Landes wins CED Outbound Sales

BOZEMAN, Mont. - Oct. 6, 2022 - More than two dozen students competed in the CED Outbound Sales Competition as part of Montana State’s award-winning American Marketing Association (AMA) annual Marketing Week. The overall winner was Mary Landes, a senior from Juneau, Alaska, with seniors Maxfield Beebe and Dane Williams earning second and third place, respectively. The event was sponsored by Consolidated Electrical Distributors (CED), a  Bozeman-area energy supply business. 

In the event, each competitor is given three minutes to leverage any sales tactics possible to earn a follow up meeting with a sales prospect, and are evaluated on their performance. As the winner of the competition Landes receives $500 to help finance their trip to the annual AMA International Collegiate Conference in New Orleans next spring. 

“Having observed this competition last year, I felt like I was really prepared to compete this time around,” said Landes, a double major in Marketing and Management in MSU’s Jake Jabs College of Business & Entrepreneurship. “After challenging myself and practicing, I knew I had a shot. I actually had some fun during the event, too.” 

Beebe, a Marketing major from Missoula, and Williams, also a Marketing major hailing from Missoula, MT, will also be eligible to represent Montana State at ICC if they choose. This was the fifth consecutive year that CED has sponsored the student AMA chapter at MSU. 

“We love engaging with our community and having the opportunity to sponsor events for AMA,” said Frank Jocobs, from CED who also served as a judge for the competition. “Since we have MSU graduates on our team, we know how important these events can be for success. It’s a great way for us to empower students and support our local education.”

Students from the two sections of BMKT 436-Sales and Sales Management were encouraged to participate by Professor Andrew Hull, the instructor for that course. As each student competed in the focus group room on the fourth floor of Jabs Hall, a Zoom link beamed live streaming video to Hull’s classes taking place on the third floor. Hull then used each competitor’s approach to emphasize sales techniques, and foster a critique of each effort. Students in the classroom were encouraged to identify what competitors did well, and what shortcomings they may have had in securing the appointment.

The American Marketing Association is the student lead chapter of the AMA at Montana State University. AMA’s mission is to prepare students for their professional careers through experiences that inspire students to cultivate strong networks, personal growth, and ethical leadership with a community-oriented focus. Membership is available to all students and majors. For more information about AMA at Montana State University or membership please visit the following website: www.amamontanastate.org  

Montana State AMA Contacts: 

Aleisha Dutton

VP of Communications, AMA

communications.msu.ama@gmail.com

Eric Van Steenburg

Faculty Advisor, AMA

eric.vansteenburg@montana.edu