Whitman team places third in national sales competition

The Whitman School of Management recently sent a team of four undergraduate marketing students to Indiana for the fifth annual National Team Selling Competition at Indiana University. The team placed third out of 21 teams from universities across the country, returning to Syracuse with a team trophy and a $1,000 prize.

At an awards dinner following the competition, senior Rob Zaccaria was honored with an individual award for outstanding professionalism and effective team leadership. Whitman team members also brought home their own individual trophies for placing third overall. This year’s team consisted of juniors Danielle Devinsky, Rachelle Thelusme and Amala Williams and Zaccaria.

“I am very proud of the team’s accomplishment,” says Scott Lathrop, clinical professor of marketing practice, who served as team adviser. “The students’ team work was outstanding, helping them beat many teams with highly respected sales management programs, like Penn State, Florida, Wisconsin and Arizona–to name a few.”

The two-day case competition was hosted by the Kelley School of Business and sponsored by the Center for Global Sales Leadership and Altria Group Distribution Company. Each team analyzed data and crafted sales presentations as the fictitious company Nature’s Junction, with the goal to introduce a private-label popcorn line into 84 retail stores. Altria Group Distribution Co. sales executives role-played the position of buyers and senior management, while guest faculty served as judges in two rounds of competition.