Morgan Rabas and Mike Medwed, both marketing with a sequence in professional sales majors, represented Illinois State University at the ninth annual National Sales Challenge (NSC) hosted by the Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey.
Approximately 75 of the nation’s top sales students showcased their skills in three unique role-plays hoping to progress to the final round of the competition. Rabas and Medwed were among the 32 students to advance to the semifinals. Medwed was one of four to advance to the final round, and was later awarded third runner-up. “Simply having the opportunity to compete with the best in the nation is one of a kind,” Rabas said. “I’m honored to have been able to represent ISU at the NSC, and beyond excited to have had all of our hard work pay off.”
Mike Medwed and Morgan Rabas
The team’s high scores resulted in Illinois State placing second runner-up out of the 36 colleges that participated. Selling and Sales Management Assistant Professor Duleep Delpechitre said this was very exciting news, as this was the first time the University has ranked at the competition.
Illinois State participated in the inaugural NSC in 2006, and has achieved success in the speed selling event with Hayley (Guyton) Learnard placing fourth in 2014 and Amber Page placing second in 2012.
Each round features real business world simulations where students are videotaped delivering time sensitive sales pitches and role-plays to be judged by a strict set of criteria. “The actual competition was an amazing experience because they place you in high-pressure situations where you really have to think on your toes because you never know what the buyer is going to say next,” Medwed said.
“These students were up until 3 a.m. practicing and were then ready to start each day at 5 o’clock. They are extremely dedicated and continue to pursue excellence. These young adults could do many other things, but they chose to compete and represent ISU, and did so well.”
—Duleep Delpechitre
Delpechitre shared the students’ enthusiasm for a job well done: “These students were up until 3 a.m. practicing and were then ready to start each day at 5 o’clock. They are extremely dedicated and continue to pursue excellence. These young adults could do many other things, but they chose to compete and represent ISU, and did so well.” Delpechitre said he feels privileged to teach such exceptional students, and that their level of knowledge and sound foundation in the sales field exemplifies how Illinois State staff and faculty go well beyond expectations.
Delpechitre is in his first year with the professional sales program at Illinois State having previously been on the faculty at the University of Louisiana–Lafayette where he also taught sales and developed a successful sales program.
