University contest aimed at honing students' sales skills planning bigger 2025 event

Speed-selling and meetings with experienced sales professionals were among a series of challenges taken on by business students from seven universities across the UK in the sales competition at Abertay University over 36 hours at the end of January. The students, from as far apart as Coventry and Aberdeen, honed their sales skills through mentorship, coaching and feedback from tutors and sponsors as well as the practical selling challenges.

Sponsored by Salesforce, Clyde Ventures, Agilico and Pier Solutions, the UK Universities Sales Competition is based on a US model and aims to promote a deeper understanding of professional selling and its significance within the UK economy, while also building collaboration between employers and universities.

So far, eight of the 26 students who took part have received post-graduation job interviews, with one being offered a job. That success has spurred the organisers, Peter Waggott of Vertical Motives Consultancy and Sandy McCurdy of Sales Coach Scot, to target 36 student competitors at next year’s event from a greater number of universities as well as more sponsors.

Jordan Ferguson, chief executive of Pier Solutions, said: “As a result of the competition, one of the students from the University of Aberdeen will be joining our growing team in the summer, where they will take on a pivotal role in our energy transition division. Their exceptional performance during the challenge convinced us of their immense potential and we’re confident they will make a significant contribution to our organisation based on what I saw during the competition.”

Steve Clark, regional sales director of sponsor workplace technology firm Agilico, was a judge and has scheduled interviews to four prize-winners. He said: “The event serves as career development for anyone considering or aspiring to a role in the sales world and the format allows us to assess the ability of the next generation of aspiring talent in its well-structured role-play scenarios and step into the realm of real-world sales.

“Mentoring the next generation is hugely important to Agilico as people are the lifeblood of our business. By meeting this year's cohort it gave me a chance to find out who’d want a role in our business without the pressure of interviews.”

The 2025 event will be co-hosted by the University of Dundee and Abertay University from February 11 to 13.

Waggott added: “We’re delighted the competition will stay in Dundee for another year and make further inroads into sales training being taken seriously by all kinds of organisations - because sales done properly has the potential to be transformational for them. So it’s especially important as the country struggles to come out of recession.

“We’ve already had enquiries from businesses interested in becoming 2025 sponsors, so other companies which want to gain privileged access to business students who’ve proven they have the best potential in sales and marketing roles, should get in touch soon.”