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KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western Michigan University seniors Erin Rogers of Grand Rapids. Michigan, and Trenton Sands of Winona Lake, Indiana, placed second overall as a team at the State Farm Marketing and Sales Competition. In addition, Rogers took first place and earned $3,000 in prize money in the life insurance sales role-play category. Twelve universities from across the nation competed at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.

Rogers and Sands are both sales and business marketing majors in 51������ Haworth. They’ve been learning to sell through experience in the Robert S. Kaiser Sales, Negotiation and Leadership Lab their entire college careers, which meant they were prepared for any prompts that would come their way.

Rogers breaks down the competition, saying, “There were three separate parts: an auto sales role-play, a life insurance role-play and a marketing presentation. The two role-plays were individual events, whereas the marketing presentation was a team effort. The prompt for the presentation was centered on how State Farm could connect more effectively with Gen Z users.”

Sands details their presentation, adding, “We had two recommendations for their marketing strategy. One strategy was to use micro- and macro-influencers on TikTok with an existing audience to raise awareness about State Farm. The second recommendation was to highlight State Farm employees’ diverse backgrounds by posting fun, authentic and transparent content that showcases their personalities and interests to further engage with audiences.”

Their recommendations are undeniably relevant based on current marketing trends and come from a credible source. Sands had a cross-functional internship this summer at TikTok, working on sales and marketing initiatives for key accounts. His knowledge of the social media platform helped them better understand what Gen Z seeks in a brand. The Western team’s approach was cost effective within the company’s strategy, as well, Rogers notes.

“We also added humor to the presentation that made our recommendations more relatable,” she says.

The duo spent weeks preparing for the competition and leaned on many resources in that time. Mary Nielsen, faculty specialist II, was their coach, providing creative ways to set their role-plays apart from competitors and providing potential feedback from the buyer in the scenarios.

She cites their routine as, “Practice, practice, practice. They also asked for help from alumni and classmates, including an alum who works for State Farm and a classmate who is a TikTok influencer.”

Their solid team presence at the competition was a deliberate choice on behalf of their coach. Nielsen handpicked them because of their track records of success in sales and business marketing courses. Both were high achievers as students in Nielsen’s own courses.

“Due to both of our personalities, we were able to work really well together,” says Sands. “With the amount of time we were practicing, we were able to figure out quickly what worked and what didn’t by bouncing ideas off each other.” Rogers echoes that sentiment, “Trenton was a very encouraging teammate that always brought his best to the table.”

“Erin brought great expertise to the sales role-plays, and Trenton brought great knowledge to our marketing presentation. Both were very supportive of one another and excellent team players,” Nielsen adds.

As Rogers and Sands both prepare for graduation, they have much to be proud of in securing their spots as soon-to-be alumni of 51������ Haworth. Rogers will join Stryker as a full-time marketing associate after graduation in December, and Sands has a few prospects in the sales and marketing fields while he finishes his degree in the spring 2023 semester. 

“I’m definitely proud of how Erin and I were both able to juggle not only this competition, but our many different classes, co-curricular activities, personal lives and study hours—and be high-achievers in all of those things,” shares Sands.

“I’m most proud of representing 51������ at a national sales competition. I was a part of a dedicated team that prepared for weeks, and we were able to place second because of it. I’m grateful to be a part of the sales program and that my last sales competition at 51������ ended on a positive note,” adds Rogers.

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