Eight college students dressed for success stand in a hallway in front of separate doors.

A red light comes on. Each knocks and enters an office where a potential buyer awaits.

Welcome to the National Collegiate Sales Competition at Kennesaw State University.

"It's like going on the air for radio —- that light comes on, you're on," said Terry Loe, the event director who is also director of the Center for Professional Selling at KSU's Coles College of Business.

The event doubles as a scouting combine for potential employers.

The 104 competitors from 53 schools have 20 minutes to make the sale in role-playing scenarios. They sell NetSuite, an actual software management tool, to various firms.

The student and buyer share the space with a camera, which broadcasts the sales call into another room with seven judges.

"The only times I ever caught myself having to think really hard were when I would catch the camera out of the corner of my eye," said Sarah Hale, a senior at Georgia State University.

Today's 3 p.m. finals are open to the public at the KSU Center on Busbee Parkway.

While students are competing for the $2,000 first prize, they're really selling themselves.

During the competition and accompanying job fair, recruiters from 48 companies evaluate students' drive, personality and technique.

"People have been telling me I've already won by being here," said Allen Soriano, a College of New Jersey junior.

Many students score interviews between rounds of the competition. Hale had two by Friday afternoon and a couple of appointments for next week.

She said the sales competition was more stressful than the interviews.

"I can sell myself because I've been around myself for 23 years," she said. "NetSuite is a product new to me."

She also learned new things about herself.

"I'm more aggressive and assertive than I thought I was," she said.

KSU's Loe estimates that 25 percent to 30 percent of the contestants have jobs lined up, while 50 percent to 60 percent will get offers from the recruiters.

"You bring all the best sales candidates in the world to one place, and you get companies who are scouting for the best talent," Loe said. "It's a no-brainer."

Companies pay up to $25,000 to attend. They bring goodies, like thumb drives, candy, baseball caps and pens.

One company boasts "When was the last time you made 30K ... in four months?" Another says it was named the "Best entry-level job."

Chris Hampshire, a Liberty Mutual sales manager based in Philadelphia, said his company has hired students who advanced deeply into the competition and some eliminated early.

"It's fun to see where people place and how they do," he said. "But we recognize sales is difficult and challenging. People who are willing to step into the arena of this competition have already made a statement."

Loe began the national competition 10 years ago, when he taught at Baylor University. In 2003, he brought it to KSU, one of four universities in the country that offer a degree in professional selling.

As a former Mississippi State University baseball player, Loe participated in two College World Series and wanted to bring the competitive environment to selling.

"It's competitive, but it's healthy," Soriano, the student from New Jersey, said. "When you hear someone didn't do as well as they wanted to, I doubt anyone's reaction is 'Sweet, I don't have to worry about them.'

"You wish they could have done better, but maybe just below me."