By Marta Vallejo, Staff Writer
For most people, a paperclip is not worth anything. However, for junior sport management major Yohan Lewis, this object could allow him to obtain something much bigger.
Lewis is attempting to trade his way from a single paperclip all the way to a car as part of a class project. After several trades, he has already managed to turn that tiny piece of metal into two Xavier men’s basketball tickets.
This project is part of the Professional Selling class taught by Dr. Karen Eustler. Students were challenged to trade a paperclip multiple times, aiming to obtain better items with each trade. This assignment was designed to get students actively practicing sales in the real world.
“It’s something that gets students to go out and be active right away. So they get to practice skills versus just reading a textbook or reading an article. They actually get to do sales the very first week of class. And I think that’s a good kickoff for the semester.” Dr. Eustler said.
Xavier sport management major Yohan Lewis is on a journey to trade a paper clip up to a car.
Lewis’ journey began with a paperclip, but it did not stay there for long. His first trade was for a small purple duck decoration. From there, he traded the duck for a suit pin, a Xavier magnet, eventually working his way toward his next milestone.
One of his biggest steps came when he traded a Xavier cap for a framed picture of the Gallagher Student Center. The picture became another significant jump in value when he traded it for two tickets to any Xavier men’s home basketball game this season. He also received a custom framed picture of Xavier’s past head basketball coaches as a gift to make the tickets more valuable.
“My expectations for the project were extremely high from the start, I loved it,” Lewis said. “Our professor showed us the original video of the guy who did the Ted Talk on how he went from a paperclip to a house. After I saw the video I knew it was 100% possible that I could go after the goal that I set for myself. The only thing I needed internally was the drive to make it happen.”
Although the project is meant to be fun, it also requires skills that extend beyond the classroom. Lewis had to negotiate with people, network with others and convince them to make trades. For a sport management major, those skills are especially valuable.
“My number one goal from this assignment is that they understand buyer motivation,” Dr. Eustler said. “It’s very practical, and that’s what I’m hoping to get.”
Despite already making it from a paperclip to the Xavier basketball tickets, Lewis still has one major goal: a car.
For now, it remains out of reach. If Lewis has learned anything from the project, it is that every trade is an opportunity to move one step closer, and if he gets his way, that paperclip could eventually be worth a set of car keys.