Bloomsburg University students compete in sales competition

BLOOMSBURG — Several Bloomsburg University professional sales and marketing students competed in the virtual Redbird Regional Sales Contest in February.

Senior Autumn Hawk advanced to the semifinals in her first-ever sales competition contest. Joining Hawk in the competition were Molly Groff, Mia Kosoglow, and Ethan Burns.

BU faculty member Mike Huben is the team’s coach.

The Redbird National Sales Competition (RNSC) is a collegiate sales competition hosted by the Professional Sales Institute at Illinois State University. This competition is a developmental event that provides students the opportunity to demonstrate their selling skills through simulated sale role-plays. 

Hawk, who had no previous experience with professional sales before this competition, explained how the RNSC contest worked.

“Competitors had to learn and attempt to sell Gartner (a research and advisory company) services to chief information officers of different companies and either close with a sale or get them interested enough to secure a second meeting to discuss the product further,” said Hawk. “Preparation for the competition involved a lot of research and practicing sales roleplays with our coach, Mike Huben.”

More than 150 participants attended the event and exhibited their sales skills during roleplay scenarios. Additionally, 20 schools and 11 corporate sponsors were represented at the competition.

BU was first named among the top North American schools in 2015 by the Sales Education Foundation’s (SEF) listing of the best universities offering professional sales education. BU is one of only five Pennsylvania institutions included in the listing. SEF recognizes institutions for elevating the sales profession through university education.