How do you launch a product or service of an international company on the Dutch or German market? Tio-students completing the minor Sales are fully clued up. That was clear today, in an exciting final. In professional pitches, the four finalists show great sales skills. One thing is clear: there is no lack of sales skills!
The game is on(line)!
Because of corona, the finals of the minor Sales take place largely online. The teams present live from the campus, while their fellow students watch online. Exciting? Absolutely! But the finalists, a team from Tio Amsterdam and a team from Tio Utrecht, don’t twitch a muscle. With convincing pitches, it is a close battle. The presentations are well structured and all sales aspects, from market research to sales and from marketing to finance, are addressed.
Team 1: package columns from Cleveron
Hotel and Event Management students Anouk Strikkers and Inge van Wortel from Tio Utrecht are first up. They present a plan to introduce parcel kiosks and vending machines made by Cleveron, an Estonian company, on the Dutch market. They want to focus on both the B2B and B2C market. The profit forecast for the first year? Over 19 million euros!
Team 2: Cacaolat chocolate milk
Exchange students Salua Katiela and David Lam from Tio Amsterdam want to focus on the German market. They present a strategy to market chocolate milk made by Spanish producer Cacaolat in Germany. Germany already has several major brands of chocolate milk, but according to Salua and David that's no problem. The unique selling points of this brand according to David? “Their production method is environmentally friendly. And also, it tastes amazing!"
Jury highly impressed
The level is high and the jury is impressed. Both presentations are professional and businesslike, says jury member and Tio lecturer Gérard van den Hondel just before announcing the winner. "What a roller coaster. The teams didn't make it easy for the judges. They both made a professional plan and also managed to do a good job answering our questions. Still, of course, there can only be one winner..."
And the winner is...
Who can go home with the first prize, a cheque worth € 500? The jury relieves the tension among both the finalists and the students at home by announcing the winner: team Cacaolat! David is surprised and happy. "Salua and I are very happy that we won. We really like the minor Sales. We really liked the courses and it will certainly help us in the future. We definitely recommend this minor!"