Students from more than 40 colleges and universities from across North America competed in the 2022 National Shore Sales Challenge the first weekend in April, the third-largest sales competition of its kind in the U.S.

Held at the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business at Salisbury University, participants competed in two categories and advanced through multiple rounds. In the first,students created and delivered a 120-second pitch to business executives during the Career Fair, highlighting personal achievements and abilities in a creative and memorable way and answer: “Why am I the right person for the job?”

Additionally, each were paired with a business executive acting as a potential buyer with whom to role play a 12-minute sales scenario, which was built around real-life examples pertaining to the PERDUE CHICKEN PLUS product line. Judges viewed the role-play rounds live from a remote location and provided a score based on the competitor’s ability to build rapport, uncover needs, provide product solutions, overcome objections, and gain commitment.

Mikaela Mohr of Winona State University was the overall champion in the role play category, winning $1,000. For the second consecutive year, Ty Lewis of St. Ambrose University was the overall champion in the speed selling category, earning $300.

“It’s incredibly inspiring to see the energy and drive of these student competitors, with impressive leadership from their coaches,” said Bryan Hurst, Perdue senior vice president of sales and marketing and guest competition judge. “Strong sales skills are valuable no matter what your profession, and the participants in this competition demonstrated their unique abilities to solve problems and overcome challenges.”

Perdue Farms supported the three-day event as an executive-level sponsor, providing all the buyers and many volunteer guest judges, including Chris Perdue as the sole buyer for the final round.

Find more information about the event here.