Saint Rose students have outstanding performance in business competition

Two Saint Rose students successfully competed in the Northeast Intercollegiate Sales Competition (NISC) at Bryant University in Rhode Island on November 11 and 12. In the NISC, students participate in a 10-minute sales meeting with a fictional company. Representatives from NISC Corporate Sponsors act as the buyers and prospects for the students’ sales pitch, and they also serve as judges.

Both Anthony Barone-Lopez, a business administration major, and Harshad Udaya Kumar, a graduate student in accounting, did well in the competition. Kumar advanced to the semi-finals in the role-play competition and to the finals in the speed sell competition.

The competition featured colleges and universities from across the country, including  Arizona State University, University of Arizona, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, University of Kansas, University of Wyoming, University of Tampa, and North Dakota State University. This was the best showing Saint Rose students have ever had at a national sales competition.

“I prepared for about a month with Professor John Dion and Professor Kristen Delaney. We constantly role-played multiple times and with guests who came and did the role play with us,” Kumar said. “During free time, I role-played myself and another person (nonexistent), to feel comfortable with the content. Sales is new to me, role play is new to me, but stepping on stage in front of strangers is something I am comfortable with, something I always wanted to master as a student. Involving with people, looking at opportunities through different perspectives, and building teams is something that excites me about the future. This event is a stepping stone in this process.” 

“I knew all that I had to do was present my best self and let the judges make the decision,” Kumar said.

The competition included a job fair, which allowed students to connect with hiring managers who are looking to fill entry-level positions. 

“Throughout the competition, I was lucky to have amazing coaches and supporters, John Dion and Kristen Delaney, there to keep me on my feet ready to perform at my best ability,” Barone-Lopez said. “Not only did I get to speak and connect with many individuals but also I did get the opportunity to get some meetings lined up for future opportunities with big companies. Overall, my experience was out of this world, and I would recommend these competitions to anyone who would like to grow and make some connections with future employers, customers, or possible team members in the future.” 

Dion said preparing the students for the competition was a pleasure.

“Kristen and I are extraordinarily proud of Harshad and Anthony,” he said.  They worked extremely hard to prepare for this competition, and we saw them make incredible progress.”

By Kaseem Gomez