TCNJs First Ever Sales Competition from Pi Sigma Epsilon

By: Jennifer Goetz

Participants from TCNJ, William Patterson University and Bryant University attended Pi Sigma Epsilons inaugural sales competition last Saturday, Sept. 20.

“We’re making history here,” said President Matt Napoli. Pi Sigma Epsilon competes in sales competitions twice a year, but this was the first time TCNJ has hosted.

The competition is a business-to-business sales roleplay. The competitors had executive meetings for 12 minutes to pitch their products. These students were split up between five rooms and were given a random product to sell. Each room had three judges observing each sales pitch. Christine Murtha was one of the students who helped record these sales pitches, and said that after the judges decided on their favorite for each room, the tapes were watched to determine the overall winners.

Following the competition in the school of business, students had the opportunity to listen to guest speaker Steve Cucinelli, attend a career fair, and attend a banquet in the Student Center where the winners were announced.

“The career fair is a chance for the participants to relax and interact with recruiters,” said Napoli. The career fair offered sign ups and applications for employment opportunities from the sponsors of the event.

The sponsors included: Northwestern Mutual (the lead sponsor), U.P.S., Modis, Tom James Suits, Y.P., Federated Insurance, Johnson & Johnson, Guardian I.P.A. and Multiview.

“It’s a great networking opportunity,” said sophomore Derek Carper. “It’s a chance for students to interact with different partners from different companies.”

Aside from all the connections and life skills that participants gain from the business roleplay, the top three sales competitors took home cash prizes. Third place was Eric Sawyer, second place was Keith Zeites and the first place winner was Sarah Brown. The awards were: 100 dollars for third, 250 for second, and 500 dollars for first.

Rachael Scott, the Vice President of Public Relations for Sigma Pi Epsilon said the school of business wants it to be known that sales is a very transferable skill. “Having the skills to compete makes you that much more marketable as a business major.”

Overall, this has not been something TCNJ has been exposed to, and will be of great service to those interested in a business major. For anyone interested in sales, this provides real-life experience.

This event has been years in the making, but the current E-board is responsible for making it happen and for making it a success. The sponsors, particularly Northwestern Mutual Insurance, provided more than just information about their companies, but valuable knowledge about the ethics and integrity of making sales. The sales competition was organized last spring, and this co-ed, non-exclusive organization accepts students of all majors to participate.