Hempfield High School juniors Aidan Quill, Brayden Neupauer, and Nick Stauffer succeeded in their first attempt at being traveling salesmen.

Aidan finished first and his classmates also performed well on a trip up to the Susquehanna University High School Sales Competition on March 3.

"It's a neat way to explore a college campus and hone their sales skills," Hempfield business teacher Andy Wise said.

Students were given a simulated prompt with the task of convincing a regional car dealership to purchase all-day ride passes or rent a pavilion at Knoebels Amusement Resort.

The students were placed in a room with a judge and a camera to mimic a true sales call, Wise said. He did not attend this year's competition, but he quickly learned of his pupils' accomplishments. "I was incredibly excited and proud," he said. "This is the first time we've won first place."

Even after being named one of the final 10 competitors, Aidan was not confident he would be the winner. "I did not expect that at all," he said. "I thought I was going to get 10th place out of 10. I was surprised."

There was a 15-minute time limit for the second-round interview, and Aidan only needed nine minutes to complete a sale. "I thought maybe that it was short was going to be a bad thing," he said. "I think it was good because we got through all of the information that I needed to tell them, and we came to a deal very quickly."

As they prepared for the competition, the three students all reached out to Hempfield graduate Eddie Gibore, who placed fifth in the competition last year. "Eddie told us to work hard on the visuals," Aidan said. "That helped a lot because I had a good slideshow." Aidan also handed out business cards and pamphlets.

Brayden, who was seventh in the competition, said he focused on closing the deal and appearing calm. "It wasn't just all about the information," he said. "It was keeping eye contact and trying to persuade them."

Brayden stated that participating in the event will help him in the future. "I think it will look good for colleges, something extra to put under accomplishments," said Brayden. "It also helped me with experience. I know what to expect for my next competition."

Nick narrowly missed out on a spot in the finals. "I made a Google Slides presentation," he said. "I was trying to explain the different values in making them want to go and have employees have a day to raise spirits and have something to look forward to and bring their families."

The Susquehanna University event was the first competition the three Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) members have entered. "I gained a lot of knowledge on how to improve my sales if I want to go into business or marketing, and that really helped me," said Nick. "I also became closer with my friends. A few days before, we had a session where we compared what we were doing. I learned a lot."

Aidan added, "It was definitely a lot more fun than school. It was a nice way to get a break from schoolwork, but we were also working very hard. It was a nice opportunity."

The students took a tour of the Susquehanna University campus and ate in the dining hall. They enjoyed learning outside of the school building. "It's real-world experience," Brayden said. "It helps me notice the small things that I won't get from taking notes in a classroom."

Aidan said, "When you're in class listening, you can understand what's being said, but it's a lot better when you can actually experience it. It helped us prepare for the future if we want to pursue business."