Events & Programs
On
an annual basis, Pi Sigma Epsilon offers the following programs
and events.
Regional
Conferences
PSE Pro-Am Sell-A-Thon
Sponsored By Vector Marketing
PSE National
Educational Foundation National Sales and Marketing Convention
CCO
The BOSS Games Sponsored
by Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
Click on the appropriate program/event for more
information. As new events and programs are added we will update
this page.
PSE Pro-Am Sell-A-Thon celebrates our 16th Year
1992-2008
PSE PRO-AM SELL-A-THON SPONSORED BY VECTOR MARKETING, HUTHWAITE,
INC., KODAK AND NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL FINANCIAL NETWORK
Vector Marketing, Huthwaite, Inc., Kodak and Northwestern
Mutual Financial Network have joined forces with the PSE National
Educational Foundation to develop the selling skills of college
students by sponsoring PSE’s annual Pro-Am Sell-A-Thon.
The Pro-Am Sell-A-Thon is an annual sales competition for
collegiates. It is held by PSE at its six fall regional conferences
and its annual National Sales and Marketing Convention.
2008 REGIONAL CONFERENCE PRO-AM REGISTRATION:
Professionals click
here to register as a judge and/or coach. Please provide
your contact information. Name, address, phone number, and email.
Students click
here to register for your 2006 Regional Conference. Please
provide the regional conference you will be attending and your contact
information. Additional information will then be provided to you.
2007 NATIONAL CONVENTION PRO-AM REGISTRATION:
Professionals click
here to register as a judge and/or coach. Please provide
your contact information. Name, address, phone number, and email.
Students click
here to register at the 2007 National Convention. Deadline for
registration is February 15, 2007. Please provide your
contact information with your region. Additional information will
then be provided to you.
PURPOSES OF THE PRO-AM:
To provide PSE collegiate members with the opportunity to
experience the salesperson’s role in a simulated business-to-business
(B2B) sales environment, with coaching from a sales professional.
Participant Learning Objectives:
• Appreciate the role of the sales professional
• Understand a small vs. large (B2B) sales call
• Recognize the buying roles of the customer
• Grasp the four stages of the sales call
• Comprehend the SPIN questioning strategy
• Demonstrate the ability to perform in a competitive
environment
• Communicate effectively both verbally and non-verbally
• Assess performance strengths and areas to improve
HOW THE PRO-AM WORKS:
College students compete in an all-day sales training and
development program that teaches them selling using concepts
from SPIN Selling® by Huthwaite and Getting the Second
Appointment, Tony Parinello. Participants are then paired
with sales professionals, who coach, mentor and critique the
student on his/her sales call. The next step of the program
is the actual competition. This is a simulated sales presentation
in which each student is evaluated on his/her ability to successfully
move the customer through the sales process and obtain commitment.
Each role-play is judged by a panel of sales professionals
and videotaped so that the student can review it at the end
of the event.
Suggested Reading
The concepts that are taught in the Pro-Am Sell-a-Thon competition
are taken from the following books (both are easy reading):
• SPIN
Selling®, by Neil Rackham
• Getting
the Second Appointment, by Tony Parinello
“The Pro-Am is the one place where you can see sales
done right! PSE put academics, street knowledge, and passion
into sales like no other organization I’ve ever seen.”
- Tony Parinello, award-winning salesman, sales trainer for
Fortune 500 companies, and best selling author
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A SALES COACH/JUDGE?
As a sales coach: You will be paired up with no more than
two students. We will then introduce you and the students
to the SPIN Selling sales process that we will use for the
competition. Then you will work with the students during the
first part of a daylong sales competition. In the morning,
you will be guiding them through the sales process. You will
help them prepare to compete in the sales competition that
begins in the afternoon. Your goal is to:
1. To guide one to two students through the sales scenario.
2. To review the features and benefits of the product.
3. To practice the 10 minute sales call.
4. To offer constructive feedback and suggestions.
5. To answer questions and provide advice.
6. To prepare the student for the judging criteria.
As a Judge: After coaching in the morning, you will become
a judge in the afternoon. In this capacity, you will watch
the students compete and critique their sales call using the
established criteria. You will not judge any of the students
that you coached.
Testimonials from previous Pro-Am participants
"The Pro-Am is the best way to test your skills
and knowledge of the sales profession in a real world setting,
without your job on the line. Coaches offer excellent advice
and judges provide usefull feedback. The experience should
not be missed by any Pi Sig member!!"
Shelly Rensberger, Delta Mu, University of South Dakota
"I learned so much from the Sell-a-Thon. Not only
did I learn sales skills, the feel of tight competition and
how to focus on a sale, this event also brought me closer
to my father. He is a district sales manager at Sysco Food
Corporation. When I called him to get advice on how to deal
with this particular sales competition, he was tickeled pink.
Thank you PSE for touching every aspect of my life."
Jillian L. Fox, Epsilon Mu, University of Cincinnati
"Aside from selling, the Pro-Am has taught me about
the importance of self- presentation. Simple things like smiling
when you greet the customer, the proper way to address he/she,
having a firm handshake, sitting up straight, and being relaxed
and confident. These are all good things to remember in more
situations than just sales scenarios. The Pro-Am has cured
my fear of public speaking as well. Once you compete in the
Pro-Am once you can do anything!"
Sarah Wade, Alpha Pi, Middle Tennessee State University
On Site Information to Plan for the Pro-Am
Regional Conferences: Click
here for a schedule at the regional conferences.
National Convention: Click
here for a schedule at the National Convention.
WHO IS VECTOR MARKETING?
Vector Marketing Corporation is an international direct sales
firm that markets Cutco Cutlery, a line of kitchen cutlery,
accessories and sporting knives of the highest quality. Headquartered
in Philadelphia, PA, Vector is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Alcas Corporation, which has been manufacturing Cutco Cutlery
for 52 years. Handcrafted in the United States of the finest
materials, Cutco products have a Forever Guarantee that protects
the consumer's investment. As the sole distributor of Cutco,
Vector has offices across the United States and Canada, as
well as overseas. Vector's sales for 2001, in the U.S. alone,
amounted to over $200 million dollars; a compelling testament
to the fundamentals of our business: People, Products and
Programs. In 2002 Vector will have over 400 offices in the
U.S. and Canada.
Sarah Baker Andrus, Director of Campus Relations, Vector
Marketing said, “we are proud to be part of the Pro-Am
Sell-a-Thon, Vector Marketing has always placed a high value
on the experiences that college students have before they
enter the workforce and we believe the PSE’s Pro-Am
Sell-a-Thon is one of the best programs we have seen to develop
the professional selling skills of its membership.”
WHO IS HUTHWAITE, INC.?
Leveraging more than three decades of documented client results,
Huthwaite has emerged as the leading sales performance and
change management firm in the world. Building upon our prestigious
research legacy, broad subject matter expertise, and success-based
sales models—including SPIN Selling® and the Buying
Cycle™—Huthwaite has developed a proven approach
to change management based on a process of continuous organizational
improvement.
The Huthwaite approach integrates training and implementation
strategies to cultivate critical competence across the enterprise,
empowering clients to effectuate lasting organizational change,
positively influence their marketplace and improve business
outcomes.
Our ability to attribute “hard” measures to “soft”
skills means that we don’t just have the knowledge to
change behavior, but that we can accurately quantify the impact
of that change as well.
WHO IS KODAK?
Kodak is the world's foremost imaging innovator. Kodak's
Graphic Communications Group, one of Kodak's strategic business
units, provides technologies, products, and services that
help print providers streamline processes, optimize efficiencies,
broaden services, and improve the quality of their printing.
As a major force in transforming the graphic arts industry
from analog to digital, you see the results of our technology
every day as magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, brochures,
packaging, and transactional statements.
Kodak helps businesses all over the world deliver a complete
print communications strategy. One of the most expansive portfolios
in the market includes solutions for digital printing, workflow,
repress,
high-volume and wide-format inkjet printing, and document
imaging. For more information, visit www.graphics.kodak.com
WHO IS NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL FINANCIAL NETWORK?
For over 150 years, Northwestern Mutual has consistently
focused on one ambition: to do the right thing for the people
who put their trust in us. The products and services offered
through carefully selected subsidiaries and affiliates, offer
a network of solutions to address needs for financial security
and protection, capital accumulation, asset distribution and
estate preservation. As a mutual company, Northwestern Mutual
exists for the benefit of its policyowners and clients, helping
them protect against financial risk and achieve financial
security. Northwestern Mutual was voted as “America’s
Most Admired” life/health insurer in 2007 by Fortune
magazine.
Their world-renowned internship program provides outstanding
career opportunities to college students who want to “test
drive” a career in sales. Northwestern Mutual Financial
Network has been named a Top 10 Internship in America for
12 consecutive years according to Vault, Inc. 2008 edition.
The financial representative intern position is an opportunity
to build your own business while providing financial security
for clients.
These representatives provide expert guidance and innovative
solutions to clients to develop a customized plan that meets
longterm financial goals. Full-time financial representative
positions are
also available.
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DIAMOND LEVEL CCO!!!
The Certified Chapter Officer (or
CCO) training has always been a way to recognize members and chapter
officers who go above and beyond for the benefit of their chapter.
The CCO is a member with outstanding knowledge and skills to better
enable them to successfully run their chapter. The PSE National
Headquarters Office has developed a new way to both recognize and
award these outstanding members.
The CCO training took a step forward with the development of
an exam to test the knowledge of the CCOs and the effectiveness
of the CCO program. In order for a member going through CCO
training to pass and receive their pin and certificate, the
exam must be passed with a 70% or better. The exams proved
to be extremely successful and were a great way for members
to take more from their CCO experience.
In addition to the exams, the PSE National Headquarters Office
is taking CCO to the next level; the Diamond Level! The diamond
level officer embodies a member who has an expert knowledge
about PSE and their specific role as an officer. To achieve
this standing a member in good standing must participate in
CCO training and score a 90% or above on the exam. This score
is quite difficult, however the person who would accomplish
this score is someone who dedicates a considerable amount
of time to PSE and participates during the entire CCO session.
Any member that achieves this outstanding accomplishment
could be recognized in a number of ways. These could include both
National Convention and Regional Conference Awards Banquet recognition,
a listing in the Dotted Lines Newsletter, and a special ribbon at
the PSE National Convention.
The newest form of recognition would come in the
National Convention name badge ribbons. The Diamond Level CCO will
not only receive a new Diamond Level CCO ribbon but the ribbon will
also have rhinestones attached to represent the diamond level. Members
who successfully complete the CCO training for a second time (for
a different officer position) and again score a 90% or higher on
the exam will receive a second rhinestone to represent this achievement.
Ultimately, a chapter member could successfully complete the CCO
training for a different officer position at both the Regional Conferences
and the National Convention and build up their Diamond Level CCO
ribbons.
For more information about the CCO training at the Regional
Conferences or the Diamond Level, contact your Chapter Consultants,
Angionette and
Lorice.
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The BOSS Games sponsored by
Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
Do you have what it takes to become the
BEST?
Join PSE HQ and put your business skills to the ultimate test.
The BOSS Games, sponsored by Northwestern Mutual Financial Network,
is an interactive computer business simulation allowing PSE teams
to compete head to head across the country.
Teams have 8 weeks to successfully prove that they have what it
takes to be the best. BOSS places team members in the position of
Chief Marketing Officer. Teams then create and implement new and
improved marketing strategies and re-branding techniques. Each week,
teams make new decisions and adjustments to the original plans in
an effort to make it to number 1! Plaques and cash prizes will be
awarded to the teams finishing in the top 4 nationally.
Deadline for registration is September 18, 2008. Get your
chapter team signed up today! For more information about BOSS
or to register your team today contact Angionette at 414-328-1952
or email at angionette.splan@pse.org.
Over $1000 to be given away in Cash Prizes!
1st Place Team: $500 and Plaque
2nd Place Team: $300 and Plaque
3rd Place Team: $200 and Plaque
4th Place Team: $100 and Plaque
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