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The University of Arkansas now has its first chartered student organization (RSO) focused on sales. Founded by Walton College students Eanthe Pieterse and Luke Ezell, Students Achieving Leadership Excellence in Sales (SALES) aims to prepare and inspire students to excel as sales professionals through training, networking, and mentoring.
Pieterse, a recent Walton graduate, and Ezell, a junior in marketing, started SALES in just three weeks last spring. Their shared passion for sales and desire to expand the university’s curriculum offerings sparked a plan. “We both want to make a positive impact on the university that has blessed us with so many great opportunities. After sharing our vision with our sales professor, John Ballentine, he was more than happy to help us start this organization,” Pieterse says.
“Eanthe and Luke came to me separately and asked how they could get involved in growing the sales program and wanted to help build the program and create a legacy,” Ballentine added. “I felt they could work well together, so I challenged them by telling them we needed a SALES RSO and we needed it fast. I brought the two together and they took it from there and got it done within three weeks. I was very impressed with their diligence and dedication.”
SALES members have the opportunity to attend pre-sales competition networking events, volunteer at competitions, and participate in Walton College’s Sales Immersion Day. Additionally, monthly meetings with guest speakers, Q&A sessions, and sales development workshops are scheduled.
The organization plans to invite a number of industry leaders to inspire and educate its members. “Our main goal in convening speakers is to demonstrate that the common behaviors and characteristics of top business people go hand in hand with professional selling,” Ezell explained.
The organization was able to gain 15 members by the end of last semester without actively recruiting and plans to grow through more traditional avenues on campus in the coming semester. “Our recruitment strategy will rely heavily on word of mouth. We encourage members to share our value proposition with their peers, which also helps these students improve their public speaking and sales skills,” Ezell explained. SALES members will also highlight the RSO in marketing courses, attend the Walton College Block Party, and exhibit at sales-focused events.
The long-term goal of SALES is to be nationally recognized as the premier sales program and institute for University of Arkansas students. “Our primary goal is to encourage and inspire more students to choose sales as a career and prepare them for applications, interviews and their development into exceptional sales professionals after graduation,” Ezell explained.
University of Arkansas students interested in participating in SALES can fill out this form.
Alumni and business professionals interested in speaking at an upcoming SALES meeting or with questions about participating should contact [email protected].
About the Sam M. Walton College of Business: Founded in 1926, the Sam M. Walton College of Business is AACSB-accredited and ranks among the top business schools in the country. Walton College is the largest college at the University of Arkansas and serves nearly 9,000 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students. Walton College is recognized under US News & World Reports 2023 Best Business Schools, and its Bachelor of Supply Chain Management program was ranked No. 1 in North America by Gartner. The college’s Master of Business Administration program was also ranked No. 11 for best return on investment by Gartner. The Wall Street Journal. The Princeton Review ranked the college’s graduate entrepreneurship program as one of the best in the country for the first time in 2022-23. And in partnership with Global Campus, the U of A’s online business degree program ranked 12th nationally among 214 institutions by US News in 2023.
