For the First Time in Georgia, a Student Competition in B2B Sales Was Held as Part of the Erasmus+ Program

For the first time in Georgia, a “Student Competition in B2B Sales” was held at the Georgian Technical University within the framework of the institutional strengthening project of the ERASMUS+ program KA2 activity – “Learn – Innovate – Sell – Succeed” (LISS24).

The competition took place at the Faculty of Transport Systems and Mechanical Engineering. According to Associate Professor the dean, Boris Githolendia, the event aims to introduce students to the fundamental principles of B2B (business-to-business) sales and help them develop practical skills in this area.

Professor Githolendia emphasized that the course includes both theoretical and practical components essential for successful participation in the corporate sales process.

“The participants studied the specifics of B2B sales in detail, focusing on several key areas: the definition of B2B sales and how it differs from B2C sales (business-to-consumer); the typical B2B sales cycle, which includes the stages of client identification, initial contact, needs assessment, offer presentation, agreement, and post-sale support; the structure of decision-makers and their roles within the B2B context; market research, customer segmentation, and target client identification; structuring the sales process and models for effective management; modern methods of lead generation and prospecting (such as digital platforms, personalized offers, and networking); and presentation and offer techniques, including value communication, argumentation strategies, and demonstrations of sales potential.

In the practical component of the training program, students participated in role-playing exercises designed to simulate real sales scenarios. Participants received guidance from experienced trainers in communication, negotiation, and client relationship management. Teams engaged in a competition presented their practical ideas aimed at increasing sales, enhancing marketing strategies, and improving effective communication with customers. A jury evaluated the presentations and selected the most effective and creative solutions. The winners received special gifts from partner companies. After the event, all participants were awarded certificates recognizing their active involvement and the skills they acquired in B2B sales. The event was open to students at any university level who were eager to participate in real business projects”, stated Boris Githolendia.

The final stage of the event was the B2B Sales Competition, which took place for the first time in Georgia as part of the LISS24 project. During this competition, students presented innovative, rational, and creative sales scenarios for partner companies, including “Autotechno”, “Baumer”, and “Argo”. 
LISS24 is an Erasmus+ KA2 institutional development project aimed at enhancing innovative competencies in engineering education. Specifically, it seeks to foster a culture of teaching sales techniques to engineering and other program students by strengthening their B2B sales competencies.

The LISS24 project aims to retrain relevant academic staff through various training methods and develop services and processes; introduce new training courses and establish a sales-oriented education facility, known as the Sales Lab. This initiative will incorporate real sales experiences based on digital technologies into teaching methods, both in-person and through online sales. As part of this project, the first-ever “Student Sales Competition” was held in Georgia, organized by the Georgian Technical University.

As part of LISS24, a range of activities is planned, including training and upskilling of relevant academic staff through various learning methods; development of services and processes; introduction of new academic courses; and the establishment of a Sales Lab — a laboratory focused on education-driven sales, which will be launched under the project. The project also aims to integrate real-world sales experience based on digital technologies into the teaching process, both through face-to-face and online sales approaches. As part of the same initiative, for the first time in Georgia, a so-called Student Sales Competition was held, hosted by the Georgian Technical University

At GTU, the coordination of the project is managed by the Technology and Grant Projects Office, while the initial piloting of the project’s results takes place at the Faculty of Transport Systems and Mechanical Engineering.

The GTU Student Services, Culture, and Sports Department is a partner of this project.