Robins team wins second place in National Team Selling Competition

A team of four Robins School students placed second in the National Team Selling Competition hosted virtually by Indiana University last week.

Jessie Bonilla, Ava Cummings, Ellie Ronan, and Erin Watton, ‘21, competed virtually in the case competition. They spent the month of October preparing with coaches Bill Bergman, Jeff Carlson, and Adam Marquardt.

“It was a real learning experience in terms of how to sell in 2020, particularly as it relates to our usage of Zoom technology as a channel of selling,” Cummings said.

Here’s how the competition works: each team receives a fictional product that they pitch to the judges. They have two weeks to plan for three different presentations: a roundtable meeting, a presentation to the judges, and a final presentation in front of all participants, mentors, judges, and professionals at the event. The winning team is awarded $3000.

This year’s case involved introducing inventory robotic systems into grocery stores.

“The grocery store chain we were pitching to was a little apprehensive yet curious about this technology,” said Bonilla. “So not only were we selling a product, but we were selling an innovative concept that would address the repercussions of the challenges brought forth from a whole new trend that COVID-19 has put us all through.”

“It was so nice to be a part of this team. Not only was I working with three other smart and talented female students, but the support, feedback, and excitement from our coaches made this experience so memorable. This was definitely a highlight of my semester,” said Watton.

The Indiana University National Team Selling Competition invites students from all over the country to compete, and is designed to give students a real-life selling scenario before they enter the professional job market. You can learn more about the previous competitions that the Robins School placed in here.