Inaugural Top Tiger Sales Competition showcases future leaders in sales and customer development

The Trulaske College of Business recently hosted its first-ever Top Tiger Sales Competition, sponsored by the college's Center for Sales and Customer Development (CSCD). The event brought together talented business students eager to showcase their sales prowess and compete for a cash prize.

The competition, held in Cornell Hall, attracted a diverse group of undergraduate students, each with a unique approach to sales and customer relations. Participants took part in a series of challenging sales scenarios designed to test their skills in negotiation, relationship building and closing deals. These scenarios, designed by industry professionals and CSCD faculty, reflected real-world business situations that the students might encounter in their future careers.

Anthony Vatterott, the center's director, expressed his enthusiasm for the event. "The Top Tiger Sales Competition offers our students the invaluable opportunity to put their sales skills into practice and receive constructive feedback from sales professionals," he said. "This experience not only helps our students sharpen their abilities, but also helps them build confidence in their own sales talent."

An impressive panel of judges evaluated the contestants' performances, including Natalie Gottschalk, Miguel Hudson, Samantha Thomason, Michael Trudzinski and Leah Bonugli from Signature Consultants, and Ryan Keery from State Farm Insurance.

After a day of intense competition, the winners of the inaugural Top Tiger Sales Competition were announced:

1st place: TJ Carroll

1st runner-up: Joseph Graves

2nd runner-up: Callie Redobos

3rd runner-up: Alexis Hydar

4th runner-up: Andy Chaplin

Andy Chaplin, a senior studying marketing, said that having a clear understanding of the objectives and being well-prepared with notes from the meetings played a pivotal role in his success at the competition. "Knowing the objective of what I was trying to accomplish really helped me tailor my pitch, ask the right questions and address any objections. By the end of the time limit, I knew exactly what I had to get done."

Reflecting on his previous experience at a virtual sales competition for Mizzou a month ago, Chaplin shared that focusing too much on a script instead of being adaptable was a valuable lesson. "In the past, I tried to plan out everything, but things don't always go as planned," he said. "You need to be able to think on your feet. That competition went sideways, and I had a hard time getting back on track." With the Top Tiger Sales Competition, Chaplin was pleased to see the improvement in his performance and the value of learning from past experiences.

The Top Tiger Sales Competition is just one of the many opportunities offered by the Center for Sales and Customer Development. Through events like these, the CSCD continues to foster an environment where students can develop their talents and become business leaders of tomorrow.