On being Unreasonable

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Michelle

This is a guest post on how NIU students are changing the world through the college’s social entrepreneurship program in the Department of Management.

NIU CAUSE, a social entrepreneurship student organization

…a CAUSE to Live Into

Every generation has its moniker: from the Boomers, Hippies to the 20-somethings of today. But what’s really in a name? Just ask a closely-knit group of current NIU students who in early April pulled off their first university-wide Social Impact Summit. The event brought together more than 170 industry experts, students, and faculty for a day-long conversation on social entrepreneurship. And while the students surpassed their goal of 150 attendees, they didn’t rest on their laurels. After the event, they returned to their studies, which included refining the business plans they had been developing in their Social Entrepreneurship class. Because in early May, these students will put their ideas to the test yet again. During the 2^nd Annual NIU Social Venture Competition, each of their business ventures will be judged by a “shark tank” of angel capitalists who will evaluate how their proposed new ventures intentionally add value to the Triple Bottom Line: people, profit, and planet.

So when you ask this particular group of students to explain how they’re typically typecast, they’ll tell you their swagger has nothing to do with the label “entitled.” Instead they’ll describe deeply rooted expectations.

They expect to change the world for the better. Plain and simple. If that sounds unreasonable, well, they’ll admit they have every cause to be. Consider this:

50% of the world’s population lives below the poverty line.
Over 3 billion people live on less than $2.50 a day.
Around 1 billion people do not have access to clean water.
An estimated 14 billion pounds of garbage is dumped into the ocean each year.
The world’s population is outstripping the planet’s natural ability to replenish its own resources.

These sobering stats and more were presented by national experts in social entrepreneurship during NIU’s April 5^thSocial Impact Summit. In spite of the magnitude of the challenges, somehow the attendees remained not only hopeful but energized. Junior NIU College of Business student Zach Fiegel explains: “There are so many incredibly intelligent, amazing individuals in the world. If we focus together on these issues, imagine what we can accomplish. And why not? One of the motivations behind the Social Impact Summit and our student organization is an idea that was originally expressed by George Bernard Shaw. He said: ‘The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.’”

For Fiegel, that’s a philosophy that resonates. Fiegel is currently president of NIU CAUSE: the Collegiate Association of Unreasonable Social Entrepreneurs. In fact, as a sophomore Fiegel helped found the organization. Just one year after its formation, NIU CAUSE has grown from a group of 7 students who were inspired by an idea – being unreasonable enough to change the world – to a full-fledged student organization that focuses its mindshare on that purpose. More than 30 participants attend their weekly gatherings. The group is overrun with enthusiasm, achieved the old-fashioned way.

“CAUSE has grown organically, through relationships and conversations with friends and friends of friends,” Fiegel shares. “The students represent a variety of NIU majors – business, geology, anthropology, health sciences, engineering to name a few. Our members include international as well as non-traditional students. We’re a diverse group with different backgrounds and perspectives. The thing that unites us is that we’re all individuals converging around this one idea: to make the world a stronger, better place.”

You have to wonder why individuals so young possess this particular focus. There’s a tangible wisdom in their commitment. You sense it and feel it in their energy. And then when you engage in conversation with them, you come to realize that many of them lived through the effects of a parent being laid off. Others felt the impact of financial disruption around their dinner table. All of them continue to witness the world’s challenges on a real time basis through social media channels. When one of the Social Impact Summit keynoters asked attendees if they ever lived at or below the poverty level, nearly half of those present – many of them current students – raised their hands.

These are old souls in young bodies who identify with the radical idea of creating hope in a sometimes cynical world.

Fiegel describes the rationale. “Social entrepreneurship in itself is an idea that people can rally around. Plus, there’s the benefit of knowing that people who join a new organization like NIU CAUSE join for the right reason. They get to build something the way they want to see it built. They get to make an impact and they get to know that they do.”

Indeed, Fiegel and his fellow change makers have a great deal of latitude to shape NIU CAUSE. Still, they don’t fly solo nor do they want to. Their entire culture – their tribe, if you will – is about marshalling forces to effect real change. They are guided by two NIU Business faculty members who advise them. As members in the NIU CAUSE tribe, these professors foster a faculty-student relationship that is more a collaboration than anything else…where everyone stands to contribute and to learn, even the professors.

“The students came up with the idea for the Social Impact Summit,” NIU CAUSE faculty advisor Christine Mooney says. “They wanted to do it from start to finish: creating the theme, dealing with the logistics, finding the keynote presenters, securing event sponsors, getting the word out and running the entire Summit. None of them ever created an event before. I am so amazed by their commitment and creativity.”

An NIU professor in the Department of Management with background in strategic leadership, Christine Mooney recently received the Bill and Paula LeRoy Professorship in Social Entrepreneurship. Mooney works with her NIU Business colleague Dennis Barsema, who is no stranger to making a difference. Both the NIU College of Business facility and the university’s Alumni & Visitors Center bear the Barsema name.

Like the LeRoys, Barsema is a member of the NIU alumni base, having earned his degree in the department in which he now teaches. And like the LeRoys, Dennis and his wife Stacey are passionate about making a genuine difference in the lives of others. Along with giving back to his alma mater and developing the social entrepreneurship program, Dennis Barsema is currently on the Board of Directors for five for-profit and non-profit organizations including Oportunidad Microfinanzas, Mexico of Opportunity International.

Denise Schoenbachler, Dean of the NIU College of Business states,”I am so grateful to Dennis and Stacey for getting the NIU College of Business involved and vested in social entrepreneurship. They’ve ignited passion in the students, faculty like Christine, the administration, and other alumni like the LeRoys. This is only the beginning. With Dennis and Christine at the helm, they are part of a group of national leaders focused on the important work of applying business expertise to some of the world’s most pressing problems.”

Since its inception, NIU’s social entrepreneurship program has garnered media attention from the Chicago Tribune to the Boston Globe (which described a short-list of three college level programs in this field and included NIU in the group, along with Harvard and MIT). What makes NIU’s approach distinctive is its range and popularity over such a short period of time. NIU’s program includes courses in social entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, a certificate program in social entrepreneurship, and a newly created social entrepreneurship minor. The program capstone is the Social Venture Competition, where students pitch their business ideas to social venture investors. The competition transforms the winning ideas into reality and in its first year, helped launch social business “Light Up Africa.” Shortly after its formation, “Light Up Africa” went on to be named a semi-finalist in Dell’s Social Innovation Challenge and won a coveted spot in the 2012 inaugural class of Impact Engine, a social business accelerator in Chicago.

“The Social Venture Competition is testimony to the character and resolve of the NIU student,” shares Dennis Barsema. “This is a generation that has volunteered more than any generation since the Great Depression. They have a passion and concern for the social issues of our world. And, they have the courage to follow their passion. Our job, as educators and business people, is to give them the tools, guidance, and mentoring to do something positive with that energy.”

Indeed, NIU’s social entrepreneurship program is distinctive in large measure because of the way Mooney and Barsema teach the topic. Their approach is as much in the doing as it is in the thinking. Supporting Zach Fiegel and his cohort’s idea for the Social Impact Summit and putting all the students’ business ventures on the line for angel funding…those are just two examples out of a multitude.

Perhaps one of the most impactful ways is when the students travel with their professors to witness social entrepreneurship firsthand through short-term study abroad trips. The most recent occurred a week ago, with a visit to entrepreneur Dona Alejandra in Mexico City. Dona Alejandra is a client of the microfinance institution Aspire. Aspire provides lending to the “missing middle:” those individuals who require loans larger than the $500 loans provided by a traditional microfinance institution but smaller than the $10,000 loans provided by a commercial bank. The meeting between Dona Alejandra and the students was made possible through the help of Elly Rohrer, Executive Director of Investours, a non-profit in the microfinance space. Here’s Dona Alejandra’s story:

Dona Alejandra

Doña Alejandra is a third generation baker from Mexico City. As one of 13 siblings growing up in a situation of extreme poverty, Doña Alejandra developed a love for the bread she learned to make in her father’s bakery: it symbolized sustenance. With one kilo of flour, she could provide food for her siblings and make product to sell.

Doña Alejandra’s mentality about bread has not changed, though she is now in her 50s, lives on the Pacific coast, and has a family of her own. She built a wood-burning oven and took out a micro-loan to establish her own small bakery. As the primary (and often only) income owner in a house-hold of four, Doña Alejandra works long hours to bake and sell hundreds of breads and pastries a week. An entrepreneurial woman, Doña Alejandra is always proud to share her story.

“Meeting all the amazing entrepreneurs in Mexico, including Dona Alejandra, was extraordinary because you see the transformation of their lives and families on so many levels,” Barsema says. “The students were able to see how a small loan could lead these small business owners to a life of dignity, opportunity and hope for themselves and their families, and make tremendous improvements in their local community. Without a doubt, they are great examples of perseverance and drive.”

Plus, at a very intrinsic level, the students also see their own professors walk the talk.

“The fact that someone like that takes an interest in other people and with this level of commitment…it amazes me,” Fiegel says. “Mr. Barsema has achieved so much success in business. He’s been an executive – including President and CEO – in five major corporations. He could relax and not be involved with finding and supporting new business models to help others lift themselves out of desperate situations. But he cares so much. He’s so humble and generous. He’s someone I hope to emulate one day.”

By all accounts, Zach and his fellow students are well on their way. Operating funds for NIU CAUSE started at zero. But after weekly sales of homemade pizza (yes, the students make them from scratch and their Barsema Hall customer base declares the foodstuff to be “life changing”) as well as from revenues generated at the Social Impact Summit, NIU CAUSE has raised enough money to sustain its operations and then some. True to form, the students intend to invest a portion of those dollars in a social entrepreneur.

And if that’s not enough on May 2^nd at 6 p.m. in NIU’s Barsema Alumni & Visitors Center, the social entrepreneurship students will unveil what are certain to be business plans as ingenious as Light Up Africa…originally an NIU student generated business idea – now a viable business – that brings a renewable light source to a part of the world without access to the electrical grid.

All of which for these students makes for an impressive and uncommon journey, one where their expectations to change the world are emboldened even more. But it really goes much deeper still. This is a generation that cut its teeth on an age of disruption. Now, as they stand at the threshold of life after college, they carry a different worldview. Instead of getting blown over, they lean forward into action in the face of change. They’re not lulled by a false sense of security. They know how complex life is, even if it morphs faster than most can really assimilate or even trust. But echoing the advice Steve Jobs gave to Stanford grads, they’re wise enough to know that: “you have to trust in something.”

Where better to place your trust than in your own desire to change the world? If that level of commitment earns those of this amazing ilk the label Unreasonable, that’s more than fine with them. …and more than fine for the world.

Event Information

May 2^nd The 2^nd Annual NIU Social Venture Competition, 6 p.m., NIU Barsema Alumni & Visitors Center, DeKalb, Illinois.
April 5^th NIU Social Impact Summit keynoters: Megan Kashner, TEDx speaker and Founder-CEO of Benevolent.Net, a digital facilitation site that offers a secure and transparent means for those with the ability to donate funds and help another when it matters most; Amanda Britt, Founder-CEO of Panzanzee, Chicago’s social enterprise incubator, co-working space and continuous community that provides discovery, resources, trust and traction for entrepreneurs and professionals pursuing sustainable financial and social impact; NIU alumnus Alan Hurt, Founder of Light Up Africa, a student-generated idea launched into an actual social business with a distribution strategy that encourages an entrepreneurial spirit in its customers; and Chuck Templeton, Managing Director of Impact Engine, a Chicago-based 12-week accelerator program supporting for-profit businesses working to address today’s societal or environmental issues.

Story by Michelle De Jean, Director of Marketing, NIU College of Business

Experiential Learning Center

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Nick Kochetta

When I was a prospective student I went from website to website and toured many colleges. When I took my tour of the NIU College of Business I saw the campus, I saw Barsema Hall, and I spoke with faculty but the thing that stood out most to me was undoubtedly the Experiential Learning Center. As defined by the college, the Experiential Learning Center connects teams of NIU students with organizations to tackle real-world business issues. From software evaluation to emerging market analysis projects, students serve as consultants addressing non-mission critical, cross functional business issues. The program is also competitive entry, which was highly attractive to me as well. When they say they only take the best of the best students from the undergraduate and graduate level, that is a program that I definitely want to involved with.

Each project lasts 16 weeks and spans across an entire semester. Students are given the chance to apply for projects of their choice and they may apply for as many projects as they are interested in, there is no limit! Once they’ve submitted their applications, the faculty coaches will select who they want to interview for their respective projects. If all goes well and the student is a fit for the project, they will be invited to join an Experiential Learning Center Team.

I applied for every single project in the fall of 2011. I was so anxious and wanted nothing more than the opportunity to get involved. I interviewed with 5 of the 8 project leaders and thankfully, after a few days of nail biting, I was selected to join a project for spring 2012.

I got so much out of my experience. Over the 16 week period I earned real world experience. I felt as though I was an employee of my client company and I communicated on almost a daily basis with executives at said company which was the 15^th largest private U.S. company at the time. Every week I would manage conference calls with my client by making agendas, working through action items and project planning schedules. I created a professional survey from scratch with the assistance of faculty advisors and marketed the survey to earn intelligible data for our final recommendations. I learned how to be a leader since we were asked to lead student meetings in a rotation. With over 15 hours of work going into the project each week, I was forced to manage my time and learn how to delegate and prioritize to meet deadlines. At the close of our project, we compiled a final report which led to the eventual acceptance and implementation of our 7 step recommendation. I learned how to control and leverage time in a meeting, and I learned more about business communications than I did in some classes! I honed my presentation skills and built confidence after presenting to countless VP’s, Presidents, and other C-level executives at our final client meeting.

Nick LoVetere, our previous student blogger wrote the following in one of his final posts from the spring 2012 semester.

“If I had even just one more year in college there are some things I would do that I wasn’t able. I was recruited to be part of the Experiential Learning Center but due to scheduling and the academic path I chose, far too many people said it was too much work to handle (and I’m the kind of person who takes on everything, so it says a lot when you’re told more than once not to do it). One more year, and I would be the first to apply and tell every faculty coach why I should be on their consulting project.”

Don’t miss this opportunity! The deadline to apply is only days away! You may browse projects at http://www.cob.niu.edu/elc/projects.asp and once you’re ready to dive in and take the plunge visit https://applyelc.niu.edu/login/?next=/menu/ to apply.

Life Lessons Abroad

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Nick Kochetta

The following is written by Mike Cahill, an Accounting Graduate Student at the NIU College of Business.

The Social Entrepreneurship Program at NIU is the perfect fit for any business student with aspirations to help make the world a better place. The mission of the Program is to show students how they can apply their business skillset to solve the world’s problems. Participating in the Social Entrepreneurship Program was one of the best choices I made as an Undergraduate in the College of Business because it really helped broaden my horizons. Learning from real world examples is what I like most about the classes in the Program

This past November I enrolled in MGMT 411 – Microfinance as part of the Social Entrepreneurship Program. The class was very unique in that it was a small group (only about 10 students) and very discussion based. In class we were assigned case studies to develop our knowledge of the topic, and at the end of the semester we participated in a 4 day microfinance study abroad trip to Punta Mita, Mexico.

The trip to Mexico, led by NIU College of Business Instructor Dennis Barsema, was a tremendous experience. As a class, we met over a dozen micro entrepreneurs who were clients of a local Microfinance Institution (MFI) in Punta Mita. An MFI provides loans and other financial services (loans) to the poor, or people who would not otherwise have any access to such services. The loans enable micro entrepreneurs to start businesses in their villages, and the earnings from these businesses allow the entrepreneur to earn a sustainable wage. The experiences interacting with the MFI clients allowed us (the class) to see first-hand the powerful impact that access to capital can have on improving the lives of the poor.

Overall, the trip really brought the class to life. It was inspirational to hear the unique stories of each of the micro entrepreneurs. Every so often I stop to think about the micro entrepreneurs that I met, and about all of the hardships that they face on an everyday basis. It is really humbling and makes me thankful for all of the opportunities I am blessed with as an American. In the future, I hope to use what I have learned in my Social Entrepreneurship classes to help make the world a better place.

Diamonds In The Rough

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Nick Kochetta

It was at about this time last year that I was just rising up from the trenches of UBUS 310. Like the Chilean miners from a few years back, I triumphantly reached up to the surface and was immediately blinded by the light.

Rescued Chilean Miners Emerge Wearing 450 Oakley Sunglasses PHOTO 600 400 Diamonds In The Rough

"Until I put on my designer Oakley Sunglasses"

Until that point I was lurking in the shadows of group work, presentations, and study sessions and now I could finally see the world in plain view. There was so much opportunity surrounding me that I simply couldn’t see before. Student organizations were recruiting just as they are now and although I had given them a half-hearted shot the semester before, I decided it was time to finally invest my time and money in something other than taco bell.

"Yeah, kinda like that..."

I got involved with a number of different organizations, 5 to be exact, and I threw myself at the prospect of doing something worthwhile for my university. As time went on I found my niche and appropriately cut off the organizations that I did not see myself succeeding in. By the end of the semester I had made connections in the remaining organizations, I had become highly involved and I got to know the faculty advisors. I wanted to push further and knew that I wanted to do more in the following semesters. It is at that point that I applied for positions with not one, but two executive boards. I didn’t even really care which position, if any, I got. I went in with an approach reminiscent of former Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader; hoping for the best but not expecting much of a result. I just wanted the opportunity to stand out. With a little bit of skills and some luck I landed positions in both the organizations I applied to.

"This is our year!" said Nader in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004....you get the idea.

There are people at this very moment beginning the same journey I just spoke about. These diamonds in the rough will begin to slowly float to the top and let their colors truly shine! I can’t wait to see who the new class of hard workers is. It’s odd, I don’t remember speaking on a casual level to the presidents of any student organizations until my spring semester was almost over. These organizational leaders didn’t know me from a hole in the wall and now I am helping to manage the organizations they once spearheaded. It just goes to show that you never really know who’s out there. Will you be the next person to step up to a similar role? Will you take the initiative to do something for your university and to do something that’s bigger than yourself? I anxiously wait to see who rises to the occasion and what great ideas and vision they’ll bring to the next generation of NIU College of Business students! Until then I’ll keep looking in the shadows. 2.0out

Regional Sales Competition

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Nick Kochetta

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to participate in a sales competition for the AMA regional conference in Whitewater, Wisconsin. I learned a lot about myself and my education in the process and feel compelled to share it with you all by way of this post. But first, I should preface that with some information about the conference!

AMA Conference2 Regional Sales Competition

NIU students take a quick pic at the AMA Regional Conference

The conference played host to phenomenal guest speakers and numerous networking opportunities. What I really went for, however, was the sales competition.The competition had two rounds. The first was an appointment call where we played the role of a sales rep for College Pro Painters (the sponsor of the competition). On our call we were to speak with the owner of an event planning company who had submitted an estimate request online.

My call went very well and my judges gave excellent feedback. My approach on the call felt so fluid. I worked through objections, built solid rapport, and made the appointment to meet face to face with my prospect. I had a quiet confidence about me in the role play and my judges reinforced this in their comments following my call. It was very odd to hear such positive feedback, however, because up to this point my experiences in sales usually come up short of a “win”; especially in the NIU sales program. I am bruised and bloodied in the sales track here but my goodness I’m proud to take the hits if this level of performance is the outcome.

I saw people from other schools walk out of the role play rooms complaining how the objections they received didn’t match the ones they expected based on their preparation. I couldn’t help but laugh. I have been groomed to expect the unexpected and with only an hour or so worth of preparation I was able to field any and all objections that were thrown at me. I have been trained to think outside the box and understand the needs of the customer. I know to listen before I speak and I understand that if a buyer has a problem that you NEED be the solution in order to make the sale.

Before anything else, preparation is the key to success. -Alexander Graham Bell

Most people that know me well understand that I maintain an extreme and sometimes unhealthy level of modesty. I must deviate from that on this post to help you understand how incredible our sales program is. When it came time for results to be posted from round 1, I didn’t even feel the need to look. I already knew I moved on. I walked out of that room knowing that I nailed the call. The only reason I even went to see the results sheet that they posted in the hall was to see what time my second round face to face appointment with the prospect was. It was scheduled a few hours away and I needed to begin preparing.

I prepared until my scheduled time and walked into the room with confidence. In this final round, I was meeting face to face with the business owner to close a deal to paint his business. I used tools I had learned from professors here at NIU and I credit them alone to how well my entire experience at this regional conference went. I felt like a sales “monster” in that final role play. Not a single thing went wrong. My judges were spellbound and had nothing to say when I invited them to give any constructive criticism. They looked to each other and simply shook their heads. They said they loved my process. They said it was clean, consistent, and focused on the needs of the customer. I believe that the judges thought the same about our other students who participated because the NIU AMA chapter ended up taking home two runner up prizes and one first place (which I’m proud to have accepted on behalf of our NIU chapter and the NIU College of Business).

Three of Six top prizes claimed by the NIU American Marketing Society!

I’ve gone through so much rejection, had so many missteps in MKTG 450 (the highest level sales course at NIU) but all the mistakes have been worth something. It finally hit me at the competition, just how much I’ve learned in the past nine weeks. The value of participating in MKTG 450 is undeniable. It is no wonder why I hear recruiters consistently say that 450 alum are a cut above. Up to this point I haven’t had anything to validate these claims and the competition really just opened my eyes. When a single school takes home half of the cash prizes (each winner was a MKTG 450 student), there is something to be said about that schools program and its attention to detail. I am sure that I’m not alone in my thinking and other 450 students and alum can attest to the growth they’ve seen in themselves; both personally and professionally based on their experience in Advanced Professional Sales.

I feel that it is appropriate within the context of this blog post to take a moment to thank Dr. Weilbaker, the founder of our sales track here at NIU, for his exceptional work in making this program the powerhouse it is today. I am certainly not alone in saying that I appreciate what he’s done. Thank you for your years of service to this institution. We wish you nothing but the best when this semester reaches its end. 2.0out

Fast-Trak MBA

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Nick Kochetta

My senior year has just begun but it is already time to start buckling down and finding out where ‘future me’ will be once graduation is over. The opportunities are endless; I just have to look for them. From jobs to internships and everything in between, there must be a place for a Marketing Major like me. But what if I’m not ready for a career just yet and want to continue my education instead? Well, if you are thinking the same thing then today is your lucky day. I’ve already done the research for you and found some amazing opportunities hosted here at NIU! One in particular caught my eye. It is called the NIU Fast-Trak MBA and after doing my own basic digging, I took it upon myself to interview the coordinator of the program, Anthony Preston.

Why are you excited about the Fast-Trak MBA?

The most exciting part is we’ve made a lot of enhancements from our original program. The first part is our insight program. It consists of four components.
- The first is participating in workshops. Students practice speaking in front of large crowds, business writing, etiquette, etc… things companies really look at but we can’t learn in class. It is very experiential.
- The second component is that each student will receive a personal career coach. It’s his job to make sure that you have a job by the time you graduate.”
- Each student will be given an ementor. Each mentor is an MBA alum. Students can ask their ementor, hey what are you doing in your company with all these different topics?
- Finally, we’re going to bring in very experienced guest speakers. We also take students to different companies so they can see all the stuff they’re learning being applied.
  Bordeaux, France

What else does the Fast-Trak MBA have to offer?

Students are traveling to a different country spending 6 weeks in Murcia, Spain or Bordeaux, France depending on the semester. They’re going to learn the curriculum they’re being taught as well as the different culture. They’ll be with students representing over 40 countries. They can learn not only what’s going on in Europe but also what’s going on in countries where fellow students are coming from. This is all going to happen in 12 months; 2 degrees in 12 months.

Murcia, Spain

What does this program give students that other programs can’t?

We really pride ourselves on personal attention in the MBA programs. All the professors will know your name, and it will be a dialogue. When we can say that there’s 100% placement of our students working in jobs that they want to work in, that’s something that we’re really proud of. There’s not one MBA program that is doing what we’re doing …you can’t find it anywhere and it’s accredited. In Chicago there are only 7 accredited schools and NIU is one of them.

Build your network and make life long relationships

Because the class is so small you’re taking every single class with the same group of students for 12 months. Those students are there to be your support network and ‘extended family’ for the 12 months. You build an extreme bond and friendship with your teammates.

Exceptional balance of work and play

Students will have class Monday through Thursday. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday they can actually travel. Last year students went to Rome, Barcelona, Paris, Madrid, and Switzerland. With the cheap airfare, students are able to see a different country in a weekend and be back and ready for class by Monday.

Rome, Italy

As a fan of international travel and challenging workloads I feel this program would be a great fit for me if I should decide to continue my education. If you could see it fitting well with your interests and goals, go ahead and check out the Fast-Trak MBA’s website at http://www.cob.niu.edu/mbaFastTrak/. Who knows, maybe I’ll see some of you in France or Spain sooner than you think! 2.0out

2012 Ethics Case Competition

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Nick

Last week on Friday I participated in an Ethics Case Competition sponsored by the student organization LEAD. The fictional case we were given was about a salesman who was sent overseas in someone’s place in order to win a $50 million contract. The client then told the salesman to bring $6,000 – $7,000 worth of whiskey to the contract signing. The salesman knew there was a company gifting policy and guidelines on what constitutes bribery. However, he could not remember what the guidelines were, nor could he get hold of anyone from his company. It was up to us to do an analysis of the situation and make a recommendation in a ten minute presentation to a panel of judges.

I’m a competitive person just like my competition partner, Abbey Vanderwoude. That’s what drove us to spend a ton of time doing research, preparing our analysis, arguments and presentation. (Don’t be fooled, it requires a lot of effort to deliver a worthy presentation in this competition. You should devote quite a bit of time and energy to it).

Even though we ultimately fell short of victory it was still a good experience to participate in. Sure it was a fictional case, but in listening to Dennis Barsema‘s keynote that day and in talking with my father who also is in sales, situations like this occur in the real world.

It is no surprise that the NIU College of Business truly prepares you for ethical dilemmas and how to best approach them. The College of Business truly stands by its brand statement of “Where the Classroom Meets the Business World” and its philosophy of “Thinking & Doing.” Even though it isn’t really possible to teach someone how to be ethical; this college does do its share in teaching the concept of ethics and provides tools for people to take steps in the right direction. This college is after all, recognized for how it incorporates ethics in its curriculum (ranked 3rd in the nation in 2011 according to Businessweek).

Through an experience such as this and listening to other people’s experiences you can learn to guide yourself in the proper direction. In Mr. Barsema’s words, you need to understand yourself and your values to let your moral compass lead you down the right path in deciding between “doing things right and doing the right thing.”

I encourage everyone to participate in the Ethics Case next year if you have the opportunity to do it. It truly is a wonderful experience.

World Collegiate Sales Open: Part 2

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Nick

Part 2: Thoughts Afterward

(This part was written around 1 p.m. on Monday, February 27, 2012. The Monday following the competition.)

The World Collegiate Sales Open is finally over and I feel as though a weight has been lifted and that I have all sorts of free time that is no longer dedicated to preparation! My friend Corey placed third overall giving the NIU College of Business its only podium spot in the competition. Akron won first, Michigan State second and UW-Whitewater took fourth.

Once the competition started all the nerves I had going in were not there the rest of the weekend. I felt good, I felt confident and I had a phenomenal performance. It was fun going through an entire sales cycle all in two days. While I didn’t place amongst the final four, I’m still considered one of the best in the world (somewhere in the top 10 according to my results in each category of competition). The competition began with 192 students from 7 different countries that got trimmed down to 20 students from the United States, Austria and United Kingdom. While it is disappointing I went in looking to take first and ultimately fell short, I certainly learned a lot through it all. I received great pointers and advice from judges or buyers throughout the weekend, and I also met a lot of great people.

Considering this was the championship round for a world competition, everyone I met from all around the world were great people. There were only four people from overseas in the top 20, three from Austria’s University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt and one from the University of Portsmouth in the UK, as well as schools from east to west in the United States to round out the rest of the 20 finalists. Everyone was nice and friendly despite being there competing with each other. I can certainly say I made some new friends.

So much time, energy and effort was put into this weekend but it was definitely a blast. I told the College of Business’ Dean, Dr. Denise Schoenbachler, this morning that I wish I could come back and compete one more time because I loved every minute of it. Her suggestion was that I come back and participate as a judge. I absolutely plan on trying to come back next year and be involved on the other end of the competition.

I’m excited to start building the NIU Sales team for next year’s competition. There are certainly a lot of talented individuals that are in the early stages of our program. The important thing is, the talent is there and the NIU College of Business will continue to be amongst the best in the world with its sales program. I can certainly say I’m proud to have represented NIU and hope that all future NIU College of Business competitors bring that same pride and passion next year.

World Collegiate Sales Open: Part 1

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Nick

Part 1: Thoughts Beforehand

(This part was written around 4 p.m. Thursday, February 23, 2012, the day before competition started. I just had a delay in posting it.)

It is the evening before the competition and I am extremely stressed. My nerves are running wild and I’m struggling to keep it under control. The NIU sales team has been told numerous times that this is the most intense sales competition there is, not just because it is a worldwide competition but because of the amount of events there are and having to complete them all back to back.

Additionally, the competition is hosted at the NIU College of Business and was founded by the head of our sales program. I feel like this adds more pressure because we want to excel in the name of our school and our program. At this point anything short of winning will feel like failure.

Professors, teachers, co-workers, friends and family all know how I’m feeling. Several of them have said no matter what happens, the marketing department is fully behind us and is proud of all we’ve accomplished in just making it to the finals. Another teacher, as well as my dad, said this should be a no pressure situation for me since I’ve already secured a job and my career isn’t riding on this competition. While the job aspect is true, I can’t shake the self-pressure. I know I shouldn’t be nervous, but the drive to do extraordinary in competition is what’s causing it.

Hopefully when the competition starts the jitters will go away and I can go into each event calm and relaxed like I need to be.

My final thought is how much I appreciate the support from all my professors and friends. I appreciate the recognition we’ve been given in the classroom this week, the wishes of luck thrown our way anytime we see someone, as well as any other words of advice and encouragement I’ve received. It’s very rewarding by itself seeing the pride others have in us as we go forward representing NIU in this international sales competition.

We’ve Got Talent

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Nick

Monday, February 6 was Talent Acquisition Night for marketing and sales students. (This event is the equivalent of other department’s Meet the Firm night.) This was my first experience at a school sanctioned internship/career event. Interestingly enough I along with everyone else in my Advanced Professional Selling class last semester were responsible for selling tables to companies for this event.

There were over 150 students that attended and nearly 50 companies. I thought it was a great turnout for a departmental event and it truly was set up quite nice. I’ve been to a professional sports career fair twice and the amount of people there forces you to wait in line for a large amount of time depending on the teams you want to talk to. The marketing departments Talent Acquisition Night was nothing like that. If you waited in “line” you were just waiting for a rep to free up. It didn’t take 10 – 20 minutes to speak with someone. One thing in common though, there are lots of sales jobs out there. You could tell the companies in attendance last night are big supporters of NIU either coming from the Sales Advisory Board, the Interactive Advisory Board or they are just companies that attend all the job and internship fairs here on campus. It’s great to see that all these companies have such a vested interest in the students here.

I’m usually really excited for events like this but I was severely lacking enthusiasm for Talent Acquisition Night because I have a job lined up after I graduate already. I’ve been telling myself I keep looking and keep applying but the motivation is no longer there. I figured it can’t hurt to go to TAN to at least network with companies there whether I was interested in a lot of them or not. It turned out to be a great goal to just network since I wasn’t in need of a job. I also got some great insight about career paths and following passions from some of the recruiters there. Over all I certainly recommend to anyone whether you’re looking for a job or not, it’s great to go for the networking, the practice and the tips you can receive. It is totally beneficial and worthwhile to attend and make those connections.

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