fsu sales institute spring newsletter
DESCRIPTION
Spring Newsletter February 2012TRANSCRIPT
Our newsletter concentrates mostly on student
activities and alumni success. However the Sales
Institute has two other major components. One is
research conducted by Dr. Leff Bonney and Dr.
Willy Bolander and assisted by several doctorial
candidates focusing on Professional Selling
related research and teaching.
Current research underway includes:
How can sales managers help new
salespeople move past periods of
performance failure?
How do reps choose which accounts to call
on and do reps overvalue the account that is
about to sign with a competitor?
Why do some reps deviate from standard
operating procedures and more importantly,
why are some reps successful when they do
this and others fail miserably?
If, when published, you would like a copy,
send Dr. Bonney an email at
The second major area for the Sales Institute is
Executive Sales and Sales Management training.
For the past several years, the Institute has
conducted three-day intense seminars in our FSU
training facility. The training is tailored to the
specific products, market place and selling
situations faced by the attendees. The web-
enabled recording offices allow participants to
practice mock sales calls to aid in applying
course material to practical situations. Their
performance can then be reviewed after they
leave the seminar.
An overview of the sales seminar content is now
available online and is meant to be an
introductory course for the newly
hired sales rep. It is meant to orient the
sales rep to key selling methods that
will be taught in subsequent training
sessions. Given that this course is
completed locally, the materials for
the course are compiled in an “Intro to
Selling Manual” by the FSUSI
faculty. In addition to the reading
materials, there are online webinars
that highlight the topics in the
readings. The ideal progression
through this course would be that new
hires are required to read sections of
the manual, watch webinars, complete
corresponding exercises and close the
topic by gaining a passing grade on an
online “quiz”. The completion of this
course should come in the first few
weeks of a new hire’s tenure.
Two new on-campus courses have
been announced as part of the
Executive Certificate in Sales
Management. This is a program that
focuses on providing enhanced
capabilities to sales managers. The
first is “Sales Leadership” to provide
the less experienced sales manager
with the tools to successfully create
and manage a sales team. The second
is “Sales Operation Management”
centered on the technical and
quantitative aspects of management
including designing territories,
evaluating sales person/sales team
effectiveness and forecasting
methodologies.
Director’s Update: What else does the Institute do?
Inside this issue:
Meet the Sales Team 2&3
Fall Showcase Plans 4
Road Runner Award 4
Alumni Spotlight 5
Welcome Sales Majors 5
Advisory Council 6
Spring Showcase Agenda 8
Members of the Fall 2011 Sales
Team remain active by
recruiting new Sales Majors and
assisting with special events.
www.Facebook.com/TheFSUSalesInstitute
Spring 2012
Reid Armor is a senior at pursuing a degree
in Marketing & Professional Sales with mi-
nors in Psychology and Spanish. He is a
brother of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity
and served as new member educator. He has
worked several jobs including an internship
with Northwestern Mutual as a Financial
Representative and promotions for TutoringZone.
Megan Barcia is a senior majoring in Pro-
fessional Sales. She has been inducted into
multiple honor societies for her scholastic
achievements including Phi Eta Sigma and
Order of Omega. Megan currently works at
the university as a graphic designer for the
student newsletter publication.
Catrina Carpenter is a senior majoring in
Marketing. Catrina has maintained a 3.7
GPA throughout her college career and be-
longs to several honor societies including
Honors Students Association and National
Society for Collegiate Scholars. She has
worked at the head of PR for Union Produc-
tions where she managed a team of 7 volunteers.
Tara Cromer is currently a senior study-
ing Marketing and Professional Sales. She
has been recognized as a National Merit
Scholar and has received the Bright Fu-
tures scholarship. Tara is an active member
of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She
currently works as a promoter for Bacardi
where she helps drive sales of new prod-
ucts. Tara also helps organize the campus wide philanthropy
Dance Marathon by serving on the Marketing Committee
Kelli Lampkin is currently a senior triple
majoring in Professional Sales, Entrepre-
neurship and Management. She maintains a
3.9 GPA and has won countless awards. She
also has extensive work experience includ-
ing a summer internship in London working
as a marketing and sales intern for an inter-
net startup called Madbids.com. Kelli has
held several leadership positions while at Florida State including
President of SIFE, Vice President of CEO and Vice President of
Young Entrepreneurs Society.
Andrea M. Noriega is a senior
majoring in Professional Sales with
a minor in Spanish. She has
worked for Aerotek as an Internal
Commercial Recruiter. During this
internship she gained real world
work experience by cold calling on
a daily basis and recruiting candi-
dates.
Katey O’Brien is a junior double majoring in Profes-
sional Sales and Entrepreneurship.
She was one of six students chosen
to attend the ACC Leadership Con-
ference in February 2011. She has
made the Dean’s List four times and
received the Bright Futures Scholar-
ship. Kathryn also owns a small
business called Basket Craze which
creates custom gift baskets.
Jeanette Rouisse has great leader-
ship experience. She won the Semi-
nole Torchbearers award for being
recognized as one of the top 200
student leaders on campus. She also
has experience working for Ceridian
Corporation as a Marketing Intern
where she developed the Lead Development Marketing
Plan.
Bryant Vega has shown past suc-
cess working for Sprint as a sales
associate. He consistently ranked in
the top 10 for all reps in his district
and ranked #1 in activations several
months. He will graduate Spring of
2012 with a degree in Professional
Sales.
Ali Wright is expected to graduate
in the spring of 2012 with a degree
in Professional Sales. She has
worked for several companies in-
cluding Colorado Distribution &
AR Development as a Sales Intern.
Alice consistently earns a spot on
the Dean’s list. In her spare time she is involved with the
Tallahassee Community College Forensics team.
Meet the Spring 2012 Professional Sales Competition Team
The FSU Sales Institute ● Spring 2012 ● Page Two
Milli Aschuer is the quintessential
non-traditional student. With sever-
al years of work experience under
her belt, she returned to Florida
State to complete her undergraduate
degree, majoring in both Account-
ing and Professional Sales. Milli is
fluent in three languages including German and Albani-
an.
Alex Edwards is majoring in Pro-
fessional Sales and plans to gradu-
ate in May 2012. He has extensive
Marketing-related job experience
and even studied abroad in Valen-
cia, Spain. Alex is a member of the
FSU Sales Club and the American
Marketing Association where he
was elected to the Board of Appeals.
Max Lightweis interned with Mo-
tionPoint last summer, calling on
Fortune 500 companies. He is a
member of Phi Delta Theta and the
Student Alumni Association. Max
plans to graduate this Spring with a
major in Professional Sales.
Staci Mihalko is a member of Phi
Theta Kappa Honors Society, the
Dean’s List, and the President’s
List. She has received the Bright
Futures Scholarship since Fall
2008. Staci plans to graduate this
Spring with a Professional Sales
major.
Robert Nimsger is a Professional
Sales major, minoring in Hospitali-
ty. He has excellent work experi-
ence at larger companies such as
Sports Authority, Big Lots, Fort
Myers Miracle Professional Base-
ball, and Seminole ISP Sports Net-
work. Robert is a member of the FSU Sales Club and
American Marketing Association.
Bradley Simpson, also known as Mr.
Dance Marathon 2011, is a member of
Chi Phi fraternity and was voted Fel-
lowship of Christian Athletes ‘Athlete
of the Year’. Bradley interned last sum-
mer at the Ritz Carlton Central Park in
New York. He brings a diverse skill set
to the table with experience in wireless cellular sales, student
dining, and sports management.
Biron Smythe has worked for both Colo-
nial Life and Northwestern Mutual and is
licensed in Florida to sell Life Insurance,
Health Insurance and variable annuities.
He is Vice President of Pi Kappa Phi fra-
ternity and a member of FSU’s 62 Student
Senate, where he is on the Budget Com-
mittee. They are responsible for balancing
a $12.4 million Activities and Service fees budget.
Michael Zucker is majoring in Market-
ing with minors in Communications and
Philosophy. Michael has great customer
service experience, working at both
Kohl’s Department Store and Cherokee
Town & Country Club in Buckhead,
Georgia. He volunteers for Habitat for
Humanity and is the Events Coordinator
for the Hip-Hop Culture Club.
Meet the Spring 2012 Strategic Accounts Team
The FSU Sales Institute ● Spring 2012 ● Page Three
The Strategic Accounts Team is putting what they have learned
in the classroom into real world experience, by making sales
calls to potential Advisory Council members throughout the
state. The team is being mentored by Dr. Leff Bonney.
The Seminole Sales Showcase is GROWING! We have
big plans for the 9th Semi-annual Showcase to be held
this coming October. Stay tuned for more details!
This national competition will be held in the Dunlap Suc-
cess Center’s new state of the art facility. With 36 individ-
ual roll-play rooms and plenty of space for the Job Fair,
individual judging rooms, and group events, this location
is the obvious choice to showcase Florida State Universi-
ty.
In advance of the national Seminole Sales Showcase,
Florida State students hoping to represent FSU will com-
pete in an internal, web-based competition. After judging,
the top two Florida State students will represent FSU at
the national Showcase.
Top sales students throughout the nation will also be in-
vited to attend the competition. Between twenty and thirty
-five universities will be represented in this exciting
event.
The Showcase is also an excellent opportunity for our
valued Advisory Council and invited recruiters. We antic-
ipate between thirty and fifty companies to attend the
three day event.
As we finalize plans, be sure and checkout
www.FSUSalesInstitute.com for the latest information.
Congratulations to Lindsey Mitchell winner of the Fall 2011 "Road Runner" award. This award, a $500 scholarship, is given to the first team member to get a new advisory council member committed to our program. Late in the Fall semester, Liberty Mutual con-firmed that they had submitted an in-voice for payment of $5,000 to partici-pate as a Sales Program Advisory coun-cil member at the Renegade level.
Fall Seminole Sales Showcase
Lindsey Mitchell wins “Road Runner Award”
“What I learned in the sales program has
helped my business out greatly with signing
restaurants and also helping other
GoWaiter franchisees sign restaurants. I
have also used what I've learned from you
to create corporate contracts to help out
my corporate office. I have a great career
and I can say its a success thanks to the
Sales Program.”
James Hardy
Class of 2010,
Marketing Major
Owner/Operator GoWaiter
The FSU Sales Institute ● Spring 2012 ● Page Four
Members of the Fall Professional Sales team enjoy a fun
photo-shoot at the Tallahassee Airport in early December.
These photos are being used for marketing
pieces throughout FSU.
The second annual Sales Educators’
Academy (SEA) will be held May 22-
24, 2012 at Rollins College in Orlando.
This event is coordinated by the FSU
Sales Institute and provides an excel-
lent opportunity for other sales educa-
tors to discuss best practices, new tech-
nology, and sales center growth. More
information can be found at
www.SalesEducatorsAcademy.com
Teaching and working with over 300 students per year
makes it difficult to remember everyone.
Keeping in touch via Facebook or email
helps. However, forging a personal rela-
tionship by positively differentiating
oneself in the classroom means that
years later, it is easy to write a referral
for graduate school. That was the case
recently with Jos Worrell. When Jos
phoned requesting an academic referral,
Professor Pallentino vividly remembered
Jos and said, “You always remember the
outstanding ones.”
Jos graduated from FSU in 2005 with double majors in
Finance and Real Estate. He says, “ The educa-
tion and development that I gained
through the sales course in 2004
laid a foundation of process and
execution which has been essential
for a thriving career in the banking
industry.… I have learned a tre-
mendous amount from the best and
will always value and take great pride in my Florida
State University sales experience.”
Jos is a successful wealth management banker with Mer-
rill Lynch in Atlanta Georgia. In his free time, Jos is a
member of the Atlanta Track Club and hopes to pursue
an MBA in the Fall.
Alumni Spotlight: Jos Worrell
Welcome all Sales Majors
On January 18, 2012, the Tom James Company and the Seminole
Sales Club hosted a welcome reception for all Sales majors. Af-
ter welcoming the new Sales majors, several aspects of Profes-
sionalism were discussed, including appropriate business cards,
behavior, and attire. The students were asked to sign the Profes-
sionalism Pledge. By signing the Pledge, students are commit-
ting to:
Take pride in all they say or do
Take responsibility for their actions and personal develop-
ment
Adhere to the highest standards of academic excellence, in-
tegrity, and to the norms of a serious intellectual community.
Action steps the students will take to further their Professional-
ism as a Sales major include:
1. Be on time to every class and when completing every assign-
ment.
2. Wear the Sales Institute name badge only when conducting
themselves professionally in both behavior and attire
3. Professionally create and print business cards and have them
at all times
4. Dress in business casual at least every Thursday, whenever
visiting the Sales Lab, and for special events such as guest
speakers, the Seminole Sales Showcase and other events as
directed by the Sales Institute.
“I am forever
indebted to Florida
State University’s
world-class
professional sales
program for
introducing me to
the science of
selling. “
The FSU Sales Institute ● Spring 2012 ● Page Five
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
FSU Sales Institute 2012 Advisory Council & friends—Thank you!
Renegade Level
Warrior Level
Chief Level
Benefactors
Seminole Sales Showcase Participants
Access to Students
What can The FSU Sales Institute do for you?
Research
While the number of salespeople has grown at a steady pace, it
is important to note that the role of professional salespeople has
also changed a great deal. No longer are salespeople walking
catalogs whose main functions are to inform customers about
product updates and complete customer order forms. In today’s
business climate, salespeople are heavily involved in new
product and/or service development, supply chain management,
strategic planning, and facilitating international
commerce. Salespeople are becoming important tools for
creating customer value as opposed to simply a conduit by
which customer value is delivered. Despite these interesting
changes in the sales function, some academic sales research has
not kept pace. Therefore, one of our main goals at the FSU
Sales Institute is to actively produce high quality research with
significant implications for both managers and academics.
“…FSU Sales Team is the best in the nation. We are
fortunate to be working with your students,”
Curt Nicholas, Sr. VP, City Furniture
Executive Education The FSU Sales Institute offers a three-day “hands-
on” sales workshop with exercises tailored to your
product line and your market segments. The entire
process begins with interviews of your key sales
personnel and key sales managers to better
understand your sales focus. We then prepare our
sales scenarios working closely with sales
management. This training will provide the less
experienced sales person with an understanding of
“Best in Breed” selling concepts including SPIN
questioning techniques and strategic account
management concepts. It provides the veteran
salesperson with a refresher in disciplined
approaches to prospecting and making efficient and
effective sales calls.
Whether lecturing to a classroom of 200 sales students, or inviting
two or three students to dinner, Advisory Council Members of The
FSU Sales Institute get top priority access to our award-winning
Sales majors. Additional benefits of becoming an Advisory
Council member include: access to the latest research information
and trends concerning salesperson performance and sales force
management; and the opportunity to influence the development of
the program’s problem-focused research .
For more information on joining our Advisory Council, please contact Pat Pallentino at (850) 644-7875 or [email protected].
The 8th Semi-annual Seminole Sales Showcase occurred on
February 7th, 8th and 9th. Over 300 students attended the sales
job fair where there were twenty-three companies looking to
hire spring graduates or offer summer internships to College of
Business Juniors.
Over 70 sales majors and 30 plus top corporate executives
attended the Tuesday evening welcome reception at the FSU
Alumni Center. Bryant Vega won an iPad in the memory
competition for remembering the names of more executives than
any other student.
Wednesday and Thursday’s events included the sales role-play
competition to select the two students to represent Florida State
at the National Collegiate Sales Competition. The top four
finalists were Reid Armor, Kelli Lampkin, Jeanette Rouisse and
Bryant Vega. Kelli and Jeanette were winners in the final round
and will represent FSU at NCSC on March 3rd and 4th at
Kennesaw State University in Atlanta.
Andy Mitchell, president and CEO of the Fairwinds Group
presented the winners with the Fairwinds scholarships. Kelli
received $1,250, Jeanette, $750 an Reid and Bryant received
$500 each. The presentations were made via Skype video link
and Mr. Mitchell charged all those attending to listen to the
customer and respond quickly to customer needs.