Kansas State University

Activities of the National Strategic Selling Institute include the following

Educational Activities
Provide an interdisciplinary curriculum of sales courses for K-State students including the offering of a relationship selling certificate through the college.Develop a campus wide relationship-selling minor. Provide students with sales related internship opportunities. Provide opportunities for students to gain experience in selling through role playing. Provide sales-related mentorship opportunities for our students with alumni and community members and firms. Provide student scholarships. Encourage and support student attendance at relationship sales conferences. Develop a relationship selling distinguished speaker series. Facilitate company visits with a focus on sales. Actively participate in national collegiate sales contests.

Research and Faculty Support
Host academic and practitioner oriented sales conferences on the Manhattan and Olathe campuses.Provide summer research grants for faculty interested in relationship selling topics.Support faculty sales focused conference travel.Develop a white paper series in the area of relationship selling.Coordinate company visits for faculty.Develop relationships with firms for data collection opportunities.

Outreach Activities 
Develop an external relationship selling advisory board.Develop and implement executive training seminars in relationship selling utilizing the Manhattan and Olathe campuses.Facilitate sales related consulting activities.

Although much learning goes on within our curriculum, the NSSI also looks for ways to supplement students’ education by offering professional development activities outside the bounds of the classroom.  K-State Sales Week, a full week of activities celebrating the sales profession, offers workshops and key note speakers, among other things. Pi Sigma Epsilon, a co-ed professional fraternity dedicated to the sales profession, allows our students to explore sales careers further through an extracurricular organization. The NSSI also offers special workshops, such as a recent workshop on social media and sales.  Greater resources will allow us to expand our current offerings and include more students.

The K-State Sales Team

The K-State Sales Team represents the university at numerous regional and national competitions. Competitions allow our students to practice their selling skills in a realistic environment, participating in a 20-minute “sales call” as a representative of a product chosen by the competition sponsor. All “sales calls” are judged by sales professionals, with students receiving feedback from the judges. Moreover, students have the opportunity to hone their networking skills by interacting with students and faculty from other universities, as well as with the multitudes of business people in attendance.  Students also have the opportunity to attend numerous professional development events and a career fair. Many students indicate that attending a sales competition is the highlight of their college experience.  Our goal is to share this experience with as many of our students as possible; more resources will make this possible.

Edward Jones Sales Competition

Ready, Set, Sell!

K-State Sales Week

Pi Sigma Epsilon

Pi Sigma Epsilon is a national co-ed fraternity for students in marketing, sales and management. As a member or Pi Sigma Epsilon you will compete nationally in competitions involving Public Relations, Marketing Research, Management, Project Managment and Sales. Pi Sigma Epsilon's corporate sponsors offer job and internship placement to many students at competition career fairs.

The Sales Labs

The Sales Labs were integrated into the College of Business with the welcoming of the National Strategic Selling Institute. The labs support two live role plays on closed-circuit monitors that relay the video feed to the judges board room. These labs are instrumental for the college in being able to hold on-site competitions.

The Marketing Department and our NSSI Advisory Board have developed strategies to strengthen and improve the program. Still, implementing these strategies and achieving our long-term goal of becoming one of the top universities for sales education requires ongoing resources.  Maintaining and expanding these resources relies on the contributions of alumni and friends of the program. 

Below are four areas where we are actively seeking support.  Your support can help us further leverage the impact of the NSSI on the personal and professional lives of our students.  We invite you to join us in defining the future of the NSSI by making an online gift. To learn about other ways to give, please contact Tim Grant, director of development, or Angela Deines, development officer.

Below are the areas where you can help.

Student Scholarships and Awards
With sufficient resources, the NSSI would like to establish a series of scholarships and awards for sales students. Students can use scholarships and awards to offset the cost of their education. Such awards might allow students to accept a sales internship in another city, for example, that might offer greater experience but at a higher cost.

Technology Needs: NSSI Sales Labs
The Sales Labs, home to the NSSI, represent the heart of our sales programs. The labs are set up like an office, albeit an office equipped with recording equipment.  In our labs, students can go on mock sales calls that are recorded; the feedback received on their performances allows our students to improve and further develop their sales skills. The Sales Labs require state-of-the-art recording equipment. Currently we have two labs, but as the program grows the number of offices needed expands. 

The mission of the National Strategic Selling Institute Sales Advisory Board is to build a strong foundation for student support and communication between the academic and private sector to promote hiring and success for our graduates.  The Board plays a fundamental role in developing credibility and confidence in our NSSI program, instilling credibility and confidence in our graduates as they move into the workplace.  As respected leaders in the selling community, our Board will work to improve visibility for academic and on-site training programs through NSSI so our graduates achieve relevance and prominence in their chosen careers.

The NSSI Sales Advisory Board is comprised of sales professionals and business executives who provide advice and counsel on curriculum and institute strategy. Many of our Sales Advisory Board members serve as mentors in the College of Business Administration Executive Mentor Program, and all offer valuable networking and interactive learning experiences for our students.

The NSSI Sales Advisory Board meets twice a year in October and April. The October meeting takes place at the Manhattan Campus, with the April meeting occurring at the K-State Olathe campus. Advisory Board members are appointed by NSSI Director Dr. Dawn Deeter-Schmelz to assist in the pursuit of the national prominence in the academic and business communities. We value their support of our students!

Sales Advisory Board Members

Dick Atchity, Business Development Consultant, Sales Pro Staffing & Consulting

Kurt Auleta, Vice President: Internal Sales and Distribution Operations, Security Benefit Corporation

Claire Barker, Manager, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc.

Ted Bauer, Frito Lay District Sales Leader, Pepsico

Andy Beckman, National Sales Manager, Garmin

Clyde Bouler, Managing Director, Modis

Steven Brazil, Insurance and Financial Services District Manager, Farmers Financial Solutions

Michelle Canny, Auctioneer, The Canny Team

Tom Clark, Sales and Business Development Professional, Verizon Enterprise Solutions Group

Matt Cook, CEO, The Salesforce GroupNora Elmanzalawy, University Relations, Victaulic

Janell Farabi, Vice President, Enterprise Account Development – Retired, Oce North America

Jack Hopkins, Sales Manager, UniFirst Corporation

Lee Kahler, National Account Manager, QualServ Corporation

Larry Kendall, Chairman Emeritus, Author/Teacher, The Group Inc., Ninja Selling

Gustav Kincaid, Corporate Account Manager, Kimberly-Clark Healthcare

Thomas Kovacik, Director of Sales, Central Region, Essex Brownell

Robert Lindstrom, Security & Safety Consultant, Safemart

Colt McArthur, Account Manager, Modern Business Interiors

Christopher McDonald, Independent Agent

Jeff Parker, Vice-President, Market Management and Supply Chain Strategies, VHA Mid-America

John Richenburg, Owner, JPR Sales

Danielle Runnebaum, Sales Manager, Manhattan Broadcasting Company, Inc

Alex Sayago, Director, Corporate Business Division and Government Sales, John Deere Ag & Turf Division

Jason Schaffer, Director of Business Operations, TEK Systems

Dan Schierling, District Sales Manager, 3M

Bryon Schlosser, President, Coldwell Banker Griffith & Blair American Homes

Jim Schnefke, Director, Project Development, McCownGordon Construction

Dave Slain, Sr. Vice President and COO, Inland Label and Marketing Services

Steve Voss, Sales Engineer, McQueeny Group

Dave Warner, Director, Business Development, Ryan