Two members of the Business Sales Team student organization at UW-Stout Polytechnic placed in the Top 10 at the 2026 Stukent Sales Competition. The competition, which was limited to 200 college students from across the U.S., challenged participants to take on the role of a sales representative for a fictional company.
Business administration students Hailey Wagner and Gabriel Hillman earned third place and sixth place, respectively. They demonstrated their professional selling skills by developing sales pitches and conducting simulated cold calls with an AI-powered customer. Sales professionals evaluated the Top 10 sales presentations to identify the competition’s top performers.
“These exceptional accomplishments highlight the students’ dedication, professionalism, communication skills, and ability to apply classroom knowledge in a competitive, real-world sales environment. Their success reflects the strength of UW-Stout Polytechnic's sales education program and its commitment to preparing students for successful careers in professional sales,” said business Senior Lecturer Pam Vaver.
Stukent, an educational technology company, provides digital courseware, simulated internships, and interactive business simulations, such as the sales competition.
Developing skills in product sales and communication
The students developed sales pitches for fictional companies and customers. Hillman was assigned to sell data security for a company named Datawalker and highlighted its larger selling points, such as HIPAA compliance. Wagner’s accounts included Blue Harbor Health Network, Stratus Peak Financial, and Vertex Lane Commerce, representing health care technology, financial services and retail technology.
“I worked from the perspective of a sales manager whose team was selling cybersecurity solutions to these organizations,” she said. “My approach was to begin with something the customer could relate to and build the pitch from there. I wanted to explain the value of a product or service through a familiar situation. This meant considering the customer’s current provider, available competitors and the factors that might motivate someone to switch. Customers often compare companies based on pricing, reliability, coverage and benefits. I applied that same thinking to explain a company’s advantages and connect them to the customer’s priorities.”
Wagner also incorporated data into her approach. “Reviewing sales over time can help identify where performance is improving, where it is declining, and which areas need additional attention. Depending on the situation, this could involve comparing monthly results or examining shorter periods. The goal was to explain what the numbers meant and how they supported my recommendation,” she said.
Both students found the simulated cold calls with an AI-powered customer odd and challenging, but interesting.
“It helped me understand why cold calling takes practice. You have to become comfortable initiating a conversation without knowing the outcome, handling uncertainty, and adjusting your approach. Practicing those skills in a simulation helped me feel more prepared for future professional conversations,” Wagner said.
Competition reinforces career interests
Hillman plans to graduate next spring, and Wagner will graduate this fall. She is exploring opportunities in consumer-packaged goods, particularly in category marketing, brand management, and sales and marketing management.
“I am interested in work that combines creativity with analysis. I enjoy developing ideas that help brands connect with people, and I also want to evaluate the results to understand whether those ideas are effective. The opportunity to help shape a campaign and then assess its performance is especially appealing to me,” Wagner said. “The competition reinforced my interest in a career where I can combine these perspectives and gave me more practice connecting customer conversations, business decisions and measurable results.”
The competition also helped her build confidence in both sales and management conversations and gave her practice explaining ideas, responding to questions and considering how another person might interpret her message.
“It also helped me understand the connection between employee performance and business results. As a manager, you need to understand what the sales numbers indicate while recognizing what employees need to succeed. This could involve clearer expectations, additional coaching, realistic deadlines or a conversation about obstacles affecting their progress,” she said.
UW-Stout Polytechnic’s School of Management offers 20 undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates to build students’ leadership skills in business, hospitality and technology innovation, military science, and operations and management fields. Business and management graduates have a 99% employment rate within six months of graduation, with an average starting salary of $63,000. The School of Management is home to the Weidner Center for Residential Property Management and the annual Cabot Executive-in-Residence Series.
