Georgia Southern University students recently scored big in a virtual sales competition.
In the RNMKRS sales role-play challenge, students lead a mock sales meeting where they represent Dell Technologies and try to sell a laptop computer line to a police or fire department representative, played by Alex, the AI bot.
The virtual meeting with Alex through the RNMKRS app allows them to go through all the steps of a typical sales call, then RNMKRS scores the student and gives them feedback.
This year, a record 5,663 competitors participated from dozens of North America’s top programs, including Boston College, Florida State University, University of Hawaii, Auburn University, University of New Mexico, and Toronto Metropolitan University.
Georgia Southern’s Advanced Selling course led by Dr. Linda Mullen competed in RNMKRS Pro, and four sections of Professional Selling, led by Dr. Lindsay Levine, Dr. Billy Jones, and Travis Brickey, competed in the RNMRKS Standard competition.
Notable honors for Georgia Southern University earned in the RNMKRS Pro Role-Play sales competition include:
- RNMKRS Pro Top Schools – Georgia Southern University (#1 overall) amongst 5 universities
- RNMKRS Role-Play Pro #1 Sales Competitor – Jane Flemming (#1 overall) amongst 134 competitors
- Seventeen students recognized in the RNMKRS Pro Role-Play Pro Top 20 – J. Flemming (#1), T. Williams (#2), A. Alter (#3), D. Lord (#4), A. Sullivano (#5), L. Bates (#6), J. Carnes (#7), K. Hultgren (#8), C. Burleyson (#9), D. Lawson (#11), A. Hutchinson (#12), P. Richards (#13), M. Underwood (#14), K. Tyre (#15), K. Hanley (#16), T. Copeland (#18), A. Waters (#20)
- RNMKRS Pro Role-Play most role-play attempts – Dylan Reilly (170 total attempts)
- RNMKRS Pro Top 1% Coach – Linda Mullen, Ph.D.
- RNMKRS Pro High Volume Coach – Linda Mullen, Ph.D. with 4,804 AI conversations
Notable honors for Georgia Southern University earned in the RNMKRS Standard Role-Play sales competition include:
- RNMKRS Standard Top Schools – Georgia Southern University (#2 overall) amongst 54 universities
- RNKMRS Role-Play Standard Top 1% Sales Competitors – Ankit Hirani (#11 overall), Mohammad Sameed Khan (#13 overall), and Austyn Skelton (#16 overall) amongst 1,844 total competitors
- RNMKRS Standard Role-Play most role-play attempts – Edgar Hernandez (191 total attempts)
- RNMKRS Standard Role-Play South Regional Champions – A. Hirani, C. Johnson, I. Ptacek, A. Banich, M. Sameed Khan
- RNMKRS Standard Top 1% Coaches – Billy Jones, Ph.D. & Travis Brickey
- RNMKRS Standard High Volume Coaches – Lindsay Levine, Ph.D. (2,534 AI conversations) & Travis Brickey (2,400 AI conversations)
Georgia Southern junior Ankit Hirani said a lot of repetition with the role-playing technology really helped him develop his skills.
“It’s always difficult without first giving it a try,” he explained. “When I first heard that I had to talk with an AI bot, with my accent, I wasn’t sure how I would tackle the assignment. But with practice and daily improvement, I experimented with my speech and began to achieve the desired results.”
Junior Jane Flemming believes the experience helped her grow as a student and may even assist with her post-graduation career.
“In any sales position, you have to be resilient, and RNMKRS has taught me the importance of continuous practice and never giving up,” she stated. “I am so thankful that Georgia Southern has introduced me to RNMKRS, it has been an amazing experience!”
