Overview

The UW-Eau Claire Great Northwoods Sales Warm-Up is a sales competition for collegiate marketing students. We called our competition a sales warm-up for several reasons:

• The UW-Eau Claire competition is a development event that will warm-up student interest in sales as a profession. Students will hone their selling skills, network with sales professionals and recruiters, and meet other students who share their interest in sales.
• We have modeled our sales competition after the National Collegiate Sales Competition, an exciting event held every spring at Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia. By scheduling our competition in the fall, students can warm-up for the Kennesaw State event in March.

Competition overview. All contestants at the Great Northwoods Sales Warm-Up will deliver two, 20-minute sales presentations (one for a product, the other for a service) to an individual buyer. Sales calls will be evaluated by a panel of sales professionals who will view presentations via cablecast at a remote location. Students will receive their evaluation sheets, a digital recording of their presentations and a half hour debriefing session with one of the sales professionals who evaluated their performance.

In addition to the sales presentations, a job fair and professional development seminars are scheduled during the Warm-Up. All registered students will have the opportunity to submit their resumes for inclusion in a resume booklet which will be distributed to the sponsoring organizations. Sponsors will have informational tables and be available to meet with students on Friday and Saturday of the competition.

Students can also attend professional development seminars. In the past, these have included topics such as networking skills, tips on moving to a new town, professional attire, professional etiquette and other topics of interest to sales professionals. Other events being planned include a Thursday night reception, a Friday night dinner and the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Comedy Club and a Saturday night awards banquet.

Awards. To make things even more exciting, we will be awarding cash prizes for individual efforts.

The cost. Because we have secured sponsorships from a number of organizations, UW-Eau Claire will underwrite food, lodging and travel (stipend based on distance) for faculty advisers and student competitors. Student registration is $100. Non-participating students can also attend for a small fee.