Plymouth Voices: Competitive sales team

Gabriela Gondolfe

She/Her

SGA President class of ‘23

10/20/22

Plymouth State University is among the few Colleges and Universities in the United States that offers a professional sales program. The Competitive Sales Team is an extension of the sales program where select students are invited to join for a more interactive learning experience. This team consists of specifically chosen students based on their performance in sales 2, for a more challenging academic experience. PSU is the only division III state school that is nationally ranked in collegiate sales. 

The Competitive Sales Team went on an on-site visit from October 5th-7th to  Black Diamond Network, a senior-level staffing agency that provides contractors for different industries like engineering, life sciences, and IT, one of their corporate sponsors. These sponsors including Ferguson, Quick Base, and Medicus invest in the sales program here and prospect students for potential careers and explore different industries and types of business with them. The competitive sales coaches are Greg Dumont, Bob Nadeu, Michael Kilfoyle, and Derik Gild. 

 “Sips” or Students in Professional Sales Student Founder and Senior here at Plymouth Danielle Flaherty said that these simulations “allowed me to fully immerse myself in the company’s culture because I spent two days in their building learning about their business and getting to ask the employees anything I wanted.”. 

Leading up to the competition, the sales team spent 6 weeks breaking down a case where they take on the role of an account executive, and have to make a cold call to try and sell to their contractor. Black Diamond Network took the sales team to a corporate dinner where they got to connect outside the office while becoming closer as a team. On the first day, the team competed against one another for the top 4 people to move on to the final round on day 2. The four students who moved on were Zach Singer, Grace Burns, Christian Silveria, and Rob Frey. They were then given a twist on the case and had to figure out a solution for a contractor who bailed out on their assignment. Zach Singer took the home top prize and all four of them did an amazing job presenting to the company. 

“I was ecstatic to have moved on to the final round with my teammates Grace Burns, Rob Frey, and Christian Silveira, …. While that final round was extremely tough, all of us did a phenomenal job.”. Zach Singer, the first-place winner, said about his experience. As a reward, Singer was extended a job offer at Black Diamond Networks which he will be accepting and starting right after graduation. All the students got feedback on the group’s performance so they were able to improve for the next time. It was a very hands-on and interactive learning experience that was not only enjoyable but also showed them what it is like in real-world experiences.

 It is great to see the triumphs of this team bringing honor to the school while preparing for success after college. Learning about sales in a classroom can only teach you so much, but having the opportunity to go into the real world networking, participating, and growing is in your hands, thanks to PSU’s sales program.