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November 6, 2006
SALES PROFESSIONALS TO JUDGE STUDENT SALES CHALLENGE COMPETITION AT WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY
—Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales offers week-long selling competitions, including unique speed-selling competition on November 10
Sales leaders from metropolitan New York companies will serve as judges for Sales Challenge Week, an intense series of selling competitions and workshops to be held at William Paterson University in Wayne from November 6 through 10. One of few such competitions in the country, the event is sponsored by William Paterson’s Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales, which offers the only dedicated bachelor of science degree in professional sales in the country, as well as training programs for sales professionals.
Highlights of the Sales Challenge include a speed-selling competition on November 10. Designed like a speed-dating event, students will “sell” themselves to prospective recruiters. Participants will prepare a two-minute self-sales pitch and, one after another, present the pitch to a round of sales executives, complete with a one-minute Q&A. The job hunters will be rated “hired,” “possible hire” or “no thanks.”
Throughout the week, students will participate in adjudicated selling role-plays with business executives. Each student will be scored on his or her ability to open the conversation, retrieve and identify needs, present information, provide solutions, resolve concerns, gain commitment and communicate effectively. The top three sellers will compete in a championship round that will be broadcast to the entire group on November 10.
All students in the University’s sales degree program will be involved in the event, which will include “live-fire” field testing (mock interviews), a speed-selling competition, open round role-plays and championship role-plays. The sales challenge will take place in the Russ Berrie Professional Sales Lab, a unique interactive facility that simulates business office environments, and other locations in the University’s 1600 Valley Road building.
The Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales was created in 2002 when the late Russ Berrie, the founder and chief executive officer of Russ Berrie and Company, Inc., announced that he would invest $6.2 million to establish the program at William Paterson University. Housed in the University’s Christos M. Cotsakos College of Business, the Institute represents a unique partnership between the private sector and higher education designed to advance the field of professional selling.
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www.wpunj.edu
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