September 2009

Why Can’t Anyone Remember Your Name?

by Bill Guertin|September 29th, 2009

Name tag You’ve done it before.

You’re at a networking event, a bar, a neighbor’s apartment, or wherever there are people you’ve not met before. Someone introduces you to someone else, and instantly their name goes in one ear and out the other. You struggle to try to get it back, but it’s gone forever.

DOH!

Why does that happen? Simple: our brain is processing something else at that moment, and we just didn’t prioritize remembering the name.

If it happens to you all the time, chances are YOUR name is forgotten by others just as quickly. If you could just figure out a way to help others instantly remember you better, your name recognition – and potentially your sales – would increase. [click to continue…]

About Bill Guertin

Bill Guertin is CEO (Chief Enthusiasm Officer) of The 800-Pound Gorilla, a dynamic sales training and consulting company whose list of blue-chip clients includes the ticket sales departments of dozens of teams from the NBA, NFL, NHL, Major League Baseball, and Major League Soccer. He is the author of the Gold Medal-award-winning book Reality Sells, and The 800-Pound Gorilla of Sales: How to Dominate Your Market. Subscribe to his Sports Ticket Sales Newsletter at www.The800PoundGorilla.com, or follow Bill on Twitter at www.twitter.com/800poundgorilla.

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8 Ways Agents Should Research Athletes Before They Sign Them

by Darren Heitner|September 28th, 2009

Sports agents who take any and every athlete who contacts them on their website will not last very long in this industry. Representing athletes is much like playing the stock market; you have to make a rather large initial investment in order to have a chance to make any significant profit.

You could load up with a bunch of penny stocks that are high risk, do not cost much. One or two of those athletes break through and you could be generating a solid profit. On the other hand, you could invest big money into a guy with proven skill and high ratings from scouts. Unfortunately, the main difference between stocks and athletes is that stocks are not going to leave you mid-investment. An athlete can. [click to continue…]

About Darren Heitner

Darren Heitner is a CEO, sports agent, journalist, entrepreneur, and innovator. Darren created the first sports agent blog on the internet, SportsAgentBlog.com, which receives upwards of 5,000 unique visits per day from sports agents, athletes, media sources, and the general public. In the blog, everything from contract negotiations to endorsement deals are examined, providing the framework for a great deal of information upon which he has been able to depend. In 2009, Darren created EntertainmentAgentBlog.com, which has the same purpose of SAB, but focuses on the entertainment industry. Darren is also the CEO and Founder of Dynasty Athlete Representation, a full service sports and talent agency that handles contract negotiations, marketing endorsements, financial planning, legal services, etc. Darren graduated from the University of Florida in May 2007 with a Political Science Major and was valedictorian of his class. He is a member of many Honors Societies including, Florida Blue Key, Phi Beta Kappa, and Phi Kappa Phi. He is now in his third and final year at the University of Florida Levin School of Law, where he is serving his second consecutive term as the President of the Entertainment and Sports Law Society.

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Serena Steals the Spotlight for All the Wrong Reasons

by Gail Sideman|September 22nd, 2009

Will public relations help dig professional tennis star out of controversy?

Two weeks later, and people are still talking about the Serena Slam on a U.S. Open linesperson. I spoke to a friend today who just got off the tennis court and described a controversial call. She said not to worry – that she didn’t “Go Serena.”

There have been several public outbursts by public people in recent weeks and each time, many of the stories were passed along with reference to Serena.

The Serena about which I write is three-time U.S. Open champion, Serena Williams, whose semifinal match at this year’s event (which she lost to unseeded Kim Clijsters) can be summed up in four letters. [click to continue…]

About Gail Sideman

Twenty years of public relations experience, including 10 in NCAA Division I sports information during which she received national awards for her work, have helped Gail Sideman emerge as a nationally-respected publicity professional in sports, social media and publishing. She is also a veteran support staffer of sports television crews for events that include the NFL, NBA, MLB, NCAA regular and postseason and others. You may learn more information about Sideman's business at www.publiside.com or follow her at www.twitter.com/PUBLISIDE and www.facebook.com/gail.sideman.

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Work Your Passion in Sports

by Mark Tudi|September 21st, 2009

Over thirty years ago, I was studying at Bowling Green University and dreamed of the day I would be working for a professional baseball team. Little did I know that the many years of focusing on my passion of sports would be the driving force of my livelihood today.

Without proper preparation, all of that dreaming was worthless to me in my attempt to break into baseball. I had absolutely no personal or professional contacts in the entire sports industry and did not have a clue where to find any resources or direction. [click to continue…]

About Mark Tudi

Mark Tudi is the Founder of SPORTSEARCH, with its primary business activities completely focused on Human Capital Change Management for leading Organizations in over 75 Sports, Recreation and Live-Event Industry marketplace segments. Founded in 1988, SPORTSEARCH specializes in sourcing the critical layer of Executive Management, customized recruiting assignments, “Professional Door-Opening”, and leadership development. For over 30 years, Mark has established a high-profile track record in sports career development, with over 25,000 personal interviews and 850+ successful retained search assignments. He has represented the career interests and managed opportunities for many of the leading executives, personalities and organizations in Sports. His Client list includes members of the Sporting Goods Manufacturers’ Association (SGMA), the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), over 250 Professional Teams, Leagues and Sports Marketing Organizations, as well as several leading Corporate Sports Empires. In 1988, Mark created SPORTS CAREERS, the Industry’s original and most comprehensive Employment Resource Program, designed to help individuals build and manage a career path in Sports. During the 1990’s, he successfully financed the business through the ownership group of the Phoenix Suns, led by Jerry Colangelo, which was later sold to the Franklin Covey Corporation and established as a job board on CBS Sportsline.com. Since then, Mark re-acquired SPORTS CAREERS and has served over 250,000 members, 5,000 active Employers and over 15,000 filled positions at all levels through multiple strategic assets at WWW.SPORTSEARCHONLINE.COM. In addition, Mark founded the Sports & Entertainment Human Resource Forum (SEHRF) to build professional recognition and a unified Industry community for today’s Human Resource Managers, Hiring Authorities and Employers. Most recently, he resurrected the SPORTS CAREERS Conference, the Sports Industry’s first and largest meeting of its kind, where people managers and the career-oriented connect. Mark started his career in sports at the age of 23 by starting his own sporting goods sales agency and then helped build the annual sales volume to over $100 million for two of the nation’s leading Manufacturer’s Rep firms. A graduate of Bowling Green State University majoring in Journalism and Business Administration, Mark has written over 300 articles and made over 300 radio, television and speaking appearances. He is a Visiting Professor of Practice and Student Mentor for the Arizona State University and Grand Canyon University Sports Business Programs. Mark has been an active Member of the Phoenix Regional Sports Commission for the past 20 years, serving as the Chairman of the Board, Executive Director and currently on the Board of Directors for a 6th term. Most recently, Mark was appointed to the Advisory Board of The Perfect Game Foundation, a Non-Profit Organization dedicated to the funding of scholarships for Candidates focused on a Career in Baseball. He is also on the Board of Directors and a Chartered Founding Member of the International Retained Search Associates (IRSA). Some of Mark’s personal accomplishments include a 35+ year marriage with three children, successful rehabilitation from a fractured neck, coaching a three-time Arizona State champion youth soccer team, and is a founding Board Member and original Executive Director of the National Pain Foundation. Mark was also a highly ranked and decorated amateur wrestler…back in the day.

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Does Sports Need Social Media?

by Lewis Howes|September 13th, 2009

Yes or no? Does it depend on what sector of the sports industry we are talking about? Should we even care?

Whether it’s a sports teams using a Facebook fan page, professional athletes on Twitter, sports agencies trying to promote their brand from blogging, sports management programs looking to recruit new students, or other sports organizations looking to find ways to increase sales and drive profits…. do they fully understand social media and are they ready to include it in their game?

I have been pretty frustrated with the somewhat ignorance I continue to see with sports teams and leagues banning social media, sports agencies thinking social media is a waste of time, or even sports pr and marketing companies believing social media in sports should not be used, period.

WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!

The fans that watch your team on weekends, those students that want to learn about your sports management program, companies that need your marketing expertise or are looking to buy advertising are all online using some form of social media! Even top sports business experts like CNBC’s Sports Biz reporter Darren Rovell talks about the power of social media on his blog and is tweeting daily to get his message out there.

And yes, there are ways to get your message out there with little or no cost to help you achieve your goals within the sports industry. If you need a more in depth marketing strategy just ask top social media sports professionals Amy Martin, AJ Vaynerchuk, Jason Peck or Ryan Stephens as they can easily help any sports organization figure out how to achieve their goals and what action to take to reach them.

I am just tired of hearing that the sports industry still doesn’t have a forward thinking mindset when it comes to using social media and it is really frustrating me (and you don’t want to see my football playing aggression come out in my blog, or it may get ugly!). My goal is to start providing more articles that help give the information the sports industry needs to start taking action with using social media so they can start to see the same successes other industries are gaining from it.

Are you as upset as I am and ready to strap on the helment, lace up your pads and kick some butt? If so, leave a comment with your thoughts on which sports organizations are and are not using social media correctly. What are they doing right, what are they doing wrong, and what can they do to make it better? Ready…. Set-Hut!