Students at Bryant University's NISC event
“It’s great practice, great experience, and really challenges us to be at the top of our game.” – Nicholas Garrigan ’19, Sales Team President
Annual NISC competition set for Nov. 2-3
Oct 26, 2018, by Staff Writer
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The seventh annual Northeast Intercollegiate Sales Competition (NISC), presented by Bryant University, is set to take place Nov. 2-3. 

The prestigious competition, which draws student competitors and sponsor companies from across North America, will feature a fast-paced, tournament-style format during which students will demonstrate their skill in various elements of sales. The three-day event will also offer opportunities for skill and leadership building, as well as networking with some of the nation’s top sales organizations. 

“NISC is a great way for us to shine a light on sales education and help advance the profession."

Some 250 students are expected to participate from all over the country, according to Associate Professor and NISC Founder and Director Stefanie Boyer, Ph.D., including some 65 Bryant students. Competitors this year will come from as far away as South Florida, Kansas, and Toronto, Ontario. The competition has grown significantly since it was begun in 2012, expanding on Bryant’s own internal competition.

Students deliver rapid-fire pitches and receive real-time feedback from judges before they move on to present again to the next judge. The format gives them an opportunity not only to showcase and hone their skills, but also to interact with representatives from organizations eager to recruit top-tier sales talent. 

“NISC is a great way for us to shine a light on sales education and help advance the profession," says Boyer. “It’s always an engaging and dynamic weekend, and it’s very effective for both the students and the sponsoring companies.”

The event will also offer skill-building sessions, including “adaptability training,” led by Melissa Bowler, co-founder of Providence Improv Guild, during which students, faculty, and sponsors can learn new techniques for how to think better on their feet, respond well under pressure, ask better questions, and make better decisions when nervous.

A career fair gives students the opportunity to spend time meeting the sponsoring companies, and a social media component helps build excitement. This year’s competition will also feature a new multilingual speed-sell competition where students can compete in French, Italian, or Spanish.  

“I’m looking forward to this year’s NISC event,” says Art Sauer, Vice President of Inside Sales at Carousel Industries, an IT consulting, management, and integration services company headquartered in Exeter, RI, and the NISC Presenting Partner sponsor. “We not only enjoy supporting NISC and Bryant, but we appreciate that every year we meet some of the best and brightest young sales talent in North America.”

Nicholas Garrigan ’19, the President of Bryant’s Sales Team and one of the event’s key organizers, says NISC is the largest collegiate sales competition in the region, and the real-time feedback from judges and sponsor representatives makes it unique compared to similar events. “It’s great practice, great experience, and really challenges us to be at the top of our game,” he says. 

Bryant’s Sales Team was named best overall in last year’s competition. 
 

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