Kalamazoo Times

A 13-member team of Western Michigan University (WMU) students secured first place overall in the Thomson Reuters Sales Competition, surpassing teams from Michigan State University, Central Michigan University, and Purdue University. The team was led by Mary Nielsen, an instructor of marketing.

Three WMU students were among the top four finalists in the individual round. Joey Berlin, Jacob Myers, and Jacob Delekta finished in first, third, and fourth place respectively. Additionally, three other WMU team members received special category awards for their sales approaches: Dylan Coleman for Best Questions, Kaleb Jonker for Best Rapport, and Jimmie Rubio for Most Creative.

Participants assumed the role of a sales associate for Thomson Reuters to sell website software and a domain to an accounting firm based in Brooklyn, New York. In the initial round, competitors left a compelling video email to set up a meeting with the client. The 25 finalists were chosen based on their video emails. Subsequently, they engaged in phone calls with members of the accounting firm to understand its needs and present the software as a comprehensive solution.

Berlin explained his winning strategy: "I pride myself on being the most prepared person. I found success because of the work I did before the competition. As a team, we brainstormed solutions and participated in mock calls with Mary Nielsen and each other. This win was definitely a team effort.”

Preparation was crucial to their success according to Myers: "As a first-year student with no previous sales experience, I learned that hard work and practice are invaluable," he said. "We spent hours in practice sessions with Professor Nielsen and role-playing with each other in the Robert S. Kaiser Sales, Negotiation and Leadership Lab.”

Delekta emphasized broader applications of their preparation lessons: “Dr. Jim Eckert emphasizes in every class that whoever prepares the best wins,” he stated. “It’s a concept that isn’t just for classes but can be taken into any job or field and will guarantee you set yourself among the elite.”

The WMU Team:

- Joey Berlin (senior) from Huntington Woods

- Jared Bishop (sophomore) from Charlotte

- Dylan Coleman (senior) from Lambertville

- Michael DeMarco (junior) from Spring Lake

- Jacob Delekta (senior) from Waterford

- Andrea Garza (junior) from Kalamazoo

- Jake Hammel (senior) from Lawton

- Kaleb Jonker (sophomore) from Hudsonville

- Jacob Myers (first-year) from Monroe

- Jimmie Rubio (junior) from Canton

- Natalie Tapia (junior) from Dearborn

- Martin Walker (first-year) from Gurnee, Illinois

- Kurt Weber (junior) from Troy

For more WMU news, arts events visit WMU News online.