1. Kansas State University
  2. »Division of Communications and Marketing
  3. »K-State Today
  4. »K-State Sales Team wins University of Toledo Invitational Sales Competition

K-State Today

March 4, 2019

K-State Sales Team wins University of Toledo Invitational Sales Competition

Submitted by Brent Fritzemeier

The winning K-State team of Kaitlyn Porter (left) and Katie Horton (right).

The Kansas State University Sales Team recently brought home the first-place team award and a pair of individual awards, from the University of Toledo Invitational Sales Competition.

Hosted by the University of Toledo Feb. 21-23 in Toledo, Ohio, the competition pitted the K-State sales team against teams from 36 of the top university sales programs in the country. Sales competitions allow students to test their selling skills against their peers from other top sales schools through role-playing scenarios.

The K-State sales team was made up of Kaitlyn Porter, junior in management, Manhattan, and Katie Horton, sophomore in professional strategic selling, Overland Park, with Dawn Deeter, director of the National Strategic Selling Institute, traveling with the team as head coach. In the individual competition, Porter took second place in the junior division, which combined with Horton's third-place finish in the freshman/sophomore division to give K-State the overall team win.  

"We couldn't be prouder of Kaitlyn and Katie’s performances," Deeter said. "Having success in these competitions helps bring recognition to what we are doing at K-State to prepare students for successful and fulfilling careers in sales. They also provide a great opportunity for our students to network with their peers and interact with employers from around the country."

The K-State Sales Team is housed in the College of Business Administration's National Strategic Selling Institute, which has been named one of the top sales programs in the country for seven straight years by the Sales Education Foundation. Last fall, K-State became just the 19th university in the U.S. to offer a major in sales. Students can also earn a certificate in professional strategic selling, which is open to all majors at the university. The professional strategic selling program introduces students to the fundamentals of sales and through the innovative curriculum and sales labs allows students to develop the skills needed to be successful.

For more information on the National Strategic Selling Institute, contact kstatesalesprogram@k-state.edu.