Center for Sales Excellence Hosts the 7th Annual Showcase Boot Camp
Students enlist for a day of networking, career coaching, and interview prep as they receive hands-on training at the 2023 Center for Sales Excellence Showcase Boot Camp.
STATESBORO, GA (March 2, 2023) – Nearly 180 students from Georgia Southern University’s Parker College of Business were on hand to make the most of the opportunity to meet with sales professionals and recruiters from fifteen partner firms, including C.H. Robinson, Mutual of Omaha, Tom James, Cardinal Logistics, and AJC Freight Solutions. The Center for Sales Excellence Showcase Boot Camp is designed to prepare students for a successful college-to-career transition, taking them from the classroom to the boardroom.
Having first begun in 2016, the Boot Camp has been a great success allowing firms the opportunity to get close, face-to-face interaction, with the best and brightest that Georgia Southern University has to offer. This event is designed to be part educational and part networking opportunity, all of which are important aspects as you transition from student to professional.
“The Sales Boot Camp provides an amazing opportunity for us students to further develop ourselves professionally, as we prepare for upcoming job interviews,” observes Mitchell Bliss, a Senior majoring in Marketing with an emphasis in Sales & Sales Management from the Parker College of Business.
“Time is money in sales, so for the recruiters and sales professionals to spend an entire day with us on campus, it is a priceless resource for students eager to learn more. Personally, I appreciate how much the corporate coaches were willing to go the extra mile and work with us on an individual level.”
The Boot Camp is designed to provide small-group interaction between students and industry leaders. Every 15 minutes the corporate coaches rotate to a new table of students to discuss the next interview topic. The interview topics discussed are provided by the coaches, as some of the most frequent questions a student might encounter in a job interview for their first sales position. The coaches provide guidance on how to best approach the question, and then amongst the table, each student discusses from their unique perspective. Once the time is up, the coach rotates to the next table, meeting a whole new group of students and discussing a new interview question.
“We have an outstanding Sales Center where we have developed a strong pipeline that has enabled students to launch productive careers in professional selling since 2007,” remarks Allen Amason, Dean, Parker College of Business. “Sales is a dynamic and growing profession that offers ample opportunity to those with the right skill set and motivation. We believe that drawing together bright and motivated students, providing them with excellent instruction, and then coupling that with exposure to leading sales professionals, this is the formula that drives success in our program.”
Throughout the Boot Camp, networking time is built into the schedule so that the corporate coaches and students can get to know each other on a personal level, discussing their firm’s respective culture, corporate initiatives, and upcoming hiring opportunities. “Our students love the opportunity to network and gain hands-on experience with active recruiters and sales professionals,” explains Travis Brickey, Director of the Center for Sales Excellence. “The Boot Camp is another example of the holistic approach to sales education that we offer to our marketing and sales students. The relationships formed at this event are a true win-win for the program, our corporate partners, and most importantly, to the students as they embark on thriving careers in professional selling.”
The Boot Camp would not be possible without the support of the Center for Sales Excellence corporate partners. Rounding out the corporate partners in attendance included Enterprise, Federated Insurance, Herc Rentals, JEAR Logistics, OTR Solutions, Marquee Insurance Group, RNDC, TechQuidation, Granite Telecommunications, and Podium.
Center for Sales Excellence, Georgia Southern University
Located within Georgia Southern University’s Parker College of Business, the Center for Sales Excellence is recognized by the University Sales Alliance as one of the nation’s top sales programs. Established in 2007, it is the mission of the Center to have a positive impact on the sales profession through education, research, and service. The Marketing B.B.A. program offers the students of Georgia Southern University an emphasis in Sales and Sales Management.
Through the Center, students gain experience with sales role-play in our dedicated labs, with many going on to compete in some of the nation’s most prestigious sales competitions. The Center also works to bring students together with companies in the industry looking to hire the best and brightest minds. It is the goal of the Center to be the preeminent sales program in the nation.
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