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WMU students shine at national sales competition

April 14, 2006

KALAMAZOO--Two students in Western Michigan University's Sales and Business Marketing Program shone brightly in the nation's most prestigious university sales contest.

Melissa Martz, of Mattawan, Mich., and Patrick Allor, of Shelby Township, Mich., teamed up to compete in the National Collegiate Sales Competition held in March at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga. About 80 students from 40 universities in the Unites States, Canada and Mexico competed at the event.

Both Martz and Allor are sales and business marketing majors in the WMU Haworth College of Business. They placed fifth overall, while Martz earned the event's third-highest individual score. WMU has had two students in each of the past four years reach the final selling round and place in the top three overall. In addition, WMU is the only university that has placed in the top five, as a team, each of the past four years.

"This consistently high achievement is a confirmation of the quality of the program. We are very proud of Melissa and Pat," says Dr. Steve Newell, associate professor of marketing, who coached the duo along with Dr. Jim Eckert, assistant professor of marketing. "They worked countless hours to prepare for the competition, and their hard work has paid off. They deserve to be commended for their hard work and dedication to the Sales and Business Marketing Program, the Haworth College of Business and the University."

Martz and Allor were chosen from among 10 finalists in WMU's program to represent the University at the event. The national competition was conducted over a two-day period.

During the first day, students "sold" a product during a 20-minute, unrehearsed sales role-playing activity, with a seasoned sales executive playing the role of the buyer. Students were video taped, observed and rated by a group of industry professionals and professors from around the country. The next day, the students "sold" a service under similar circumstances to a different buyer. The top three scorers competed in a "sell-off" to determine the competition's final ranking.

The WMU Sales and Business Marketing Program has approximately 400 majors and is one of only a few programs in the nation to offer a major concentrated in sales. Founded in 2000, the program is nationally recognized and already considered to be among the best of its kind in the country.

Media contact: Mark Schwerin, (269) 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu

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