Griffin Hill Integrity Sales Competition

Sales Idol at Utah State University

Competing on their own turf, December 2, 2016, Huntsman ProSales students had the opportunity to exemplify their Griffin Hill Integrity Sales knowledge at Utah State University. Twenty students pitched a presentation, individually, regarding Lucid Software to a judge and from there they were evaluated on the following criteria: approach, needs identification, presentation, overcoming objections, and scheduling the next event.

After round one, eight semi-finalists were selected which included: Derick Morales, Chelsea Yoshikawa, Jeremy Bowe, Jacob Cazier, Spencer Buswell, Caleb Dart, Jimmy Stephens, and Bryson Cole. The remaining students participated in speed selling while the eight semi-finalists competed in round two.

From the eight semi-finalists, four students were selected to compete in round three in front of all participants and judges and they placed in the following order: Caleb Dart (fourth), Jeremy Bowe (third), Spencer Buswell (second), and Jimmy Stephens (first).

Congratulations to all who competed and for the following companies who sponsored the event: Griffin Hill, Lucid Software, and Inside Sales.

Qualtrics + Young Alumni Sales Panel

Recruitment and Inspiration

Jon M. Huntsman School of Business invited Stuart Orgill, Co-Founder of Qualtrics, to speak to students at their Focus Friday on November 4, 2016. Orgill has been with Qualtrics from the beginning and helped scale the company into what it is now. Inspiring all Jon M. Huntsman School of Business students, as well as Huntsman ProSales students, to figure out how to create their own opportunities, keep the bar high, and develop individual talents. 

Stuart expressed, "Being an entrepreneur is great, but be an opportunist."

After Huntsman ProSales students had the opportunity to hear about Stuart Orgill's success and roles in leadership; they were invited to a young alumni sales panel. Recent alum included: David Lee, Qualtrics; Tom Goldbandt, Instructure; David Whitaker, AT&T; Morgan Lpaktchian, Henriksen Butler; and Jason Baugh, Vivint Solar. Students asked questions to the panel regarding their typical day at work in a sales role, flexibility, how to find passion, and how to manage work life. Overall, it was intriguing to hear their different perspectives and learn about the endless opportunities in a sales career.

Ball State Collegiate Sales Competition

Students compete in Muncie, Indiana

Four Huntsman ProSales students including: Jonathan Ambrose, a Sophomore; Ashlee Doonan, a senior; TaKelle Newton, a senior; and Thomas Rogers, a senior;  had the opportunity to compete in the Ball State Collegiate Sales Competition this past weekend in Muncie, Indiana. They utilized the Griffin Hill Integrity Sales System in preparing their cases for ADP and were able to network and give resumes to over ten companies. This was a great opportunity for the students to learn more about sales, and receive valuable feedback from the panel of judges who evaluated their presentation.

Even though none of the students made it into the top eight; competing in these competitions was a great way for students to get real world sales experience, and get feedback on they way they sell in order to improve. This was a great learning experience and a chance to make connections with employers from all over the United States.

Opening Social

Words from Tyler Tolsen, Founder and CEO of Denik

On September 8, 2016, Huntsman ProSales students kicked-off the year by listening to Tyler Tolsen. 

Tyler Tolsen is the Founder and CEO of Denik and a young alum from Utah State University. Being an entrepreneur, Tyler inspired students to go above and beyond and proposed Sales 2.0. This included the following thoughts:

• Put in the time
• Talk to everyone
• Face to Face
• Be flexible
• Persistence/Grit
• Fearless. Bold. Pick up the phone.

Tyler said it best when he stated, "You don't have to be the best, you just have to do your best." As a program, we are grateful to have mentors like Tyler to assist in our success individually and as a program and provide direction in our future endeavors. 

First Out-of-State Competition

2016 Western States Collegiate Sales Competition

Last week, six students from the Huntsman ProSales Program had the opportunity to travel with Dr. Sterling Bone to Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and to a sales competition at California State University Chico. Part of the trip was focused on career exploration and networking. In Silicon Valley they visited Google's headquarters and experienced the unique working environment. At Google, Moline Dastrup, and Aggie alum and Google Account Manager, hosted a board room meeting. Ms. Dastrup and several other Google employees shared their experiences from working at Google.

Next, the group met with Matt Kolar, a BYU-Idaho alum and friend of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, at LinkedIn's headquarters. There they learned about the company and different career options. In San Francisco, SalesForce extended a warm welcome as they discussed how all Aggies can benefit from their software and training programs.

At California State University Chico, the Huntsman ProSales team, consisting of: Brett Reynolds, Jimmy Stephens, Alexander Hulme, Thomas Rogers, Dallon Smith, and Jordan Hill; competed in the Western States Collegiate Sales Competition against 52 students from other universities across the United States. The sales competition was comprised of two separate sales cases, Frito-Lay and Blackberry. Jordan Hill, a senior, placed third runner up in the Frito-Lay competition. Brett Reynolds, a junior, made it into the top 16 overall in the competition.

The most memorable parts of the trip to California included: promoting the Huntsman ProSales brand to businesses like Google, LinkedIn, and SalesForce; competing against some of the best business schools in the United States; and riding around on the famous Google bicycles.