Redefining sales: UM-Flint's new competitive sales team launches career paths and new course

Let's face it–salespeople often face negative stereotypes. When people think of a salesperson, they may picture someone constantly pressuring them to buy a product or service. And while that perception can sometimes hold true, Daniel Lake, lecturer IV of marketing at the University of Michigan-Flint's School of Management, is shifting his students' perspectives on what sales is and what it can do for their careers.

"We can't deny the stereotype around salespeople, but when done well and with integrity, sales is an excellent career path, especially if you show a natural aptitude for it," Lake said.

That real talent is what members of the new UM-Flint sales team displayed earlier this month. Four UM-Flint SOM marketing students competed as a unit for the first time at Saginaw Valley State University's Regional Sales Competition on Oct. 11-12. The team was comprised of Alaina Smotherman, a senior from Davison, Audrey Warren, a senior from Attica, Kateryna Dzhevaga, a senior from Niles, and Ja'Ron Lee, a junior from Flint.

With Lake learning of the event just a few weeks prior, from a colleague at another institution, he and the student team began their preparations right away – and to great success. Smotherman and Warren each achieved perfect scores of 60/60 within their respective divisions, earning the divisional crowns. Dzhevaga and Lee each took runner-up honors in their respective divisions. The scoring is based on a scale of 1-10 (1 being unacceptable, 5 being average and 10 being exceptional) for sales processes in the three rounds with three additional scoring categories based on how students overcame objections, closing abilities and communication skills. 

"My award for runner-up was earned for my presentation skills during the competition and recognized my ability to engage with the client, present ideas clearly, and adapt throughout the stages. It was a great experience that helped me grow my skills," Dzhevaga said. 

Lee, who also works full time as a medical device sales representative servicing Veterans Affairs hospitals, said that the prior week's preparations were simultaneously challenging and rewarding. 

"I would leave work, join the team Zoom calls with professor Lake, while also completing other tasks such as sending mock emails, mock voicemails and connecting with someone on LinkedIn before the competition." 

Along with preparing together as a team, each student completed their own research about the company they would be fictitiously selling for at the event and also created custom business cards and other marketing materials to help them present. 

The competition divided students into divisions based on their sales experience against fellow university competitors from SVSU and Northwood University. Students were then scheduled to go through a role-play competition consisting of three rounds. If they passed the first round, they moved on to the next. 

The first round involved introducing and building a relationship between the student and the fictitious client. The second round was about identifying the client's needs, and the final round allowed students to present the product or service and attempt closing. 

"When the week was all said and done, I felt very fulfilled knowing that I was able to handle it all and perform at a high level in the competition, and I'm very grateful to professor Lake for the opportunity," said Lee. 

Like her fellow teammates, Smotherman also felt a genuine enjoyment of the experience. However, because of her success at the competition, she's now considering a new career path.

"Heading into the competition, most of us had little to no experience in sales, and I thought it was the perfect chance to see if this could be a career to pursue in the future," said Smotherman.

"I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I always thought I would go into marketing, but after the competition, I'm leaning more toward finding a job in sales."

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, five areas of sales are expected to grow between now and 2031: sales engineers, real estate brokers, insurance agents, financial services agents, and wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives.

"It's a profession that holds a lot of potential, and if you're good at it, the chance to make money increases exponentially," said Lake. "I don't want to say the sky's the limit, but in some ways, you eat what you kill."

With their first competition behind them, Lake looks forward to preparing for the next event at Northwood University in February 2025 and plans to continue to attend the annual SVSU competition, along with other out-of-state competitions. 

He's also excited to offer the university's first sales course, MKT 447, Professional Selling and Sales Management, during the winter 2025 semester. The class will be offered on Tuesday evenings as a flex course–where students choose to attend class in person, live online via Zoom, or asynchronously online, completing assignments on their own time. 

"Students can expect lectures, training and assignments that follow the linear sales process, beginning with rapport building and ending with service after closing the sale," Lake said of the coming class. "We'll finish the course with a final assignment similar to what we did at SVSU—a 20-minute sales competition."

For more information about joining the competitive sales team or the upcoming marketing course, contact Lake at [email protected].