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A Special Competition Invitation

The Sales Decathlon (formerly the World Collegiate Sales Open) is now open for registration at: . Registration closes February 28th. The first two remote events take place in March based on a 1 page scenario.

 

Each university may enter up to 10 students who wish to compete with other students from across the country in this sales contest. There are new events to the sales competition, but the qualifying tradition remains in place. During each of the first three events the field will be reduced and the top scoring students will advance. Participants must be graduating December 2014 or May 2015 and be undergraduate students. This contest is a play-in and eventually encompasses the entire sales process.   

 

Adobe SVP of Sales emailed me this week and upped the ante.  The overall Sales Decathlon Greatest Sales Athlete will receive a job offer from Adobe. 

Cliff Notes for Busy Sales Professors

Up to 10 students from your university. Students prep 1 page scenario. They leave a voicemail and submit their pre-call planning to be judged. Top scores move on to a gatekeeper call. Judging criteria is on the website. Top 20 make the finals at NIU Oct 2-4, prize $. More details will be sent to the students who register. Entrance fee is $20, some have students pay for it (skin in the game), others pay from sales center funds.

 

New this Year

1) The time frame of the contest has been shifted so the qualifying events are held in March/April, and the face-to-face portion of the contest is Oct 2-4, 2014 on the Northern Illinois University campus.

2) The second event is a Pre-call sales planning element where the student must submit a pre-call plan based on the scenario.

3) The website has a "Preparation" area where students can receive brief tips and hints on how to best execute each event.

 

The Sales Decathlon Details

The competition features 10 events, but each of the first 3 events will feature an elimination element. The 20 Finalists will have successfully navigated these 3 events and used the judging criteria to help perfect their performance. The entrance fee is $20 per student.  

1) Voice Mail: Contestants will leave a voicemail based on the scenario. Only the first 45 seconds            of the VM will be judged.

2) Pre-call plan: Based on the sales scenario each student will create a brief pre-call plan. Each      student will essentially populate a pre-call form online and again that will be graded      following the judging criteria. There will be a maximum character count in for each element.

3) Gatekeeper Role: Students engage in a 3-5 minute phone call to secure an appointment with the           prospect. Again, the role-play is evaluated and scored on various aspects.  

 

The Winners

Scores will be tabulated for each individual event and the top finishers will be recognized. Additionally, those finishing in the Top 4 overall will earn prize money.

$2000 for the Sales Decathlon Athlete of the Year
$1500 for 2nd Place
$1000 for 3rd Place
$  500 for 4th Place
There will be recognition for faculty coaches as well, stay tuned.

 

The Niche

The Sales Decathlon is similar, and different, from other competitions.

The events cover the entire sales process from voicemail to a signed agreement.

The field allows for up to 10 starting contestants per school since we know you have more than 2 sales stars in your program.

The Sales Decathlon timing allows juniors to become involved in sales competitions.

It won’t conflict with Spring break since you just leave a voice mail and submit a short pre-call plan and that window is open for nearly 2 weeks. 

The website will offer helpful tips for contestants on each event, and will continue to grow over time in hopes it will be a resource for classroom use. Your expertise is invited.

 

Contact me if you need immediate clarification on this exciting event, Robert M. Peterson at peterson@niu.edu  or (815)753-6224. The website has insight and a helpful Preparation section:  .