For Cameron Allen, it’s not quite baseball. However, sales competitions have become equally as competitive and maybe even more intriguing than catching balls at third base.
A junior and marketing major in the Jindal School, Allen recently won “First Runner Up” at the national Great Northwoods Sales Warm-Up competition. The competition, at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, pitted 21 universities from across the country and 63 students in a two-and-a-half-day sales contest. Students had to present 20-minute sales pitches to a group of judges in role-play scenarios, on days one and two. Finalists then proceeded to more difficult role-plays on the last day.
For Allen, sales competitions have helped appease the competitive spirit he always has felt playing baseball. He began playing the sport at age 4 and continued throughout his school years, ending up on the freshman baseball team at Southwestern University before attending UT Dallas.
“I really missed the competition that had been a part of my life for so long from baseball, but I was feeling a little burnt out. I joined a fraternity at UTD, which was great, but I realized I still wasn’t fully satisfied — as far as competition goes,” Allen says. “I heard about the sales program at UTD, so went into the intro class.
“It was really cool, and I decided to join the professional sales program. Since then, not only have I fallen in love with the sales industry, I’ve fallen in love with the program as well.
“Every day, I get to collaborate with, and compete against, like-minded individuals who share the passion that I do,” he says. “My craving for competition has been satisfied between this and intramural sports. In addition, the number of opportunities that have presented themselves through the sales program are incredible.”
In addition to the Great Northwoods competition, Allen placed third in the JSOM’s Rookie Preview sales competition last spring.
“We are very proud of Cameron, as he has grown substantially through this competition process,” says Howard Dover, a marketing professor who is director of the school’s Professional Sales Concentration. “His win was a great moment and a win for the sales program here at UT Dallas.”
Other recent achievements for JSOM’s sales program include JSOM senior Abigail Kirby recently placing second at the Liberty Mutual Southwest Region competition at the University of Houston and Abby Huang placing second at the Liberty Mutual national internship competition last summer in Boston
