Interim Dean Alex Bolinger sits down with sales coach John Ney and students Scott Smith and Rick Barns to unpack Idaho State University’s surprise first-place finish at Boise State’s Blue Turf Sales Competition, where ISU outperformed much larger, nationally recognized sales programs. The conversation explores how a newly formed travel sales team learned to sell a complex asset management system back to the very people who built it, turning nerves into confidence through preparation, trust, and real teamwork.
Ney explains how the Walter Brown Center for Sales Excellence uses role-plays, internal competitions, and corporate partnerships with companies like Aflac, Federated Insurance, and Farm Bureau to turn “I’ll never do sales” students into award-winning professionals. Scott and Rick share their personal journeys from skepticism—and even “summer sales bro” stereotypes—to discovering professional sales as advanced communication focused on listening, problem solving, and relationships.
Together, they reflect on competing as a classic David-versus-Goliath underdog against schools with hundreds of sales majors and multiple full-time sales coaches, and how ISU’s smaller size became an advantage in building a tight-knit, high-trust team. The episode closes with each guest’s 30-second formula for sales success, emphasizing genuine care for customers, a growth-focused attitude, and seeing every sales conversation as a chance to solve real problems and build long-term connections.
