USC Marshall School of Business

A team of five Marshall MBA students competed in the MIT Sloan Sales Competition in Boston on Nov. 5, with Elliot Servais taking first in the individual competition. Also competing for USC were John Eastman, Andrew Kim, Sean Flynn and Chris Kilby. The competition attracted talent from 14 of the 15 top national MBA programs for a case competition designed to test sales strategy.

Servais secured the win with a case involving medical insurance and how rising costs are affecting the industry. The individual round of the competition included a small, interactive panel with high-level professionals in the field.

“For me sales is more about listening and asking the right questions than being able to pitch,” said Servais. “Everyone thinks sales is about being smooth and gregarious, I think that’s less of the case--it’s more about providing solutions for the client’s needs.”

Flynn also won an impromptu speaking competition at the start of the weekend asking why their team deserved to win. Harvard, Stanford, Columbia and the London Business School among others made up the audience for the opening banter.

“The experience amongst the USC team members was truly unique,” said Kilby. “This 72 hour sprint to completion allowed us to learn about one another and build lasting friendships.”