Samuel Banoud ’26 takes a breath before entering one of the Frank ’81 and Marion ’81 Hauck Sales Performance Lab’s 13 breakout rooms. His partner for this exercise, “Personal Selling” classmate Olivia Hernandez ’26, is waiting for him inside and ready to take his sales call.

With a reminder to smile from Stefanie Boyer, Ph.D., professor of Marketing and director of the Bryant Sales Program, Banoud, in the role of a Dell Technologies salesperson, makes his entrance into the private space. “Hi, I’m Sam,” he says, extending his hand, which Hernandez accepts with a smile of her own.

On the wall next to her, an array of cameras and audio equipment capture his every word and movement so they can both study the recording later and use it to perfect their skills.

“So, what brings you here today?” Hernandez asks, and Banoud’s smile grows even wider.

As the door closes, a red “Recording” light comes on above it: All systems are go.Banoud and Hernandez are in business.

Tailor-built and well-equipped
Bryant’s new 5,000-square-foot lab Hauck Sales Performance Lab — one of several new high-tech labs in Bryant’s Business Entrepreneurship Leadership Center (BELC) — serves as the epicenter of sales initiatives at the university. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the lab, a hub for honing skills and building confidence, is available to all students.

That’s because everyone needs to be able to sell, no matter their profession, notes Boyer: “Nothing ever gets done unless a deal is made.”

The lab has been tailor-built to ensure that students are empowered to succeed. “I was very excited about the plans for the lab, and it was such an incredible experience being involved in its creation,” says Boyer, who not only helped to create the lab but was on the faculty committee that advised on the creation of the BELC itself. “But when I walked in, it was better than I ever expected.

“It’s everything I could have wanted. You don't hear about any other universities with facilities like this, so I'm super grateful we have it.”

“We see this as a transformational space,” Boyer shares. “The Sales Lab’s technology is cutting-edge, and I haven't seen anything like it anywhere else.”

In addition to coursework, the lab also supports Bryant’s award-winning Sales Team and major events like the Northeast Intercollegiate Sales Competition, which recently drew 225 students from 34 universities to Bryant.

“This space strengthens Bryant's position as a leader in business education,” Boyer states.

For Ben Regazzini ’26, a Personal Selling student who aims to go into sales post-graduation, it offers a glimpse into his future. “It’s everything I could have wanted,” he admits. “You don't hear about any other universities with facilities like this, so I'm super grateful we have it.”

Making the connection
Boyer’s “Personal Selling” course gives students the hands-on experience and feedback they need to improve their selling skills — whether they’re working business-to-business, business-to-consumer, or even selling their own brand — by offering the tools and strategies they’ll need to excel.

Today, the students are learning about relationship building. “If sales is about helping customers, how can you possibly help someone if you don’t understand them and their needs?” Boyer asks the class.

As she talks, the steps of the sales process appear on the large screen monitors behind her: Prospecting->Pre-approach->Approach->Needs Identification. The lab is equipped to project so students can share their individual screens on these monitors, with whiteboard space around the room for collaborative brainstorming.

The students then pair up to ask one another simple questions, such as their favorite meals and hobbies, aided by the lab’s customizable design. They’re learning to help their partner not just offer a description, but to paint a picture of their experiences, how those experiences made them feel and, ultimately, who they are.

“Customers don’t buy products, they buy solutions,” Boyer reminds them. “Don’t just give them an answer when they ask a question; you always want to find out what’s motivating them to ask it.”

Regazzini is paired with Alexis McAvey ’27 for the exercise. McAvey is an Information Systems and Analytics student with a double minor in Sales and Communications who would like to go into software sales after graduation. She’s inspired by her parents, who are both in sales as well. “I've seen the impacts they've had on people's lives, and I aspire to do that too,” says McAvey.

The lab, she says, is preparing her to do just that. “I love communicating with people and really want to push myself to become better,” states McAvey.

Practice rooms make perfect
By the time they move on to the breakout rooms and their roleplays, the students have a great deal to think about and a lot to remember. Everything from the initial knock on the door to the introduction to the handshake is repeated until it’s smooth, then they get down to the difficult stuff: the art of easy conversations that go beyond the surface to build rapport and identify solutions.

Hands-on experience is a hallmark of Boyer’s courses. Students compete in both virtual and in-person sales competitions during the semester, and receive feedback from professional sellers, buyers, and trainers. In between classes, Boyer’s students use the RNMKRS artificial intelligence app — which Boyer, RNMKRS’ co-founder, chief science officer, and head of education, helped to develop and is used by more than 5,000 students each semester— to practice their roleplays.

It should come as no surprise, then, that the lab is wired the same way. Its breakout rooms are equipped with UC sound bars, speakers, and cameras, with an intercom-CCTV system that allows Boyer to monitor all 13 breakout rooms at once and offer real-time coaching.

The breakout room sessions can be awkward at first, especially knowing you’re being recorded, Regazzini admits, but you get used to it — especially after you see how the experience pays off. “I think there's a lot of value in seeing yourself on camera,” he notes. “Not only can you learn from what you’re doing, and use the recording to get advice from others, but it also helps you become more comfortable just giving your pitch in general.”

McAvey is more direct. “I can’t wait to use all of the lab’s toys,” she laughs.