Vector Marketing Announces Award Winners From the 2011 Pi Sigma Epsilon National Sales Competition

WILMINGTON, DE--(Marketwire - 05/09/11) - Vector Marketing Corporation, the single-level direct sales division for Cutco Cutlery, the largest kitchen cutlery manufacturing company in North America, presented several awards at the Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE) Pro-AM Sell-a-Thon® sales competition at PSE's National Convention held March 28-April 3 in Orlando, FL.Vector Marketing sponsored the Pi Sigma Epsilon Pro-Am Sell-a-Thon®, which is a year-long competition based on the Miller Heiman Sales System®.The Pro-Am Sell-a-Thon pairs collegiate PSE members with sales professionals to provide the students with training on the Miller Heiman Sales System®. The purpose of this event is to teach the participating PSE students sales skills, to promote sales as a professional career and to provide an opportunity for sales professionals to share their knowledge with students. The students and their coaches work to develop a twelve-minute sales call plan with a buyer. The over 70 participating students are then videotaped making their sales call and the finalists are selected from the tapes.The 2011 Pro-Am Sell-a-Thon® winners were:

• 5^th place: Chris Utesch, University of North Carolina-Wilmington (trophy and cash prize of $250)
• 4^th place: Justin Shatto, University of South Dakota (trophy and cash prize of $500)
• 3^rd place: Stewart Allen, Louisiana State University (trophy and cash prize of $750)
• 2^nd place: Brad Walker, Central Michigan University (trophy and cash prize of $1,000)
• 1^st place: Adam Schumer, The College of New Jersey (trophy, cash prize of $1,500, and a custom-made business suit by Tom James)

In addition to the Pro-Am Sell-a-Thon, Vector Marketing also sponsored the Top Marketing Award, the Faculty Advisor of the Year Award, and the Vector Marketing $1,000 Scholarship.The Top Marketing Award best exemplifies a chapter's ability to successfully implement a creative marketing campaign in a professional and analytical manner through effective planning, research, strategy implementation, and follow up. The Top Marketing Award winners were:

• 2^nd place: Louisiana State University for their Rock N Wear Fashion Show (trophy)
• 1^st place: Miami University for their CampusMenus.com project (trophy)

The Faculty Advisor of the Year Award recognizes the faculty advisor to a Pi Sigma Epsilon chapter who has effectively guided his/her chapter to a successful year by offering advice, reviewing projects and supporting the chapter in its endeavors. The winner of the Faculty Advisor of the Year Award was:

• Dr. Katie Hartman, University of North Carolina-Wilmington ($1,000 research stipend)

The Vector Marketing $1,000 Scholarship is given to a student who has demonstrated a commitment to community service and intends to pursue a career in sales. The winner was:

• Richard Schramm, University of Akron

PSE is the only national collegiate professional, co-educational fraternity for marketing, sales, and management. The Pro-Am Sell-a-Thon was made possible with the support of Vector Marketing Corporation, Miller Heiman, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, Heartland Payment Systems, and Kodak.About Cutco Cutlery and Vector Marketing
Cutco Cutlery (www.cutco.com) is a 62-year-old company with headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Olean, New York. Vector Marketing (www.vectormarketing.com) coordinates all sales for Cutco Cutlery through a national network of college students who sell products through in-home personal demonstrations. More than 13 million US households own a Cutco product.About Pi Sigma Epsilon
PSE (www.pse.org) was founded in 1952 with a mission to develop the sales and marketing skills of its members. Individuals from a diverse collegiate membership of more than 2,300 come together in PSE to enhance their academic, professional, and personal experiences.