Kyler Vaeth, of Loganville, among UNG sales students who excel at national competition

Pictured, from left, are Alyssa Elliot, Marie Jordan, Colin Sharp, Kyler Vaeth, Ashleigh Slaughter, and Dr. Cindy Rippe. Slaughter, a senior, took first place at the National Collegiate Sales Competition held at Kennesaw State University in March, and UNG’s team finished third overall. Contributed photo

DAHLONEGA, GA (04/18/2023)– University of North Georgia (UNG) student Ashleigh Slaughter took first place out of 140 competitors at the National Collegiate Sales Competition (NCSC) at Kennesaw State University in March, and UNG’s student team took third overall out of 70 schools competing.

The team consisted of Slaughter, Alyssa Elliott, Colin Sharp, and Kyler Vaeth, all of whom are pursuing marketing degrees.

Vaeth is from Loganville, GA.

Students were given a company product, tasked with learning about the product and presenting a sales plan. UNG’s performance at NCSC shows a major transformation from being ranked 51st in 2021 to now third. It finished tied for fourth in 2021.

Slaughter said this experience has already led to being recruited for jobs after graduation in summer 2023.

“Competing at NCSC was an amazing experience that has provided me with so much knowledge that I will carry with me into my future sales career,” the Forsyth, Georgia, resident said. “After working so hard, winning NCSC was a dream come true and has provided me with so many amazing opportunities.”

In preparation for the competition, Dr. Cindy Rippe, associate professor of sales, and her students met weekly for 20 hours since December and participated in two competitions. The previous events included the Bayou Sales Challenge in Thibodaux, Louisiana, hosted by Nicholls State University in February. Vaeth and Sharp won their respective rounds during the “pressure” segment. Slaughter, Elliott and Sharp also teamed up for a seventh-place finish out of more than 40 schools at the Redbird Sales Competition held virtually by Illinois State University in February.

“It’s really important for the students to see time and hard work pay off,” Rippe said. “On top of that, it helps them in their sales careers because they know the sales process, understand the customers’ needs and can gear a presentation towards those needs and how to close.”

Rippe shared that wins like this are great preparation for the team’s main goal of competing at NCSC, the longest-running sales role-play competition on the collegiate level. The competition’s objective is to enhance students’ professionalism, provide networking opportunities with potential recruiters, exhibit and enhance student selling skills, and develop better communication skills.

“I’m so proud of how my students have grown in their ability to manage objections and turn them around,” Rippe said. “So many sponsors want to work with UNG because they see how our students are doing and are recruiting them for sales. I always tell the students, ‘Come to class, get a job.'”

Positioned in the fastest-growing region of the state, the University of North Georgia comprises five campuses united by a single mission focused on academic excellence and academic and co-curricular programs that develop students into leaders for a diverse and global society. The University of North Georgia is a University System of Georgia leadership institution and is The Military College of Georgia. With almost 19,000 students, the University of North Georgia is one of the state’s largest public universities. The university offers more than 100 programs of study ranging from certificate and associate degrees to doctoral programs.