Students from several U.S. and international universities joined their FIU counterparts in the 2018 Global Bilingual Sales Competition, an immersive sales experience. The annual FIU Business event is designed to increase students’ exposure to the sales profession.
Using role-playing techniques, students had to sell DHL Express as the go-to logistics provider for international shipping for a South Florida business owner during a series of 15- and 20-minute in-person meetings. Each student competed in both English and Spanish over 3 days.
“It’s not just selling and sales skills,” Rafael Estevez, chief financial officer of DHL Express Americas, the competition’s product sponsor, said during the closing ceremony. “It’s communication, leadership and conveying ideas. You’ll see this in your career at every level.”
The students are judged on how they identified the needs of the buyer, showed value, pitched the proposed solution, addressed issues or concerns from the buyer, and satisfied the need. Judges also took into account how students incorporated their style and personality into the conversation.
“There’s no right or wrong answer, put your personality out there, keep asking questions,” – Nick Taylor, Sr. Director Direct Channel Sales DHL Express, advised students.
In addition to FIU, the competition included students from Southern New Hampshire University, Universidad Sergio Arboleda (Colombia), University of Texas at Arlington, St. Thomas University, Universidad EAFIT (Colombia), Universidad Iberoamericana UNIBE (Dominican Republic), University of Texas at Dallas, Florida State University, and University of Central Florida.
“I’m an FIU Business alumnus, and it’s exciting to see how much the school has grown,” said Estevez, who graduated with a Bachelor in Business Administration in finance and information technology.
The competition included a Career Expo for students seeking internships and jobs, a Sales Enablement Dinner and Roundtable for academics, business executives and FIU alumni. And, staying true to Miami culture, a domino and salsa dance night.
At the closing reception, Nancy Rauseo, senior lecturer in the Marketing Department and director of the College of Business’ Global Sales Program, thanked everyone for their participation.
“Without all of you participating, we couldn’t have made it happen,” she said. “It takes a village.”
FIU’s first-ever Global Bilingual Sales Competition was held in spring 2016. Its English-language counterpart, the Panther Sales Tournament is now in its third year. A central part of the College of Business’ sales program is the Global Sales Lab, which features 12 sales training rooms equipped with a camera and microphones, and recording capabilities.
The 2018 Global Bilingual Sales Competition winners:
Overall Winners Final Bilingual Round:
- #1 Valentina Castro (FSU)
- #2 Oscar Castillo (SNHU)
- #3 Jessica Munoz (UT Dallas)
- #4 Laura Guerrero (FSU)
- #5 Brandon Uria (FIU)
Spanish-language rounds:
- #1 Oscar Castillo (SNHU)
- #2 Brandon Uria (FIU)
- #3 Laura Guerrero (FSU)
- #4 Alejandro Gonzalez (EAFIT)
- #5 Jimmy Egas (FIU)
- #6 Valentina Gomez (EAFIT)
English-language rounds:
- #1 Alexandra White (UCF)
- #2 Elizabeth Drivas (UCF)
- #3 Michelle Edwards (UCF)
- #4 Jacob Samoranski (UCF)
- #5 Jessica Munoz (UT Dallas)
- #6 Valentina Castro (FSU)
