Do you have the best salespeople in your sporting business?
September 27th, 2021
It’s easy to be stereotyped as a salesperson, but there are many different traits of those tasked with winning and maintaining business for sporting organisations.
Over the past 18 months, many of those salespeople have not been able to enjoy the buzz of working alongside colleagues to celebrate their successes, something many salespeople live for.
Working from home doesn’t suit everyone and whilst we are all deciding whether the hybrid working situation is here to stay, I wanted to explore some of the attributes and behaviours that are so important to those selling partnership deals, sponsorship, hospitality, digital business or winning new business in the agency marketplace.
Forget “salesy”, they are relationship builders
Hard closing may help you to achieve a few quick wins, but it isn’t going to build an ongoing relationship with that sought-after business. If your client or customer doesn’t enjoy the experience of working with you, or they are sold something that wasn’t a great fit, they won’t return.
Building a long-term business relationship is vital in sport. Great salespeople don’t just have clients; they cultivate lasting friendships. They’ll stay in touch - and it’s not all about the commission they can earn.
They love what they do
Working in sport, things happen quickly and sometimes unexpectedly (think Emma Raducanu!) and there are always great talking points. It’s not just about hitting quotas or fulfilling sometimes irrelevant KPIs, great salespeople love being at the match or the event and helping everyone enjoy the magic that’s unfolding before them.
Many great salespeople may work at a football or rugby club that isn’t the one they have supported as a youngster, but you would never know it, because they are passionate about their role.
They’re confident, but not aloof or arrogant
To make a sale at the highest level in sport, clearly, you need confidence. A great salesperson will know the sales process inside and out and will understand that it can take a while to win that client or convince a brand that the partnership is right to meet their business goals and that results-driven and meaningful activation will happen.
Confidence that it will be the much-touted win-win for all parties is essential, but more than that, they need to believe that this really is a great deal for both parties and that comes from understanding the mutual goals. No-one likes dealing with an arrogant salesperson who thinks they know everything, talks too much and doesn’t listen.
They’re tough and self-motivated
“Nothing happens until someone sells something” is a great line and it’s a quote that seems to be attributed to quite a few people! But it’s true, the great salesperson is the lifeblood of the business and can sometimes make something out of nothing. However, they need to be tough and resilient, because rejections are always just around the corner, but successful salespeople will always understand that a “no” can be just a no for now!
Most top salespeople are motivated by three things, clearly money is one, but you would be surprised how much an outstanding performer loves to be thought of as a master or mistress of their craft. They also love autonomy; micromanage them at your peril!
They’ve gotta be relentless
Relentless, but not pushy. Sport is such a powerful platform upon which to reach and engage audiences, but often the prospect doesn’t see it that way. A relentless business salesperson will have great belief that the transaction will benefit all parties and even if their most logical pitch fails, they are innovative and will continue until the ideal solution is found.
They’ll do their homework
In the bad old days of cold-calling and delivering a script, virtually no homework or research was undertaken, and selling was a random hit and miss game.
Fortunately, that’s history and the days of sales as demonstrated in the brilliant 1992 film “Glengarry Glenross” are consigned to the past. To be a success selling in sport, you really need to research those brands or businesses you are targeting.
It doesn’t matter whether your sales team is selling perimeter advertising, corporate hospitality, athlete sponsorship or a £multi-million partnership, without research and the understanding of that company’s desire to be associated with that occasion, brand or person, it isn’t going to happen!
I’m sure we’ve all been subjected to a sales pitch by someone who thinks we love boxing or F1, when a little bit of homework would uncover that you wouldn’t cross the street to watch it!
So, that’s my take on the main traits and behaviours inherent in the top salespeople in sport. These thoughts have come from a lifetime of recruitment for the sporting world, being “sold to” by relatively untrained salespeople and also being pleasantly surprised by how a salesperson can be a great listener and build a long-term relationship by delivering a brilliant experience.
Is your sporting sales team the best it could be? Do you have confidence they can take your business to the next level? There is great sales talent out there; finding it is another matter!
Doug Woodward
doug@recgc.com
About the author
Doug Woodward is the MD of Recruitment Gamechangers, a specialist Sport and iGaming recruitment business that has successfully recruited across many sports, not just in sales, but across all disciplines. His passion for sport has seen him become a football club Director, part-own some terrific racehorses and, a long time ago, run the London and New York Marathons!
So, if you are looking to boost your business with a sales superstar, you know where to come!
doug@recgc.com
Back
Over the past 18 months, many of those salespeople have not been able to enjoy the buzz of working alongside colleagues to celebrate their successes, something many salespeople live for.
Working from home doesn’t suit everyone and whilst we are all deciding whether the hybrid working situation is here to stay, I wanted to explore some of the attributes and behaviours that are so important to those selling partnership deals, sponsorship, hospitality, digital business or winning new business in the agency marketplace.
Forget “salesy”, they are relationship builders
Hard closing may help you to achieve a few quick wins, but it isn’t going to build an ongoing relationship with that sought-after business. If your client or customer doesn’t enjoy the experience of working with you, or they are sold something that wasn’t a great fit, they won’t return.
Building a long-term business relationship is vital in sport. Great salespeople don’t just have clients; they cultivate lasting friendships. They’ll stay in touch - and it’s not all about the commission they can earn.
They love what they do
Working in sport, things happen quickly and sometimes unexpectedly (think Emma Raducanu!) and there are always great talking points. It’s not just about hitting quotas or fulfilling sometimes irrelevant KPIs, great salespeople love being at the match or the event and helping everyone enjoy the magic that’s unfolding before them.
Many great salespeople may work at a football or rugby club that isn’t the one they have supported as a youngster, but you would never know it, because they are passionate about their role.
They’re confident, but not aloof or arrogant
To make a sale at the highest level in sport, clearly, you need confidence. A great salesperson will know the sales process inside and out and will understand that it can take a while to win that client or convince a brand that the partnership is right to meet their business goals and that results-driven and meaningful activation will happen.
Confidence that it will be the much-touted win-win for all parties is essential, but more than that, they need to believe that this really is a great deal for both parties and that comes from understanding the mutual goals. No-one likes dealing with an arrogant salesperson who thinks they know everything, talks too much and doesn’t listen.
They’re tough and self-motivated
“Nothing happens until someone sells something” is a great line and it’s a quote that seems to be attributed to quite a few people! But it’s true, the great salesperson is the lifeblood of the business and can sometimes make something out of nothing. However, they need to be tough and resilient, because rejections are always just around the corner, but successful salespeople will always understand that a “no” can be just a no for now!
Most top salespeople are motivated by three things, clearly money is one, but you would be surprised how much an outstanding performer loves to be thought of as a master or mistress of their craft. They also love autonomy; micromanage them at your peril!
They’ve gotta be relentless
Relentless, but not pushy. Sport is such a powerful platform upon which to reach and engage audiences, but often the prospect doesn’t see it that way. A relentless business salesperson will have great belief that the transaction will benefit all parties and even if their most logical pitch fails, they are innovative and will continue until the ideal solution is found.
They’ll do their homework
In the bad old days of cold-calling and delivering a script, virtually no homework or research was undertaken, and selling was a random hit and miss game.
Fortunately, that’s history and the days of sales as demonstrated in the brilliant 1992 film “Glengarry Glenross” are consigned to the past. To be a success selling in sport, you really need to research those brands or businesses you are targeting.
It doesn’t matter whether your sales team is selling perimeter advertising, corporate hospitality, athlete sponsorship or a £multi-million partnership, without research and the understanding of that company’s desire to be associated with that occasion, brand or person, it isn’t going to happen!
I’m sure we’ve all been subjected to a sales pitch by someone who thinks we love boxing or F1, when a little bit of homework would uncover that you wouldn’t cross the street to watch it!
So, that’s my take on the main traits and behaviours inherent in the top salespeople in sport. These thoughts have come from a lifetime of recruitment for the sporting world, being “sold to” by relatively untrained salespeople and also being pleasantly surprised by how a salesperson can be a great listener and build a long-term relationship by delivering a brilliant experience.
Is your sporting sales team the best it could be? Do you have confidence they can take your business to the next level? There is great sales talent out there; finding it is another matter!
Doug Woodward
doug@recgc.com
About the author
Doug Woodward is the MD of Recruitment Gamechangers, a specialist Sport and iGaming recruitment business that has successfully recruited across many sports, not just in sales, but across all disciplines. His passion for sport has seen him become a football club Director, part-own some terrific racehorses and, a long time ago, run the London and New York Marathons!
So, if you are looking to boost your business with a sales superstar, you know where to come!
doug@recgc.com