WILMINGTON, DE - Vector Marketing Corporation, the 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 24 - 29 in Norfolk, Virginia.

Vector Marketing sponsored the Pi Sigma Epsilon Pro-Am Sell-a-Thon, which is based on the SPIN Selling® principles created by Huthwaite, Inc. (and described in the best-selling book "SPIN® Selling") and Anthony Parinello's "Getting the Second Appointment."

The Pro-Am Sell-a-Thon pairs collegiate PSE members with sales professionals to provide the students with training on SPIN Selling®. 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 ten-minute sales call plan with a buyer. The close to 90 participating students are then videotaped making their sales call and the finalists are selected from the tapes.

The 2009 Pro-Am Sell-a-Thon winners were:

--  5th place: Alexa Likens, Indiana University (trophy and cash prize of
    $250)
--  4th place: Danielle Matus, University of Toledo (trophy and cash prize
    of $500)
--  3rd place: Marisa Coords, University of Connecticut (trophy and cash
    prize of $750)
--  2nd place: Pat Delehanty, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (trophy
    and cash prize of $1,000)
--  1st place: Casey Comeau, Indiana University (trophy and cash prize of
    $1,500)
    

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, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network and Kodak.

About Cutco Cutlery and Vector Marketing

Cutco Cutlery is a 58-year-old company with headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Olean, New York. Vector Marketing coordinates all sales for Cutco Cutlery through a national network of college students who sell products through in-home personal demonstrations. Each year, the company trains approximately 40,000 college students. 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.