Baylor To Present 'World Series' Of Professional Selling

by Alan Hunt

Students from more than 20 of America's major universities will battle it out at Baylor University in a contest to decide the nation's top collegiate sales professionals.
Believed to be the only tournament of its kind in the nation, Baylor's second annual National Collegiate Sales Competition has attracted teams from universities as far south as Florida and as far north as Montreal, Canada. The two-day program will be held Feb. 25-26 and is sponsored by Baylor's Center for Professional Selling.
The winning students will have to prove themselves as "true movers and shakers" before some of America's best sales experts who will be judging their performances, says Baylor marketing professor and contest director, Dr. Terry W. Loe.
"Students will have the opportunity to make perhaps the most challenging sales call they'll ever make," he says. "Facing a video camera, selling to a professional buyer, being judged by sales professionals, and having to compete against so many others similarly qualified keeps them on their toes."
The students will participate in two separate presentations--one to sell a product, the other a service. They will be judged on the effectiveness of their performances. Loe says most of the nation's finest college sales programs will be represented at the contest and the student teams will be accompanied by prominent university professors who teach and conduct research in sales.
The sponsoring firms include Arrow Electronics, Office Depot, Elk Corp., WilsonArt, Edward Jones, Carlton-Bates, Prudential, Xerox Business Services, Concentra Health Services, Wallace, IBM and Andersen Consulting.
The contest will get underway Thursday evening, Feb. 24, with a reception for the participants, followed by opening ceremonies Friday morning. A mini job fair will be held in conjunction with the contest, offering contestants an opportunity to learn about job opportunities with the corporate sponsors.
Loe says last year's competition resulted in a number of job offers in sales for participating students. "Not unlike professional scouts who attend the College World Series in order to see the best talent available, corporate sponsors are on hand to 'scout' those college prospects who might one day add value to their businesses," he said.
The final round of the competition will be held Saturday afternoon in Kayser Auditorium at the Hankamer School of Business. An awards banquet will be held Saturday evening.
For more information, call Loe at (254) 710-4244 or by e-mail, Terry_Loe@Baylor.edu .