Thirty-eight University of Nebraska–Lincoln students paired up to pitch a healthcare program to Husker alumni of the Undergraduate Certificate in Sales Excellence Program while competing for $5,000 in the Center for Sales Excellence Team Role-Play Competition in November.

"The two-member student teams identified offensive and defensive strategies for selling the human understanding and reputation program from NRC Health to business professionals acting as buyers for the competition. All of the buyers were Nebraska graduates who earned their certificates in sales excellence. We are thankful to them and the business partners who served as judges," said Blake Runnalls, assistant professor of marketing, who planned the competition.

Kylie Eads, junior marketing and management major with an advertising and public relations minor from Elkhorn, Nebraska, and Aidan Kelch, a junior marketing major with a minor in business and law from Omaha, Nebraska, took home the first-place prize of $2,000. The two met as cheerleaders on Husker Spirit Squad and decided to join forces in the competition.

"The key for us was understanding the product and the importance of advocating for the patient while making sure to build a strong connection with the buyer. We also changed up the sales approach as needed during the different rounds of competition," said Eads. "Aidan and I had great chemistry as teammates and were able to anticipate what was needed from each other. Aidan is great at revealing the buyer's needs through the powerful questions he asks, and I'm able to understand and assess the needs quickly to offer a solution."

Scott Lodes, sales manager at Pacific Life in Omaha, served as a competition judge. He shared how he had been partnering with the university to find interns for three years and hired Nebraska graduates as full-time employees in the past.

"I've been in sales for 20 years and there are a lot of little things that go into selling that sometimes you can't coach. For me, it's about doing those little things perfectly," Lodes said. "Being energetic, having conviction in what you're talking about, laddering up a conversation, asking open-ended questions and not getting upset if you run into a little bit of an objection. These Nebraska students have those little things down."

Joe Idstein, junior management major from Roscoe, Illinois, and Trey Johnson, sophomore marketing and management major from Pender, Nebraska, won the $1,500 second place prize. Both gained valuable experience during the competition and plan to work in sales after graduation.

"We had to overcome obstacles and think quickly on our feet since we never knew what problem might be shared by the buyer. Having him be one of our own alums of the sales program made it a little less stressful as we knew he could relate to us and had been in our shoes in the past," said Johnson, who is taking his second class for the sales certificate.

Joshua Buhr, junior finance major from Beatrice, Nebraska, and Henry Moberly, junior management major from Lincoln, Nebraska, took third place with $1,000. The two work together as interns at Sandhills Publishing in Lincoln and chose to partner to compete.

"It was a little nerve-racking to compete, knowing judges and other business partners are watching us, but it was a great experience, and I definitely want to do it again," Moberly said. "Since Josh and I work together, we knew each other's sales abilities, and we are like-minded, so it created a good partnership," said Moberly.

Junior marketing majors from Lincoln, Charlie McCown and Kate Peterson won fourth place and $500. The two knew each other since middle school, so they decided to use that as an advantage in the competition.

"Partnering was easy. The challenging part was predicting what the buyer would ask us and adapting to what he shared. Charlie knows how to take charge of the meeting right away and get to know the buyer. I stepped in to help sell the product and answer questions," said Peterson. "All three rounds of the competition were different for us, but we helped each other and learned so much for the future. Everyone has to sell themselves in the world, so the sales certificate program is important no matter what major you choose."

Parker Merwick, '22, of Lincoln, graduated from the sales program and works as an account development manager at NRC Health. He served as the buyer for the final round.

"I was proud to be asked to be part of this competition so I could give back to the students and the Center for Sales Excellence," Merwick said. "I want to shout out to all the students who participated because they did a great job and all of them have extremely bright futures."