Western Michigan University student wins $3,000 grand prize in sales competition

Cameron Musser won $3,000 by competing in the State Farm Marketing and Sales Competition and beating out his competitors in a role-play, which students from Western Michigan University have been excelling at for years.

According to an article on Western Michigan University’s website, Musser described his philosophy on sales as marketing, saying, “Selling isn’t how it’s portrayed in popular culture. It’s about being a good listener and showing buyers that you can solve challenges that they are experiencing in their lives. When I’m selling, I don’t think of the person across the desk from me as ‘the buyer.’ Instead, I try to recognize that they are no different than me. They have hopes, dreams, fears and goals. As a salesperson, it’s a privilege to be able to help the person across from you achieve their goals and solve their challenges.”

At the competition, participants were tasked with creating a marketing presentation and being ready to take part in a role-play exercise to “close” a customer on auto insurance. The marketing presentations were focused on how State Farm can attract Gen Z customers. 

Musser won his prize money for winning the role-play portion of the competition. Of his win, he said, “When they called my name as the winner for role-play, I was so proud that I kept pushing to become better and better. There were times throughout the semester where I doubted that I had what it took to succeed. I leaned on the people in my life that reminded me why I love competing and challenging myself, and they helped more than they know.”

Another participant from Western, TJ Devries, did not win at the competition, but is appreciative of the experience he gained. He also spoke highly of the coach who helped him and Musser prepare for the competition: “Mary Nielsen was the best coach I could have asked for. She provided great insights and made the meetings fun. She was much more than a coach. She was a mentor, friend and positive influence. It was clear that she was invested in much more than the competition. She was invested in Cam and I as people,” said Devries.

Nielsen said she is glad she was able to coach and is glad her mentees had a good time at the competition: “I am so very grateful for the guidance and help from Sterling Massey, our State Farm sales leader and WMU partner. He knows more about insurance than I will ever know, and his manner with the students is outstanding. Cam and TJ worked well as a team, pushing one another and holding one another accountable. The students also had fun together, which is absolutely one of my goals for students who step up and put in the many hours necessary to compete.”

For more information about Western Michigan University, visit the school’s website.