Marian University’s Byrum School of Business competed against 31 other schools including Penn State University, Baylor University, and the University of Richmond at the 2020 virtual National Team Selling Competition (NTSC) hosted by the Indiana University Kelley School of Business held on October 21-23.

The Byrum School’s presentation team of Anton Berry ‘21, Sarah Spangler ‘22, and Sandra Sledge ’21, won the competition, bringing home a first-place trophy and $1,500.

NTSC is a premier sales event that brings together top-level sales talent from colleges and universities across the country. Competing teams have the opportunity to bring their classroom knowledge and experience and apply those skills in a selling situation that is realistic and relevant in today’s virtual market. The competition also provides exceptional networking opportunities with corporate partners, recruiters, students, and faculty.

“Honestly, when we won, I generally couldn’t believe it,” Spangler said. “Just because of all the top schools we were competing against, we knew it would be tough to place in the top two, but when I saw that we won, it just felt amazing that all our hard work paid off. We have worked so hard, practicing every day whether that be in person or on a Zoom call. I don’t think anyone can say they put more work into this than us. The feeling is still surreal, and it still is just a rush to know we beat Baylor and Richmond.”

During the competition, each three-student team participated in two 20-minute virtual sales meetings. In the first meeting, each team gathered information and discussed possible solutions to prepare for the next meeting. Then in the second appointment, students were tasked with gaining commitment to a sale from the customer.

“I would say the biggest components of what led us to win was how we presented ourselves and went about each meeting,” Sledge said. “We were not afraid to handle objections as they occurred and listened closely to the client’s needs. The biggest asset to our team was that we made it fun. The judges really enjoyed our energy, and I think our passion showed when we gave the presentation.”

The Byrum School's Professional Selling Program is dedicated to the development of professional sales leaders and has been recognized by the Sales Education Foundation as one of the “Top Universities for Professional Sales Education” for the past two years. The program offers students from any business major the opportunity to obtain a specialization in professional selling. The specialization consists of nine credit hours earned from a choice of courses that include Selling and Sales Management, Advanced Professional Selling, Negotiation, Sales Technology, and a sales internship. Students are mentored by Byrum faculty members Lori Rumreich and Robert Kubacki.

“We are proud of our team and are grateful for the forward momentum they are generating for the school,” Greg Rawski, Ph.D., dean of the Byrum School of Business, said.