Walton College Students Launch First Sales RSO

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The U of A now has its first sales-focused registered student organization (RSO). Founded by Walton College students Eanthe Pieterse and Luke Ezell, Students Achieving Leadership Excellence in Sales (SALES) aims to prepare and inspire students to excel as sales professionals through training, networking and mentorship.

Pieterse, a recent Walton graduate, and Ezell, a junior in marketing, launched SALES in just three weeks this past spring. Combining their shared passion for sales and a desire to enhance the university's curriculum offerings, a plan was born. "We both want to positively impact the university that has blessed us with so many amazing opportunities. After sharing our vision with our sales professor, John Ballentine, he was more than happy to help kickstart this organization," Pieterse shared.

“Eanthe and Luke came to me independently, asking how to get involved with growing the sales program and wanting to help build the program and create a legacy,” Ballentine added. “I had an impression that they might work well together, so I challenged them by telling them that we needed a SALES RSO and that we needed it quickly. I connected the two of them, and they took it from there, making it happen in three weeks. I was super impressed with their diligence and effort.”

SALES members will have opportunities to engage in pre-sales competition networking events, volunteer during competitions and participate in Walton College’s Sales Immersion Day. Additionally, monthly meetings featuring guest speakers, Q&A sessions and sales development workshops are planned.

The organization plans to host an array of industry leaders to inspire and educate its members. "Our main goal with bringing in speakers is to demonstrate that the common behaviors and attributes of top business professionals go hand-in-hand with professional selling," Ezell explained.

The organization added 15 members by the end of last semester without active recruitment and plan to grow this upcoming semester through more traditional routes on campus. "Our recruitment strategy will rely heavily on word of mouth. We’re encouraging members to share our value proposition with their peers, which also helps these students improve their speaking and selling skills," Ezell shared. SALES members will also highlight the RSO in marketing classes, participate in the Walton College Block Party and exhibit during sales-focused events.

The long-term objective for SALES is to be nationally recognized as a leading sales program and institution for U of A students. "Our main goal is to empower and inspire more students to embrace sales as a career and prepare them for applying, interviewing and evolving into exceptional sales professionals after graduation," Ezell stated.

U of A students curious about joining SALES can fill out this form. 

For alumni and business professionals interested in speaking at an upcoming SALES meeting, or have questions about getting involved, please contact lukee@uark.edu.

About the Sam M. Walton College of Business: Founded in 1926, the Sam M. Walton College of Business is AACSB-accredited and ranks among the top business schools in the nation. Walton College is the largest college at the University of Arkansas, serving nearly 9,000 undergraduate, master's and doctoral students. Walton College is recognized among U.S. News & World Report's 2023 "Best Business Schools," and its undergraduate supply chain management program was ranked No. 1 in North America by Gartner. The college's Master of Business Administration program was also ranked No. 11 for best return on investment by The Wall Street Journal. The Princeton Review ranked the college's graduate entrepreneurship program as one of the top in the country for the first time in the 2022-23 year. And in partnership with the Global Campus, the U of A's online business degree program ranked No. 12 nationally among 214 institutions by U.S. News in 2023.