for the opportunities provided to our students by universities and company sponsors," said Kellie Jackson, managing director of the National Strategic Selling Institute and sales team coach. "This was a great event to have our three seniors participate in as they prepare for the National Collegiate Sales Competition the first week in March. They can take the feedback they learned from this opportunity and continue to develop their skills over the next month as they prepare to compete again."
The K-State Sales Team is 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 nine straight years by the Sales Education Foundation. The team consists of students who are enrolled in the certificate or major in professional strategic selling. In fall 2018, Kansas State became just the 19th university in the U.S. to offer a major in professional strategic selling. Students can also earn a certificate in professional strategic selling, which is open to all majors at the university. The professional strategic selling program introduces students to the fundamentals of sales and its innovative curriculum and sales labs allow students to develop the skills needed to be successful.
The K-State Sales Team will be competing in several competitions throughout the school year across the country. For more information on the National Strategic Selling Institute or the K-State Sales Team, please contact kstatesalesprogram@k-state.edu.