College of Business to host International Collegiate Sales Competition

The Florida State University College of Business’ Sales Institute is preparing to launch its first International Collegiate Sales Competition, with the nation’s top sales students competing for cash and prizes of more than $10,000.  The event will be held Oct. 19-21 in Tallahassee.

This world-class competition is made possible in part through an $80,000 gift from the Tom James Company and the generosity of other sponsors.  This fall’s competition will kick off with participants from 28 schools, but plans are to eventually host competitors from 100 universities.

The ICSC will closely follow the format of the National Collegiate Sales Competition (NCSC) held each spring at Kennesaw State University, said Pat Pallentino, director of the FSU Sales Institute. The new competition, however, will focus on three primary selling arenas: direct to consumer, business solutions and international sales.  The latter area will include a Skype video sales call to top corporate executives in Russia.

As product sponsor, the Tom James Company – the world's largest manufacturer and retailer of custom men and women’s clothing – will provide the use of its products in developing sales presentations by the competitors. The company also will provide online access to selling tools used by its sales professionals and help students develop their sales skills.  In addition to cash, prizes will include Tom James’ suits.

More than 25 top U.S. and international companies will participate in judging the competition and recruiting students for employment.

The mission of the International Collegiate Sales Competition’s is to enhance the selling profession by encouraging and developing the critical skills needed by today’s collegiate sales graduates and to foster best practices among sales organizations worldwide.

To learn more about the upcoming competition, please visit www.icsc-fsu.org.

About the FSU Sales Institute:

The nationally recognized FSU Professional Sales Program is one of the largest and most unique in the nation with three full-time faculty members and more than 500 students participating in one or more sales courses each semester. It is one of only two Tier 1 research universities in the nation that have a professional sales program and offers a Ph.D. in marketing.

The FSU Sales Institute is dedicated to preparing students by providing world-class sales education and training. Housed under the College of Business, it believes “Individual Attention, International Acclaim” is the standard by which it operates and educates. By utilizing the most current sales training technologies developed through continuous research, it helps facilitate each student’s evolution from student to successful sales professional. Equal to its education mission, is the mission to conduct leading-edge research on the sales profession and the drivers of salesperson and sales force effectiveness. The FSU Sales Institute remains connected to its region through service to the community as well as research based initiatives that stimulate the regional, state and national economy.