Learning about professional selling techniques in the classroom is one thing. Putting that knowledge to work in an actual sales pitch is quite another, which is exactly what 170 Auburn students did recently in the first-ever Harbert Sales Competition, sponsored by Penske and the Department of Marketing in the Harbert College of Business.
“By partnering with Penske Truck Leasing, we were able to provide students in the Personal Selling course (MKTG 4390), as well as students in other majors, with the opportunity to apply classroom knowledge to a real-world business problem, while sharpening their critical thinking and presentation skills,” said Marketing Senior Lecturer Karen Hopkins. “The students’ professionalism and ability to communicate value was truly impressive.”
“We’re grateful to Jim Lager and his team at Penske Truck Leasing, as well as our faculty, for providing students with such a valuable experiential learning opportunity,” said Dora Bock, chair of the Department of Marketing. “The students did a phenomenal job with their presentations, and we look forward to hosting this event with Penske again next year.”
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The competition
Students stepped into the role of Penske sales consultants tasked with convincing potential customer Triple J Components, a fictional manufacturer of computer parts, to replace its aging transportation fleet with leased trucks from Penske.
Forty teams entered the competition and had a couple of weeks to analyze the potential customer’s needs, prepare a sales recommendation and submit a 15-minute video presentation that clearly articulated how a Penske leasing solution added value for Triple J.
The top nine teams then advanced to the competition’s final round, where they presented their sales solution to a panel of Penske executives and marketing faculty judges.
Penske’s participation was driven by EVP Jim Lager, a 1990 Harbert graduate, who viewed the competition as both a recruiting opportunity for his company and a platform for students to develop their sales skills.
“Sales skills will help students be more prepared no matter what career path they choose,” said Lager, who began his career in finance before pivoting to sales leadership. “The students’ performance absolutely exceeded my expectations. I’m very impressed with the level of talent coming out of Auburn and the Harbert College of Business, in particular.”
The students’ perspective
The top three teams and several individuals received generous prizes provided by Penske.
Harbert Elite, a team consisting of Keston Edwards, Alex Gehrig, Armando Lopez and Tyler Pruitt, won first place. Pruitt and Edwards also competed and placed in Selling with the Bulls, a national competition in Florida supported by Harbert College’s Marketing Department earlier this spring.
Pruitt, a senior majoring in kinesiology and exercise science and peer instructor for the first-year seminar on sales, professionalism and influence, said he and his teammates came together for the competition because they wanted to be around other like-minded people pursuing a goal. “We worked so well together and it didn’t feel like we were competing so much as we were just trying to hit our goals.”
Gehrig, who is majoring in finance, said he and his teammates experienced some real-life challenges like work conflicts and an unexpected car accident that nearly caused them to drop out of the competition early on. Despite the obstacles they persevered.
“The biggest thing for me was meeting these guys, getting to know them and working through the challenges we faced,” Gehrig said. “We just made it work.”
For Lopez, a senior graduating in December, the competition was especially beneficial because he was able to tell recruiters about his team making the finals in recent job interviews.
“The business school does a really good job bringing these hands-on experiences to Auburn students,” said Lopez, who is majoring in business administration with a focus on sales, and is a member of the Harbert Executive Society, which provides tours to prospective students and their parents.
“When I give tours, I emphasize what a great culture we have at Auburn and how much professors pour into the students and how many opportunities there are for students to add these experiences to their resumes.”
Edwards, who is majoring in finance, encourages other students to participate in next year’s competition regardless of their major.
“By participating in something like this, you develop skills that you can’t get in just the classroom — you learn to pay attention to even the smallest details and why that matters,” said Edwards, whose team set themselves apart from the competition by creating a sales contract for the judges as part of their presentation. “I think learning to do that is something I’m definitely going to use in whatever else I pursue.”
Additional winning teams
Penske Truck Leasing EVP Jim Lager met with members of the Driven to Win team that placed second, which includes Keira Dychkowski (marketing), Linnea Greco (marketing), Shannon Grubba (business administration), Hope Miller (marketing) and Lily Kellner (management).
Penske Truck Leasing EVP Jim Lager also met with members of the Professionally Penske team — Skyler Callaway (finance), Lily McAdams (marketing) and Mary Katherine Malone (finance) — which placed third in the competition.
Individual award winners
- MVP award – Keston Edwards
- MVP runner up – Mary Katherine Malone and Hope Miller
- MVP honorable mention – Armando Lopez and Zibby Housh (marketing)
Special thanks to Penske, students and faculty
Department Chair Bock expressed her gratitude to a number of individuals who contributed to the success of the competition:
- Faculty Chris Hopkins, Karen Hopkins, Bob Muscat, Stacy Robinson, Allison Smith and Deidre Tilley, who served as judges or helped coach the student participants enrolled in the Personal Selling course (MKTG 4390).
- Marketing Program Champion Megan Morris, who coordinated the entire event.
- Penske judges and representatives who helped plan the event, including
- Jim Lager, EVP of sales and rental
- Jerry Miller, VP of sales operations
- Candy Crane, director of sales operations
- John Embrey, VP of sales
- Johnny Love, field sales manager
- Sky Hegarty, talent acquisition
- Allison Fullrich, director of talent & organization development
- Jamie Demsko, manager of sales enablement
- The students, who embodied the Auburn Creed through their hard work, professionalism and pursuit of excellence throughout this competition.
