In last Fall’s Basic Sales Training Workshop, renowned sales guru Jeff Hoffman described sales as based on the principle of “creating a sense of urgency where none exists.” That urgency, Jeff stated, is created by the seller and instilled in the buyer. Fair enough. As kids, however, we learned another important principle: “If you can’t take it, don’t dish it out.” And so, on March 3rd, we put our finest orators on call and create for them an urgent condition. Cue the Bold Sell Competition.

In a first-ever collaboration between the MIT Sloan Sales Club and the Harvard Business School Public Speaking Club, our two schools join forces to test – and celebrate – our most creative, witty, and captivating MBAs. The premise is simple: 1 product, 6 slides, 7 minutes, and an eager audience packing Wong Auditorium. Your challenge? Sell a product like it’s the next coming of sliced bread. The catch? You don’t know what product you’re selling, nor do you know what’s on your slides, until you’re standing in front of your audience. And one more thing: your performance will be scored by sales execs from Cisco, AOL, Xerox, and Hubspot. Go.

The Bold Sell Competition will be held on Wednesday March 3rd at 7pm in MIT Sloan’s Wong Auditorium. Our goal is to laugh, listen, and celebrate those brave enough to step into the spotlight, so bring your friends and join us to cheer on our fellow MBAs (Admission is free).

Here’s to laughter, creativity, community, and sales. See you in Wong.