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Earlier this month, Curry College School of Business and Technology students competed against some of the best college business programs in the country and beyond at the Northeast Intercollegiate Sales Competition (NISC) hosted by Bryant University. Cayla Osowski ‘25, De’Shon Harris ‘26, Nicholas Melo ‘25, and Will McNamara ’25 represented Curry College for the first time at NISC after much preparation and skill-building in the classroom.
Accompanied by School of Business and Technology faculty Dr. Shawn Scott and Kayla Pierce, Curry College shined alongside 30 other schools from the United States and Canada, including powerhouse programs such as The University of Georgia, James Madison University, Missouri State University, University of Central Florida, and more.
The two-day event immersed our students in the ultimate sales competition setting where they participated in a speed sell round, sales role play rounds, networking opportunities, job fairs, workshop sessions, and more.
Dr. Scott described the unique opportunity as an “intense, massive learning experience, ideal for those students that want to be challenged beyond four walls of classroom learning.” For Osowski, the challenge was one she was proud to tackle.
“I left the conference knowing I did the best I possibly could have, and I’m proud of myself for doing something that was so out of my comfort zone. My professors and leaders of the group, Dr. Scott and Professor Pierce, were so encouraging and supportive of us students who attended. Their support and encouragement made me more confident in my abilities.”
The NISC competitions were broken down into two categories: speed sell and role play. In the speed sell round, students were in a room with over 200 students and judges, trying to sell themselves in a 60-second elevator pitch amidst many distractions. In the role-play rounds, students went through a simulation of four rounds of sales as different roles: the initial gatekeeper, their boss, the head of Human Resources, and a high-ranking executive. Essentially, the role-play category simulated six months of sales calls.
According to Dr. Scott, Curry's students performed with notable confidence and skill. “They impressed people,” he said. “Two students have already been approached by employers that were in attendance.”
The competition bookended a two-part course curriculum crafted by Dr. Scott which allows students to study Personal Selling in the spring before taking Sales Management in the fall, when many sales competitions occur. “The classes are structured in a way that prepares them for these events,” said Dr. Scott. “Students take a year and a half of courses before they go to these conferences.”
These courses help students build their skills in sales while defining what sales truly encompasses in today’s business world. “Sales, as it relates to today, is 80% listening,” said Dr. Scott. “It’s listening to the person you’re talking with to understand what their pain point is, and then trying to solve that pain point for them. It’s a marketing practice, and students who take these classes have a desire to pursue a career in marketing and/or sales.”
As an honored leader of the pack, Dr. Scott expressed to his students his feelings of inspiration, pride, and being grateful for the opportunity they were able to experience. “I am so unbelievably inspired by, and proud of, the team of sales students that joined me. You all did something no student at Curry College has ever done, and you have paved the way for our future sales program in the School of Business and Technology. This is no small feat and you all truly embody the Curry spirit!”
