Gartner, Inc. has been awarded the official product sponsorship of the National Collegiate Sales Competition (NCSC) for the next three years. The partnership of Gartner with NCSC, the most prominent sales role-play competition for college students who wish to pursue careers in professional sales, will provide students with unparalleled sales training.
Robin Kranich, EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer, shared her excitement for the continued partnership during her keynote speech at NCSC, "We’re thrilled to continue supporting the education of future sales professionals. Sales fuels the success of companies and teaches you how to understand business. There’s no better learning ground. As a growth company, Gartner’s top mission critical priority is hiring the best and the brightest salespeople. You are our future."
Gartner’s partnership with NCSC began 10 years ago. Since then, Gartner has worked closely with NCSC to create a curriculum that provides college students with the rare opportunity to gain real world experience in working with actual product offerings. Through the continued partnership with NCSC, Gartner will continue to help educate and train these students with skills necessary to become future sales leaders. In addition, Gartner has been awarded the opportunity to work closely with and recruit these talented future sales professionals. In the past 5 years, over 160 NCSC participants have joined Gartner full-time. Greg Arlington, Senior Vice President of Mid-Size Enterprise Sales, shares about the importance of Gartner's partnership with NCSC below.
“Our partnership with NCSC has enabled us to bring high-quality talent into the business. NCSC does an incredible job at developing early sales talent, and the participants who join us full-time are consistently delivering strong results and direct impact to the business. Attending NCSC each year has given us a front row seat into incredible talent and allowed us to quickly evaluate their communication skills, mindset, creativity and coachability.”
“The mission of the NCSC is to contribute to the professionalism of the sales career by working with other university professors and industry to accomplish this mission. The NCSC is excited about working with an organization like Gartner that exemplifies the heart and spirit of what we are striving to accomplish," said Dr. Terry W. Loe, professor of Marketing at Kennesaw State University and executive director of the National Collegiate Sales Competition.
"Gartner has been a true friend and partner to the NCSC over the past ten years and also to many university sales programs across the country," Dr. Loe said. "Corporate partnerships are critical to the university sales community in developing the next generation of sales leaders. Gartner's commitment as the official product sponsor of the NCSC will strengthen not only the value of the event, but also have far-reaching effects on the sales community for years to come."
About National Collegiate Sales Competition
Inaugurated in 1999, the National Collegiate Sales Competition (NCSC) is the largest and oldest sales role-play competition in existence. Instituted for the purpose of enhancing the practice and professionalism of the sales profession, the NCSC's mission remains the same. The NCSC participants come from the most elite sales programs located at universities around the world, where the exceptional education, training and faculty have collaborated to develop the next generation of sales leaders.