Ivankovich wins Consolidated Electrical Distributors (CED) Outbound Sales Competition

Bozeman, Mont. - Oct. 12, 2021- Isabelle Ivankovich, a senior from Snohomish, Wash., won the third annual Outbound Sales Competition, sponsored by Consolidated Electrical Distributors (CED) and presented by the American Marketing Association at Montana State University on Tuesday, Oct. 12, in Jabs Hall. Ivankovich took first out of 20 students who competed in the event that requires participants to secure an appointment with a sales prospect in just three minutes.

Landon Lees and Will Cumley took second and third place and were named runners-up in the competition. Honorable mention went to Kyle Stone, Emma Davidson, and Jack Coon who walked away with fourth, fifth, and sixth place, respectively. For winning the event, Ivankovich will receive a $500 scholarship toward her trip to the AMA International Collegiate Conference in Chicago, Illinois, March 17-19, 2022.

“The competition was definitely difficult,” said Ivankovich, who is majoring in both marketing and finance in the Jabs college of business. “It was a very realistic depiction of what cold calling can be like, and I’m really grateful for the experience. Winning was unexpected, but was a much appreciated vote of confidence as I begin a career in sales.”

Competitors were given a sales call scenario, where they were a sales representative from Sherwin Williams trying to secure an in-person meeting with a potential client in three minutes or less. Five sales professionals acted as judges, and scored participants on their approach, elevator pitch, handling of objections, communication effectiveness, and their closing to secure the appointment.

“CED is always proud to support AMA and the Outbound Sales Competition,” said Frank Jacobs, general manager of Consolidated Electrical Distributors and one of the judges for the event. “It was really insightful seeing the different ways students attacked this problem. I enjoyed meeting everyone, and had a lot of fun being a judge.”

Along with Jacobs, judges included Marne Reed of Printing For Less, Aaron Kampfe of Western Home Journal, Quinn Pacini of Bobcat Sports Properties, and Tyler Tenpas of Navitec.

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: http://www.amamontanastate.org/

Montana State AMA Contacts:

Hunter Young
VP of Communications, AMA communications.msu.ama@gmail.com

Eric Van Steenburg
Faculty Advisor, AMA eric.vansteenburg@montana.edu