‘Curtin’s Next Top Marketer’ tests students’ sales pitch skills

Miri – 12 June 2014 – To mark the last lecture of the Marketing 100 unit for Semester 1 2014, 162 first-year business students of Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) participated in the university’s ‘Curtin’s Next Top Marketer’ event.

The event was led by Unit Leader and associate lecturer of management Sabarina Sahni Abdullah and tutors Associate Professor Dr. Shamsul Kamariah Abdullah, Edeseyi Margaret Ekisowei and Jefferson Sim Poh Thong.

The Marketing 100 unit is a compulsory unit for all business major students. It explores various marketing concepts and theories and its roles in business and society. The unit is designed to encourage application of marketing theories to real life brands and marketing situations.

During the event, students were divided according to their tutorial groups and were required to prepare an impromptu sales pitch on service marketing. The service products were childcare service at a shopping mall, salon for Muslimah (Muslim women), car spa, pet spa, mobile restaurant, recreational service provider and space optimisation interior designer.

The seven groups were given a preparation time of 20 minutes and 5 minutes to present their sales pitches. The goal was to convince the tutors who acted as the panel of ‘potential buyers’ to purchase their services. The groups were judged on content structure, application of theories, teamwork, time management and creativity.

According to Sabarina, the event was a great way to end the semester.

“The students were able to apply what they have studied over the past 11 weeks within 5 minutes through role plays, mind maps and comical speeches,” said Sabarina.

She added that the event not only trained the students to apply what they have learned in  real business world context, but also helped them achieve a key Curtin graduate attribute, that is, possessing thinking, information and communication skills.

Sabarina (in red) posing with the winning team.

Group photo of the students and tutors of Marketing 100 unit.