College of Business hosts third annual Sales and Marketing Day

On Tuesday, Feb. 9, the Florida State University College of Business will host its third annual Sales and Marketing Day, an event full of competition and collaboration.

Sales and Marketing Day was established in 2008 to highlight the connections between sales, marketing and other business professions in order to show graduating marketing and sales students that they can pursue any number of paths after graduation. This year’s event will be packed with hands-on experiences, from a sales competition that will determine which students will represent Florida State in a national sales competition to presentations from successful business leaders in the marketing field. Along the way, students will be offered valuable insights into a number of career paths.

This year’s keynote speaker is Steve Farace, the “minister of propaganda” at Sweetwater Brewing Company and a Florida State University College of Business alumnus.

“Sales and Marketing Day was developed to showcase career paths to our students,” said Pat Pallentino, director of the Professional Sales Program and an associate in marketing. “Marketing and sales are overarching studies that can take someone down a wide variety of avenues. This day is about showing students their options and building their confidence through the sales competition and hearing from real-world professionals.”

After a welcoming breakfast, students compete in the role-play sales competition and participate in roundtables and focus groups. At the end of the day, top sales students will be awarded more than $6,000 in scholarships.

“Providing a world-class education is the purpose of the FSU College of Business,” says Caryn L. Beck-Dudley, dean of the college. “That means not only teaching from books and giving exams, but focusing on real-world problems and having the students identify real solutions. Sales and Marketing Day brings this practical approach to the classroom.”