VSU Students Excel at Global Sales Competition

Six students from Valdosta State University's Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration recently participated in a RNMKRS College Sales Skills Competition, finishing in eighth place overall out of more than 60 colleges and universities. This was VSU's first time competing in the global virtual sales competition. Pictured are (top row, left to right) Mallory Johnson, Jordan Haskins, and Bradford Hames; (bottom row, left to right) Grace Isaac, Josh Griffis, and Jacob Spooner.

VALDOSTA — Mallory Johnson, a Valdosta State University student from Dallas, Texas, earned first-place honors during a recent RNMKRS (pronounced “rainmakers”) College Sales Skills Competition. She competed in the SpeedSell event, where she was asked to develop a 90-second elevator pitch to convince an employer to hire her.

“It was a fun experience, and I learned so much about selling that I will carry into my career,” she said.

Johnson will graduate in May with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and has already secured a sales associate job with Gartner Inc., a RNMKRS supporting partner.

“I really think this competition helped me find a love and passion for sales.”

Jordan Haskins of Lakeland, Georgia, finished in fifth place; she graduated from VSU with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing in December.

Bradford Hames, a senior marketing major from Fitzgerald, Georgia, finished in 11^th place; Grace Isaac, a senior marketing major from Jacksonville, Florida, finished in 17^th place; and Josh Griffis, a junior management major from Homerville, Georgia, finished in 30^th place.

Jacob Spooner, a VSU student from Sylvester, Georgia, won the southern region championship in the RNMKRS College Sales Skills Competition’s Role Play event, where he was asked to engage in a 15-minute business-to-business sale with an animated customer bot.

“I acted as a Dell Technologies sales rep and had to convince the prospect to buy Dell rugged laptops,” he said.

Spooner will graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing in May. He said the competition experience “provided me with a real-world scenario of how the selling process works.”

These VSU students learned, practiced, and prepared for the RNMKRS College Sales Skills Competition while taking MKTG 4130: Professional Selling during Fall Semester 2022. On game day they competed against more than 3,000 students from more than 60 colleges and universities across the United States, Canada, and Europe.

“The efforts of these students allowed VSU to rank No. 8 overall,” said Dr. Gary Futrell, associate professor of marketing in VSU’s Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration. “This is the first time VSU has participated in the global virtual sales competition.”

The RNMKRS College Sales Skills Competition continues to break records for participation, engagement, and high scores. Students compete for prizes, bragging rights, and jobs with leading employers like Dell Technologies, Cintas, and Gartner.