For the past 12 years, the Northeast Intercollegiate Sales Competition (NISC) has helped students learn the real deal of sales.
It offers budding sales professionals the opportunity to connect with top-tier employers across the nation. It also includes various challenges, skill building sessions and more.
The NISC 2023 took place at Bryant University from Nov. 10-11. Themed “Built to Sell,” it brought together more than 170 competitors from 25 institutions across the United States and Canada to test their skills.
Sarah Smith, a Missouri State University accelerated MBA student not only participated in NISC 2023, but she also won a challenge.
Smith, who has an undergraduate degree in professional sales and marketing, tied for first place overall in the Speed Selling competition.
Selling yourself
The competition required students to give an elevator pitch in under a minute, convincing a company representative to hire them.
The pitch had to include an introduction, two to three adjectives describing themselves and meaningful experiences and examples that support each quality shared.
Smith’s big win
Smith’s win has become a launchpad for a future sales career.
“Winning the competition has opened doors for me to interview with companies I never thought I’d be able to,” Smith said. “I have multiple interviews lined up as a result of attending the NISC.”
As a female navigating the male-dominated world of business and sales, Smith notes her achievement is extra meaningful.
“Being a female in the business world, especially sales, is not easy,” Smith said. “I went to this event with a group of all men and competed against a very large group of men. Winning means I can excel as a female, and this should give me confidence moving forward to not let my gender stop me or hold me back.”