Georgia Southern Proves to be a Role-Play Pro in the RNMKRS Spring 2023 Sales Competition
The best of the best was recently honored at the Spring 2023 RNMKRS Results Reveal Ceremony with Georgia Southern University and its students being recognized in several categories. Georgia Southern was once again dominant in the RNMKRS Pro Edition, the newest and most challenging role-play competition, led by Dr. Linda Mullen and her students in the Advanced Selling course. In total, across the two role-play competitions, RNMKRS hosted 1,840 student competitors in the traditional RNMKRS sales role-play competition and 143 students in the RNMKRS Pro competition. With nearly 50 universities competing this spring semester, students from Georgia Southern’s Parker College of Business competed against some of the nation’s top programs, including, Harvard University, Florida State University, Indiana State University, Louisiana State University, Texas A&M University, West Virginia University, and Virginia Tech. Showing a propensity for grit and drive, the Center for Sales Excellence program in the Parker College of Business showed to be one of the most outstanding sales programs in the nation based on the RNMKRS competition results.
“We are so proud of our students and the effort they put into this competition,” explained Linda Mullen, associate professor of marketing and co-director of the Center for Sales Excellence at Georgia Southern University. “For eight semesters in a row, the students of Georgia Southern have excelled in the RNMKRS sales role-play competition. The RNMKRS Pro Edition is extremely challenging and it pushes our students to demonstrate the grit and determination needed to succeed in a career in professional selling. I applaud the efforts of RNMKRS for always staying ahead of the curve and continuing to innovate the field of sales education.”
Notable honors earned in the Spring 2023 RNMKRS role-play sales competition.
- RNMKRS Pro Role-Play – University with the most competitors in the top 30 and by percentage, #1 Georgia Southern University
- Twelve students recognized in the RNMKRS Role-Play Pro Top 20 – D. Mcginnis (#2), S. Terragno (#3), J. Overley (#4), T. Brodie (#5), A. Hendricks (#7), Z. Kight (#8), M. Bliss (#11), P. Alsobrook (#12), A. Steadman (#13), R. Cope (#14), J. Neely (#19), J. Watson (#20)
- RNMKRS Standard Role-Play – University with the most competitors in the top 30, #5 Georgia Southern University
- Role-Play Pro South Regional Champion – Drew Mcginnis
- Role-Play Standard South Regional Champion – Mackenzie Sumrell
- Speed Sell South Regional Champion – Tyler Giovannini
- Most students in the 100+ Role-Play Club from a single university
- Forty-nine students recognized in the 100+ Role-Play Club
- Most Role-Play Standard attempts from Georgia Southern (Taylor Holwell, 122)
- Most Role-Play Pro attempts from Georgia Southern (Drew Mcginnis & Tori Roberts, tie at 169)
- Best In Class Engagement – Travis Brickey
- Top 1% Coach – Linda Mullen, Ph.D.
- Most Persistent Coach – Linda Mullen, Ph.D.
“The RNMKRS Pro sales role-play competition has been a crucial part of my education in my final semester at Georgia Southern,” explained Andrew Mcginnis, a senior pursuing a B.B.A. in marketing with an emphasis in sales & sales management. “This competition highlights the importance of creating an effective sales pitch, understanding the buyers’ needs, as well as the need for persistence and resilience when facing rejection. The knowledge gained from the competition has given me a solid foundation, providing me further insight into the dynamic world of professional selling.”
Alex, the AI bot, is programmed to respond to students as they lead a mock sales meeting. The competition scenario has students representing Dell Technologies as they sell the company’s Dell Latitude Rugged laptop computer line to a police or fire department. Students virtually ‘meet’ with Alex, going through the steps of a sales call. RNMKRS evaluates each student based on his or her performance, and the institutions were then ranked based on their students’ results. RNMKRS consists of three competitions, Speed Sell, RNMKRS Role-Play Standard, and RNMKRS Role-Play Pro. The Pro Edition was introduced for the first time in the fall 2022 semester for Advanced Selling courses.
“This role-play competition changed my perspective on sales for the better,” noted Mackenzie Sumrell, a junior pursuing a B.S. in Public Relations. “RNMKRS not only helped me improve my skills and experience in professional selling, but now I truly know what industry I will be pursuing after college. I was able to succeed in this competition thanks to my work ethic, lots of role-play attempts, and a determination to never settle, as I changed my script numerous times in order to make it as perfect as possible! I am thankful for this opportunity and for what’s to come in the future.”
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 Center Alliance and the Sales Education Foundation 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.
RNMKRS Virtual Sales Competition
Launched in 2018, RNMKRS empowers students to communicate and influence decisions using bias-free interactive technology. More than 2,100 college students complete over 60,000 role-plays, honing their selling skills by speaking with Alex, an artificially intelligent customer bot that listens, adapts, and responds while scoring students and giving them feedback. Students improve their selling skills and refine their communication and empathy skills along the way. All of this activity takes place on their personal digital device.
RNMKRS is utilized in sales classes taught at Georgia Southern University as a means to provide students with an ample amount of sales role-play experience.
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