Prepared by Dawn Deeter (ddeeter@k-state.edu)
It has been a busy year in the National Strategic Selling Institute (NSSI)! Our new curriculum is in place; we offered the Sales Management class for the first time fall semester, and the Advanced Sales class is being offered currently (spring semester). Additionally, we have put together a proposal for a Certificate in Professional Strategic Selling; once approved, this certificate program would be available to any Kansas State student.
Our Sales Advisory Board has grown to over 30 members, and we have implemented the Sales Cat Corporate Partner Program to strengthen our ties with the business community. Kansas State University was identified as a top university sales program by the Sales Education Foundation, and we recently were accepted as a full member of the University Sales Center Alliance, a consortium of universities with elite sales programs.
We expanded the extra-curricular opportunities available for our students. We created K-State Sales Week, a week-long celebration of sales that includes a career fair, the Victaulic Sales Invitational Sales Competition, professional development workshops, and keynote speakers, including Chris Westfall, National Elevator Pitch Champion and author of The New Elevator Pitch. In August, we hosted Susan Young of Get-in-Front Communications, who delivered a workshop on the effective use of social media in business. Most recently, we installed a chapter of Pi Sigma Epsilon, the only national co-ed fraternity for sales and marketing, on the K-State campus.
We have also expanded our presence on social media! You can now keep up with the students and faculty of the NSSI via Facebook (www.facebook.com/KStateNSSI and www.facebook.com/PSEKSU) and on Twitter (@KState_NSSI and @dawndeeter). We have created a blog called Sold on Sales. You can find that blog at https://blogs.k-state.edu/nssi/. We use the blog to showcase students’ work; they write about various sales topics. Occasionally, Deeter contributes to the blog. We are also in the process of updating our website and integrating our social media strategy to include LinkedIn and Google+. Expect more exciting changes in the coming months!
Finally, the K-State Sales Cats Sales Teams has expanded, participating in five different sales competitions across the country. Members of the Sales Cats who competed at the National Collegiate Sales Competition were chosen through our own Edward Jones Sales Competition.
Gamma Omega Chapter of Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE) Officially Installed at K-State
Since August, a group of students has been working with NSSI Director Dawn Deeter to start a chapter of Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE) at Kansas State University. Pi Sigma Epsilon is the only national co-ed fraternity focused on sales and marketing. The advantage of Pi Sigma Epsilon lies in its dual-focus on professionalism and skill-development. PSE students have the opportunity to participate in numerous sales and marketing competitions, competing against other universities. PSE also attracts a number of corporate partners, thereby giving PSE students an advantage when searching for jobs and internships. Finally, PSE students are encouraged to take on projects in their local communities that will help develop their skills and at the same time help local businesses.On Thursday, March 14th we were officially installed by PSE corporate representatives and the students were initiated. We are excited to begin our journey with PSE!