Trading Up & Teaching Sales Students
January 2, 2026
How do you teach students how to sell? At Xavier University’s Williams College of Business, Senior Teaching Professor Karen Eutsler begins with an unlikely object: a paper clip.
Since joining Xavier in 2006, Eutsler has transformed sales education in the Department of Marketing through her course, Professional Selling (MKTG 361). Rather than relying on lectures alone, she challenges students to learn by doing. Her signature assignment, the Paper Clip Project, pushes students to step outside the classroom and into real conversations.
Inspired by Kyle MacDonald’s famous experiment of trading a paper clip all the way up to a house, the project asks students to start with a low-value item and trade their way up over two weeks. Along the way, they practice prospecting, negotiation, and communication—skills that can only be developed through experience. The goal isn’t simply to end with the most valuable item, but to understand how value is created and exchanged.
Students consistently surprise themselves with the results. Trades have included furniture, collectibles, electronics, and even a driveable used car in a past semester. These outcomes highlight students’ creativity and persistence, but they also reflect deeper learning taking place behind the scenes.
As recent Xavier graduate Brian Howse explained, “It’s entirely rooted in real-world application. We weren’t just learning concepts in a classroom; we were out engaging with people, making connections, and trying to negotiate trades. Starting with something small, like a paperclip, pen, or sticky note, and working to convince someone of its value was both challenging and fun.”
For Eutsler, the project’s true success lies in the confidence students gain and the selling mindset they develop. By turning a simple paper clip into a powerful learning tool, she equips students with practical skills that set them apart in business and beyond.