Pursuing Anderson University’s pillars of Great Purpose and Great Academics, the College of Business and Economics is instilling in students a mindset of professionalism in business from a biblical perspective while preparing them for rewarding careers.
Business Professor Dr. Bruce Morgan believes that engaging students in intercollegiate sales competitions has become an important part of preparing them with real-world skills while stressing Christian ethics. The Anderson University College of Business and Economics plans to align with the USCA (University Sales Center Alliance), a consortium of colleges and universities that certify collegiate sales programs. There is also the possibility of adding a minor over the next couple of years.
Dr. Morgan, an adjunct faculty member and longtime sales professional, points to a recent study that approximately 88 percent of marketing majors start careers in sales and 50 percent of all business majors enter sales. Since beginning to teach at Anderson a few years ago, Dr. Morgan is impressed by the initiative of his students and their dedication to thorough preparation for competitions that’s paid off. Sales competitions take place at Anderson University, as well as in Georgia and Rhode Island.
“This year, our sales team is already punching above our weight with Seth Wells reaching the finals in the National Fastenal Sales Competition, James Watson and Jake Baker reaching the second round at the Northeast Regional Intercollegiate Sales Competition at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, and Eric Moore winning our first on-campus competition, sponsored by our corporate sponsor, Herc Rentals,” Dr. Morgan said. “Sales are where the jobs are at and so far every senior who has gone through, or is currently involved in, the sales program has received job offers—some before graduation.”
Pictured at the 2024 NISC: Micah Arthur (Spring ‘25 Marketing now with Herc Rentals as a sales rep), Taylor Smerkol (Spring ‘26 Accounting), Abigail Christy (Spring ‘26 Marketing) and Evan Miller (Spring ‘25 Marketing now with Bosch Rexroth as a sales rep).
The program sent four students to their first sales competition during the fall 2024 semester to the Northeastern Intercollegiate Sales Competition (NISC). Also, nine students went to the National Collegiate Sales Competition this past spring. This semester they took eight back to NISC.
The AU Sales Team currently consists of Seth Wells, Eric Moore, Sofia Polito, Journey Charles, James Watson, James Deadwyler, Pierson Moorhouse, Madison Stutts and Jake Baker. AU Sales Team alumni are Noah Lay, Evan Miller and Glen Mason.
Moore’s interest in sales goes way back to his childhood, knocking on neighbor’s doors offering to cut grass and do various jobs for them. As a college student, Moore found ways to make extra money reselling clothes.
“If I want to go golfing or go to a Mexican restaurant with friends—anything like that—it’s covered that,” Moore said.
Moore, who is graduating this spring and also interning at a local insurance agent, wants to get licensed and pursue a career with State Farm Insurance, where he interns. He feels that representing AU in various sales competitions has been great, and he has built on his sales skills while gaining something valuable from the experience.
“You get to meet all of these cool people from across America and a lot of them have similar interests,” Moore commented. “A lot of these schools have 50 people who want to go, but they can only take five or six. So I think that’s pretty cool that I didn’t have to go through all these rounds of interviews or whatever to get to go. I just got to show up.”
Moore personally resonates with Professor Morgan’s teaching approach, which reinforces his own approach to sales.
“If you’re just yourself and you approach every customer or client… with genuine interest and just genuinely see how you could help them—I think that’s probably what I learned the most,” Moore continued. “It’s not always about how many calls you make or what suit you’re wearing to the conference. A lot of it is just, how can I genuinely try to help this person? Dr. Morgan also does a really good job of implementing faith into sales.”
Evan Miller recalls what he learned roleplaying in class and in the sales competitions has found his experiences “incredibly invaluable” as he works with customers in strategic deals. Miller, a recent graduate, is a sales account specialist at Bosch Rexroth.
“I manage a relationship with a customer, drive new business growth and support all the business functions as they relate to our customer,” Miller said. He appreciates the ethical and biblical foundation he received from Professor Morgan and others at Anderson, something he feels is crucial to maintaining strong relationships with his clients.
“What is virtuous is helping companies excel by giving them the tools they need to succeed, and you can do that by being a great salesperson. You can show them why your product is going to benefit them substantially. And that’s very rewarding,” continued Miller.
Many large corporations involve themselves heavily in these competitions because they consider them a valuable source of talented prospective employees. Alluding to the professional sports world, Morgan asserts that, from a cost perspective, the sales competitions are seen as a “well-placed farm system” to bring people through and get them into corporate America.
Corporate Partners for the AU Sales Team are Herc Rentals Regional Sales Manager Mike Malterer; also Charles Gilbert and Mike Rausch of Fastenal. Herc Rentals is a major supplier of equipment rentals with a variety of customers ranging from construction to entertainment. Fastenal is a major supplier of industrial products whose customers are a large variety of organizations that include manufacturers and school districts.
“What I’ve found in the program that Anderson University has is that it matches really well with the type of people that we’re looking for,” Malterer said. “There’s a certain type of grit that goes with the student that comes in and learns that type of sales and, the background of the people that I found at Anderson University fit in really well with that.”
Fastenal Regional Recruiter Charles Gilbert oversees his company’s recruitment efforts in the Carolinas and Tennessee. He is gratified to see the sales program at Anderson grow and benefit students.
“This is my purpose in life, to help kids that are in college find a career path, find their way, because it’s not easy,” Gilbert said. “I’ve got four kids of my own—all of them are from the ages of 24 to 18—so I kind of relate to what the college students are currently going through because my kids are going through it.”
In the midst of mounting student debt at graduation and an uncertain job market where AI (Artificial Intelligence) is negatively impacting entry-level opportunities in many fields, Dr. Morgan fervently believes in the professional sales principles he and his colleagues are teaching. The value of this experience, he points out, is that students have a new opportunity for study in a field with the potential for excellent compensation.
“Professional Sales is really just learning the art of questioning, conversation and persuasion—it’s relevant to every area of life—knowing what questions to ask, how to listen to others, and then find a mutually beneficial solution,” Dr. Morgan said. “Sales is the active application of applying solutions to problems, whether it is financial, emotional or spiritual.”
