Sales students place in top five nationally
Article By: Clark Leonard
The University of North Georgia's (UNG) student sales team made a major mark in the National Collegiate Sales Competition (NCSC) held March 5-7 at Kennesaw State University.
Katie Kiker finished third individually out of 172 competitors and UNG tied for fourth as a team out of 67 schools in the national standings. UNG was the top performer among four Georgia universities that competed and one of only two to record a top-10 finish.
Bradley University took first place, followed by the University of Houston and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. UNG tied for fourth with Oregon State University, with Kansas State University, Kennesaw State, Louisiana State University, Weber State University, and Ryerson University rounding out the top 10. The other top four individual finishers besides Kiker were from Bradley, Oregon State, and Houston.
"This is the Super Bowl of sales competitions. It is where all of the top schools send their best sales students to compete," Dr. Cindy Rippé, associate professor of sales, said. "These results show that we're small but we're fierce. We have an outstanding program that can give students the skills they need to excel in a sales career."
These results show that we're small but we're fierce. We have an outstanding program that can give students the skills they need to excel in a sales career.
Dr. Cindy Rippé
UNG associate professor of sales
Kiker took part in four role-play rounds where she made her pitch to fictional buyers, who presented a variety of challenges with their responses. Each time, she came through with the proper approach to outperform her fellow competitors. Hundreds of fellow sales students and their coaches watched her final-round pitch via video. Knowing she had such a large audience was "was so exciting but a bit nerve-wracking," but Kiker excelled under pressure.
"I've really learned how to connect with people," Kiker said. "It takes emotional intelligence and adaptability to each buyer."
A senior from Ellijay, Georgia, pursuing a degree in marketing with a concentration in professional selling, Kiker will be graduating this summer and plans to pursue a career in medical sales.
Fellow UNG student Hannah Tokich, a senior from Suwanee, Georgia, pursuing the same degree, tied for No. 73 nationally, performing better than almost half the other competitors.
"I learned to dig deeper into the buyer's needs, not just to focus on my own talking points," Tokich said. "The competition gave me a lot of opportunities to put myself out there with employers and show the skills I've learned in class."
UNG students Catia Jovel and Oskar Arnold each contributed to UNG's strong team performance with their efforts in speed selling in the national event.
Both Kiker and Tokich said Rippé has created an environment that breeds success among UNG sales students.
"This program has given me a lot of confidence," Tokich said. "I have also gained valuable feedback about the sales process. It's given me a great place to grow and be in a community."
Grads prepare for their next steps
UNG will award almost 1,000 degrees and certificates this fall, and more than 600 graduates are scheduled to take part in the Dec. 7 commencement ceremonies.
24 are Distinguished Military Graduates
Twenty-four cadets have been named Distinguished Military Graduates for the 2024-25 academic year, including five who are in the top 70 out of more than 5,000 in the national ROTC class.
Blue Ridge students earn scholarships
UNG honored 28 of its Blue Ridge Campus students with almost $15,000 of scholarships and celebrated the philanthropy that made those scholarships possible at the Tomato Sandwich Supper on Nov. 7.
Professor earns data security patent
Faculty member Dr. Murthy Rallapalli is the lead investigator on a cutting-edge data security solution that recently received a patent.