Sales Competitions
The sales competition combines experiential learning, work-life cooperation, RDI activities and the opportunity to develop sales skills in a realistic sales interaction situation using a company’s product, service or business challenge.
Turku University of Applied Sciences is the most active organiser of sales competitions in Europe, organising several sales competitions every year. Since 2011, Turku University of Applied Sciences has organised sales competitions in both Finnish and English at local, national and international level. In line with the needs of the working world, the sales competitions are now organised using both online and onsite components.
The competition is based on the most realistic B2B sales situation possible, which will evolve as the competition progresses. The sales situation is always built in cooperation with a business partner to meet the real sales challenge. In sales competitions, the roles of judge and buyer are played by business representatives, staff and students from other courses.
A sales competition is a great opportunity for a company
- gain visibility among students and build an employer image
- meet and recruit the sales professionals of the future
- get fresh ideas and perspectives, and test the selling points of your own product
- support the appreciation and development of professional salesmanship.
Partner for Turku sales competitions
We are constantly looking for partners for local sales competitions. We can also put you in touch with national and international competitions and help you become part of a wider sales network at home and abroad.
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Contact us and tell us what kind of sales challenge you are looking for a solution to. The sales competition case is always designed around a real sales challenge.
2
Together we define the input and the desired outcome. Sales competitions are built on a foundation of joint working. Every collaboration is different. We are sure to find a way for you to benefit from the expertise of Turku University of Applied Sciences.
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Opportunity for wider cooperation. The cooperation can be for one sales competition, or for wider RDI activities. We can help you become part of a international network of sales competitions and sales development.
The next local sales competitions are:
- Turku Sales Competition
- Turun Myyntikokemus (in Finnish)
Here’s how the sales competition works
Sales competition is a role-playing game about a B2B sales situation
The competition, including its scope, schedule and the sales cases, is always planned together with the main partner.
There are three roles in a sales competition: the competitor, the seller, the buyer and the judges. The competing student acts as the seller in front of a live buyer. The judges and the buyers evaluate the competitor’s performance using predefined evaluation criteria. The sales situation evolves as the competition progresses.
A sales competition is often a multi-stage event, including preliminary rounds, possible semi-finals and a final. The competition is often conducted using an Omni approach, with the first round(s) taking place Online and the final Onsite.
Structure of the competition
- In the opening and possible semi-finals, several competition rooms will be running simultaneously.
- The winner or the top finishers in each competition room will move on to the next stage. As this is a genuine sales interaction, there is no comparison between the different competition rooms.
- Each competition room has at least 3 judges and one buyer. The judges and buyers will be representatives of companies, university staff and possibly other students.
- All participants will be trained before the event.
Competitive situation
- Each sales situation is individual and lasts up to 20 minutes.
- The time starts when the competitor enters the competition room. The competitor follows the timetable.
- If the competitor has not taken care of the schedule, the race will be stopped at the 20-minute mark. The timekeeper is responsible for keeping the time and will announce when the time is up. When the time is up, the competitor must finish their sentence and then leave the room.
- After the performance, each judge and the buyer independently evaluate the performance on their own electronic form during or after the performance.
- No feedback will be given to the competitor immediately after the performance.
Winners of the 2024 local competitions
Turku Sales Competition winners in 2024
- Niko Toivonen
- Kaisa Saari
- Veeti Uotila
- Miika Torkkeli
Turun Myyntikokemus (Turku Sales Experience) winners’ ranking in 2024
- Jesse Toivonen
- Maya Salminen
- Scrooge Heinonen
- Eetu Leinonen
Examples of previous competitions
Turku University of Applied Sciences hosted the 2021 European Sales Competition, which took place entirely online.
Check out the final performances of the competition:
Discover the atmosphere of the competition:
Contact us and let’s discuss more
For whom? For companies that want visibility, especially among university students, and to develop their sales efforts.
Price: the scope of the cooperation and related services will be tailored and priced on a competitive basis.
National and international sales competitions
We participate in several national and international sales competitions:
The Best Seller Competition is a sales competition open to all Finnish universities, with the aim of raising the profile of professional sales work and developing it.
The European Sales Competition is designed to encourage university sales students across Europe to compare their international sales skills in an educational environment.
The Southeast Asia Sales Competition (SEASAC) is the result of cooperation between Southeast Asian and European universities and government agencies.
Other networks we are involved in:
The Academic Association of Sales Engineering (AASE) is an international organisation that aims to promote education, research and collaboration among sales engineers.
The European Sales Competition Association (ESCA) was set up to ensure the continuity and success of European sales competition in the future.
The sales competition is a learning method
Sales competitions are a pedagogical method that Turku University of Applied Sciences launched more than ten years ago in the European education market with the EU project. The learning method, which originated in the USA, is now organised annually at local, national and international level.
Turku University of Applied Sciences’ local sales competitions are used as a learning method, where each competition involves coaching and training of the competing students as part of the course of study, acting as an oral final exam for the course of study.
Sales competitions create opportunities to develop sales competences in the most realistic role-playing situation possible, where competitors demonstrate their sales skills in a sales setting based on a pre-written case. Each competitor conducts an individual sales interaction with a buyer, with pre-trained judges assessing the success of the interaction.
A sales competition is an opportunity for a competitor to
- develop their competences in a realistic role-playing situation
- develop their time management, communication and negotiation skills and sales process management
- showcase their skills to partner representatives and potential future employers
- interact and network with partners and potential future employers
- discuss sales and its study with other students and teachers
- get a chance to beat themselves.
Partners
Our partners in sales competitions already include several Finnish and international companies, such as
- iMotions
- Rento Innovations
- Fonecta
- Salezure
- IRH vet
- Fennia
- Pemamek
- if
- Wärtsilä
- Ade Oy
- Greenstep Oy
- Nooga Oy
- Vincit Plc
- Liedo Savings Bank
- Shopify
- Gartner
- qualtrics
- Palo Alto
- Reach
- STRATX
- PinMeTo
We also get a lot of new ideas through cooperation. Networks and mutual learning are possible through such cooperation.
Rauni Jaskari, GM, Head of Strategic Sourcing, Energy Storage, Wärtsilä
Read about previous sales competitions on TALK Online Magazine
Experts behind the services
In addition to sales competitions, Turku University of Applied Sciences conducts applied research in the field of sales and B2B business.
The Sales and B2B Business research group focus areas are sales and negotiation competencies, business development, and digital sales and purchasing experience. Our goal is to increase the profitability of B2B companies