Gen Z Grit: NISC Finalist Nina Iannuzzi on Hockey, Slime & Closing the Deal

Episode notes

Episode Summary What do selling gum in the 5th grade and playing defense in hockey have in common with high-stakes Enterprise Sales? According to Nina Iannuzzi , absolutely everything. In this episode of Thoughts on Selling , Lee Levitt sits down with Nina, a sophomore at the Isenberg School of Management (UMass Amherst) and a top-tier finalist at the recent National Intercollegiate Sales Competition (NISC) . If you think the next generation of sales talent is "soft," you haven’t met Nina. We relive the chaos of "Speed Selling"—a gauntlet held in a gym filled with 1,000 suits—and dissect the exact moment she won over the judges. From handling a curveball question from a CFO about "scope creep" to sliding a contract across the table, Nina shows poise that many veteran account executives lack. We also laugh about the moment Lee interrupted her final pitch with a "fake phone call" to test her resilience. Memorable Quotes: "I started my first business in 5th grade, just selling slime and gum... I’m a very big talker. I’m competitive." — Nina Iannuzzi "Suck it up, buttercup, or move on to bigger and better things." — Nina quoting her coach.