Baylor Business Students Shine at Sales Decathlon

Follow us on Twitter: @BaylorUMedia
Media contact: Eric M. Eckert, (254) 710-1964
WACO, Texas (Oct. 13, 2014) – Three professional selling students in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business earned six top finishes and placed in the top 10 at an Oct.4 sales decathlon at Northern Illinois University.

Seniors Cole Hansen (Littleton, Colorado), Lindsey Regan (West Lake Hills, Texas) and Katie Simutis (The Woodlands, Texas) earned fourth, fifth and sixth places, respectively, in the overall competition. Plano senior Collin Brence was unable to participate in the competition because of his commitment to Baylor’s football team.

The decathlon began last spring with a field of 150 competitors and was narrowed to 20 after four rounds of virtual competition, with four Baylor students represented in the top 20.

“It’s always fun when you have the chance to work with students who work hard,” said Andrea Dixon, Ph.D., the Frank M. and Floy Smith Holloway Professor of marketing at Baylor and executive director of the university’s Keller Center for Research and Center for Professional Selling. “To have four Baylor students representing us in the finals of this competition, which included international student competitors, is a great testament to their talent and dedication.”

Events at the decathlon included email, voicemail and written competitions, as well as web conference-based sales and making a phone call with a pre-calculated sales plan.

“The way we prepare for these events is not dissimilar to athletics,” said Dixon, who acts as the faculty coach for sales students. “There are lots of drills as a team and much individual work as well. We have to figure out the students’ strengths and weaknesses to best prepare them. It’s a pretty vulnerable environment.”

Baylor's Center for Professional Selling was the first sales center in the country and has been recognized annually as a top sales program. The Center engages in educational, developmental and research functions – all focused on promoting excellence in the fields of professional selling and sales management.

by Kristen Bennett, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.

ABOUT HANKAMER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business provides a rigorous academic experience, consisting of classroom and hands-on learning, guided by Christian commitment and a global perspective. Recognized nationally for several programs, including Entrepreneurship and Accounting, the school offers 24 undergraduate and 13 graduate areas of study. Visit www.baylor.edu/business and follow on Twitter at twitter.com/Baylor_Business.