I just finished the preliminary round of the MIT Sloan Sales Competition. I scored 95 points (presumably out of 100). :P Hopefully I can make it to the final round scheduled on October 18.
Actually I participated in the same competition last year. It was such a great learning experience that I started to appreciate selling a lot more. No matter how well the market research is done, and no matter how elegantly the financial modeling is done, no products or services turn into value until they're sold. Selling is never done by sales people alone. But ironically, selling isn't taught at any top business schools. I'm glad Sloan has a strong initiative to build the sales skill among MBA students. The one-day competition was very well organized. Other than the competition, they've also got a Sales Club as well as a Sales Conference. Kudos to Sloan!
Last year, each contestant went through 3 rounds of competitions, each of which had something to sell, including server virtualization, solar panel and online community membership. In each round, it was a one-on-one sales pitch with a judge who played the role as customer. The judge is a seasoned sales manager or director for some company. The learning experience started right after the pitch, when a written feedback was provided. Understanding customer needs and building rapport with them are critical to the success in sales. Simply dumping the product features on the table won't go far. My judge's feedback was candid, practical and insightful. I was able to apply the learning instantly in the next round, which was reflected by my increased scores from Rd 1 to Rd3.
At the end, I was far away from winning any prize. (I didn't expect myself to win anything, anyway. One of my cohort mates eventually advanced to the National MBA Sales Competition and won the championship!) But it was a fabulous learning experience. Back when the school started, I blocked my calendar according to the competition's agenda this year.
Also, I persuaded several classmates to join the competition. Maybe a proof of my improved sales skill? :o)
Actually I participated in the same competition last year. It was such a great learning experience that I started to appreciate selling a lot more. No matter how well the market research is done, and no matter how elegantly the financial modeling is done, no products or services turn into value until they're sold. Selling is never done by sales people alone. But ironically, selling isn't taught at any top business schools. I'm glad Sloan has a strong initiative to build the sales skill among MBA students. The one-day competition was very well organized. Other than the competition, they've also got a Sales Club as well as a Sales Conference. Kudos to Sloan!
Last year, each contestant went through 3 rounds of competitions, each of which had something to sell, including server virtualization, solar panel and online community membership. In each round, it was a one-on-one sales pitch with a judge who played the role as customer. The judge is a seasoned sales manager or director for some company. The learning experience started right after the pitch, when a written feedback was provided. Understanding customer needs and building rapport with them are critical to the success in sales. Simply dumping the product features on the table won't go far. My judge's feedback was candid, practical and insightful. I was able to apply the learning instantly in the next round, which was reflected by my increased scores from Rd 1 to Rd3.
At the end, I was far away from winning any prize. (I didn't expect myself to win anything, anyway. One of my cohort mates eventually advanced to the National MBA Sales Competition and won the championship!) But it was a fabulous learning experience. Back when the school started, I blocked my calendar according to the competition's agenda this year.
Also, I persuaded several classmates to join the competition. Maybe a proof of my improved sales skill? :o)
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