{"id":29320,"date":"2017-11-02T12:44:30","date_gmt":"2017-11-02T16:44:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/?p=29320"},"modified":"2017-11-28T11:42:56","modified_gmt":"2017-11-28T16:42:56","slug":"fiu-business-students-step-into-character-for-annual-sales-tournament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/2017\/11\/fiu-business-students-step-into-character-for-annual-sales-tournament\/","title":{"rendered":"FIU business students step into character for annual sales tournament."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FIU<\/p>\n

Jennifer Elias of Carnival Corp. watched as FIU Sales student Melanie Crespillo pitched an advertising spot to the owner of a family-owned furniture store looking to expand in South Florida. The owner\u2019s objective: get a competitive edge versus business rivals.<\/p>\n

Her pitch explained how advertising could be targeted geographically and demographically on channels watched by millennials residing downtown and in other urban areas.<\/p>\n

Elias\u2019 take on Crespillo\u2019s pitch? \u201cI\u2019d hire her in a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe had a take-charge disposition, she was very impressive,\u201d said Elias, a recruiter at Carnival. \u201cShe covered it all quickly and assertively closed with a follow-up meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elias was one of many professionals to serve as judges as College of Business students sharpened their negotiation skills and product pitches by selling an advertising contract on Comcast Spotlight as part of the 2017 Panther Sales Tournament.<\/p>\n

\"Tournament<\/p>\n

This fall\u2019s tournament was held October 5-6 at the college\u2019s Global Sales Lab. All of the buyers and judges in the two-day tournament were sales executives from local and national companies. Comcast was the event\u2019s product sponsor and 31 other companies came in as sponsors.<\/p>\n

During the 15-minute in-person meeting, students had to showcase Comcast Spotlight and the benefits of advertising on their platform. They were also challenged to build a rapport with the buyer, highlight audience and dollar value, address any questions or objections, and secure a follow-up meeting to seal the deal.<\/p>\n

Tournament provides valuable experience.<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI did not have anything like this in college,\u201d said Paul Vignau, director of sales at Comcast Spotlight, and one of the competition judges. \u201cGoing through the sales process while knowing executives are watching and judging you is extremely difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vignau, who has been with Comcast for six years, highlighted the students\u2019 efforts, noting that Comcast Spotlight is a complex product and not easy to sell.<\/p>\n

\u201cA program like this one is a huge benefit because many marketing majors end up in sales,\u201d he added. \u201cEven if you don\u2019t end up in sales the skills learned are valuable when interviewing for a job. If you know how to do a needs analysis and a good presentation, it\u2019s a great advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was the first Panther Sales Tournament<\/a> for freshman Brian Escobar, a marketing major. As he sat before Vignau, Escobar tried to control his nerves and focus on the three P\u2019s \u2013 prepare, practice and present.<\/p>\n

\"FIU\u2019s<\/p>\n

\u201cParticipating in the competition gives me awesome exposure to executives in the industry, and through networking, I can get a head start,\u201d said Escobar, who hopes to be a venture capitalist and own his own business.<\/p>\n

This semester, 69 students competed in the tournament and of those, 16 also competed en espa\u00f1ol<\/em>.<\/p>\n

FIU\u2019s Panther Sales Tournament is one of the only U.S. programs to include a Spanish-language track, where the selling and buying are conducted in-language and Hispanic executives judge the students.<\/p>\n

New this year was the Panther Exchange, a speed networking event where students were tasked with giving a one-on-one \u201celevator pitch\u201d to an executive indicating why they would be a great candidate for their company.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking for ambitious go-getters, students who want to start a career,\u201d said Ash Deshmukh, senior vice president, corporate development at Tom James men\u2019s clothing. The company donated a customized suit to Escobar, the tournament\u2019s overall winner.<\/p>\n