Sales Connection Student Preparation
Participation Paths
- Compete at Internal Sales Competition (ISC). Sales Connection is part of ISC.
- Coach your peers at Internal Sales Competition (ISC). Sales Connection is part of ISC.
- Help run the event on Friday morning as an attendant for development blocks and play-by-play tables at Sales Connection. Learn, network, help others, and get workers perks like Amazon gift cards and wearing casual UToledo/ESSPS swag all at the same time!
- Engage in development block, open networking brunch, and play-by-play analyst table at Sales Connection.
- Each path earns you Eureka points with UToledo that you can redeem for rewards throughout the year
Why Attend
- Improve sales and related skills in an interactive environment while learning about various sales career opportunities
- Expand your career contact network by talking to firms you might have missed at the college job fair and/or meeting new contacts
- Increase and direct your exposure to the firms that are focused on recruiting sales talent
- Follow-up in person with the firms you are currently targeting for employment
- Meet the individual(s) who might become your next manager!!!
- ...required for those taking a professional sales class this semester because Sales Connection is designed to help with professional development and recruiting. If you are unable to attend Sales Connection, you need to talk with your instructor ASAP and have documentation in order to receive the alternate assignment. Otherwise, you are expected to be there.
Prepare
- Take the Student Engagement Survey during week 2 of the semester to share your preferences for development block topics and confirm your participation. ESSPS Director will email survey to PSLS majors and minors and all those taking a PSLS class the week before classes start with reminder emails once classes start. Faculty will also email and post the link in Blackboard.
- Request time off or an altered schedule at work, if needed
- Accept the calendar invite from the Edward Schmidt School of Professional Sales (ESSPS) to make sure the event is on your calendar and that you have important event information and links at your fingertips. Only students who complete the engagement survey by the deadline will receive the calendar invite. Calendar invites go out during week 3 of the semester.
- Review your Assignment Schedule in Launchpad so you know which development block room and play-by-play analyst table to go to. Assignment Schedule is posted 1-2 weeks before the event in the General channel.
- Review the development block topic and prepare questions
- Research the companies using the attendee information found in Launchpad's Corporate Partner Info channel
- Update resume and/or personal business cards
- Compose tailored cover letters for the top firms you are targeting
- Follow ESSPS social media for updates (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)
- Practice your opening
- Review and choose conversation starters for the opening networking brunch
- Select an appropriate business professional outfit and make sure it is clean and tidy
What to Bring and how to Dress
- Resume
- Personal business cards
- Something to take notes on and a pen
- Business professional attire
Refreshment
- Brunch will be provided
Development Block
- 1 hour block that will cover a topic in a highly interactive workshop or panel format.
- Led by ESSPS Corporate Partners, ESSPS alumni, and other companies
- Your Assignment Schedule will be ready in Launchpad (see General channel) 1-2 weeks before the event
- Select development blocks will be recorded so that students can securely access content and insights on-demand beyond the session(s) they attended live. Recordings will be available in Launchpad immediately after the event.
- Remember to check-in by submitting QR code survey for that block
- Full list of topics and details on development blocks
Open Networking Brunch
- ESSPS Corporate Partners will each have their own table. Branding is provided via a company logo embedded into the QR code check-in.
- Remember to check-in by submitting the QR code survey for that corporate partner's table.
- Participants will go up to the brunch buffet together as a table according to the release schedule on the classroom screen so we can maximize the time spent networking.
- Students will sit down with a corporate partner of their choice and enjoy their brunch while networking with the corporate partners. Students can approach their open networking by focusing on the company, common interests, and/or general relationship.
- Common interests (pets, travel, cooking, volunteering, fitness, etc) will be communicated using a series of colored dots that guests place on their name badges during check-in. Select the dot that has the color that matches your personal interest so it is easy to find people who share your interests.
Company
- Figure out how well you fit with a company by asking questions (see below for some
ideas and make up your own):
- How does this position fit in with Company ABC’s overall strategy? (ie: What benefits are they expecting to receive? Why do they use interns?)
- What are your selection criteria for this position - personality traits, experience, education, etc? (ie: How will you be evaluating the different candidates? What features are they interested in?)
- What is the next step and associated timeframe?
- What does a typical day look like?
- What is your management style?
- What kinds of training and coaching/mentoring programs do you have?
- What does the career path look like from the sales intern/account manager?
- Describe the corporate culture at Company ABC.
- How did you come to Company ABC?
- Where do my accounts come from (existing clients, marketing forwarded leads, etc)
- How many of my accounts will be customers vs. prospects?
- How are accounts (markets) segmented?
- How will my performance be evaluated? How often will I receive feedback?
Common Interests
- Common interests (pets, travel, cooking, volunteering, fitness, etc) will be communicated using a series of colored dots that guests place on their name badges during check-in. Select the dot that has the color that matches your personal interest so it is easy to find people who share your interests.
General Relationship
- Ask these Link 20 © questions, over time, in a sincere way, and you will move most people up the pyramid (see below for some ideas and make up your own):
- What do you do when you are not working?
- Where did you go to school (and how did you choose it)?
- Where did you grow up and what was it like growing up there?
- What was your high school like?
- What do you enjoy reading when you have time?
- How did you decide to do (whatever he/she does) for a living?
- Tell me something about your family
- Where is your favorite place to vacation?
- What kind of a vacation would you like to take that you have not taken?
- What community associations, if any, do you have time to be involved with?
- What sports, if any, do you enjoy participating in?
- What sports do you enjoy watching?
- If you could have tickets for any event, what would it be?
- How did you decide to settle in this area?
- Tell me something about you that would surprise me?
- What things would you really want to do more of, but don’t have time for?
- What challenges/issues in your work do you deal with that I, or my company, might be able to help you with?
- What is the most frustrating thing about being in your business today?
- In your opinion, what two or three qualities, make a top notch sales representative (account executive, consultant, etc.)?
- If all work paid the same, and you could go around again, what would you do?
Play-by-Play: The Analyst Table
- Sales process analysts are ESSPS Corporate Partners who will breakdown role play footage play-by-play to a table of students helping them to identify and understand the different stages and elements of a sales meeting. Audience questions from the students are encouraged.
- Two types of tracks, rookie and all star, will run so the students are in sessions with role play footage and analyst insights that are aligned with their experience. Sales process analysts and students will be preassigned; refer to the Assignment Schedule in Launchpad (see General channel)
- Remember to check-in by submitting the QR code survey for that play-by-play table.
Follow-up
- Send brief follow-up letters to the business professionals you met thanking them for their time/guidance/information/etc and/or expressing your excitement for pursuing a career with their company
- Follow-up on any next steps that were discussed during the event (send a LinkedIn request, forward a resume, send availability to schedule job shadow or interview, apply online, etc)