Knauss School of Business Mediation and Sales Teams Thrive in Fall Competitions
As fall semester came to a close, the Meditation and Sales Teams at the Knauss School of Business put their skills to the test at national-level university competitions.
Out of 22 competing teams, the USD Sales Team took 2nd place at the 2021 Virtual National Team Sales Competition. The winning team comprised of undergraduate business students, Arista Andrews, Taylor Lee and Andrew Ishmael. Their achievement is especially impressive given that it's the second year in a row that USD has placed in the competition with an all-rookie team.
The team worked hard to prepare for, role play and present their case analysis. Although they did not have the burden of traveling to the competition site, the team overcame Zoom fatigue and being disconnected from its potential buyers to close the sale —something only a few teams accomplished. The judges remarked that USD was very thorough in its questions and analysis and successfully asked all the questions the judges had anticipated.
“I learned so much about appealing to a customer when making a sale. Additionally, I learned about time management and working under pressure. I was very dedicated to the work I was doing for my team and quite passionate about it. I cared about our success and was so excited when it was announced that we came in second place!” reflected team member, Arista Andrews.
The USD Sales Team is coached by Clinical Professor of Marketing Carlton O'Neal, a 25-year veteran in technology, global entrepreneurship, marketing, sales and business development.
Also finding success at a university case competition was the Mediation Team, who were finalists in the 22nd Annual International Intercollegiate Mediation Tournament (IIMT) sponsored by the International Academy of Dispute Resolution.
The team captured first place in the team mediator category and third place in the advocate-client category. All participating members of USD's team also secured finalist positions in all categories. English undergraduate student, Harrison Seymour, competed as a mediator in the final round, while political science student, Janea McCoy, and business administration and real estate student, Lyra Gonzalez, competed as advocate-client. In addition, Grace Beal, a USD business administration and english undergraduate, served as an observer.
“I am so very proud of these fine students!” exclaimed Richard Custin, clinical professor of business law and ethics and faculty advisor of the Meditation Team.