Robins School Continues to Excel at National Team Selling Competition

The Robins School has become a dominant force at the National Team Selling Competition (NTSC), placing in the top three for the past eight years at the annual event hosted by Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. NTSC is a premier sales event that brings together top sales talent from universities across the country. Competing teams bring their classroom knowledge to a selling situation that is realistic and relevant in today’s market.

“This experience was nothing short of amazing,” said Sonny Aryeh, ’22, one of the four team members who took home first place in the October 2021 competition. “Each member brought unique skills and insights to the table and we all complemented each other. It meant hard work and dedication, but also fun.” 

Three faculty coaches helped lead the team to success—Bill Bergman, Jeffrey Carlson, and Adam Marquardt—all members of the marketing department. “I developed a great interest in sales in the Professional Selling class,” said Gabriela Vega, ’22. “Practicing numerous cases in class and learning more about an effective sales pitch made me even more curious, and I wanted to experience this on a higher, more competitive level.” 2021 Robins Team Members: Gabriela Vega, Lainie Agosta, Sonny Areyeh, Arthur Worthington

Arthur Worthington, ’22, also credited the experience with imparting valuable skills on him and his teammates. “I learned what felt like a year’s worth of sales skills in just a single month. It gave me the opportunity to apply everything I had learned up to this point at the Robins School in a competitive, team-oriented environment,” he said.

The impact of involvement with NTSC has remained with alumni as well. Kristina Rossi, ’18, says it prepared her for the real world of sales. “It helped me learn how to build empathy in a professional setting,” she said. The case Rossi and her team worked on centered around the food and beverage industry.

Rossi is now a national account manager for a natural foods company. “I was essentially training for the job I have today. When I first presented to Whole Foods on behalf of my organization, I drew on all the role-playing exercises I did to prepare for NTSC. I wear a lot of different hats in my role and I often think of what I took away from NTSC.”

Leading image features Robins School National Team Selling Competition teams throughout the years. 

Aryeh also credits the competition for preparing her to assume an outside sales position with a software company in New York City after graduation. “I am much more detail-oriented, patient, and effective in sales after this competition,” she said.

Vega values the strong bonds formed with fellow teammates and coaches, saying preparation for and competing in the case allowed her to further develop her own skills and grow as a team player working toward a shared goal.

Future Robins School teams have big shoes to fill, but no doubt will rise to the occasion. The preparation might be rigorous, but it is worthwhile, as Rossi shared. “Give yourself a push. You will walk away with a great learning experience and newfound confidence in your abilities.”