All Work, No Pay

Photo Credit: Mike Bloomgren - Scout.com

by Dustin Henry

As an aspiring sports professional, I have spent the past two years molding myself in preparation for potential job opportunities after graduation. I have interned for Alliance Sport Marketing and am currently a volunteer assistant in the recruiting off of the Football Department at a Division I FCS program. These experiences have impacted my career vision while also helping sculpt and grow my prowess in the sport industry. But, they have also taught me the how social sacrifice and low financial support are inevitable.

I have spent the past eight months volunteering in the Football Department at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in hopes of educational and practical preparation to accept a Graduate Assistantship (GA) position this upcoming spring. While I perform and gain knowledge/experience in agreement for free, I sacrifice between 20-30 hours a week. Most say that is typical for an internship, but look at this from a graduate assistant’s perspective.

Graduate Assistant Perspective

What is a Graduate Assistant?

A football coach or sports administrator beginning their career in sports usually fresh out of college (undergraduate degree).

What does a Graduate Assistant do?

1. A graduate assistant must get accepted into a graduate program the school they will being assisting at.

2. They must attend full time graduate level classes

3. They work 100-plus hours a week for the football team, averaging around 15 hours a day, Sunday-Saturday.

What financial assistance do Graduate Assistants receive?

Typically, they receive a scholarship to cover their tuition (occasionally housing) and an incredibly small monthly stipend. You wondering what do I consider small? Talking to the graduate assistants here at MTSU, they earn $900 dollars a month to live off of. This averages out to $5.63/hour on a typical 40 hour work week. If we take the in-season hours, the GAs bring home $2.25/hour (100 hours in a week). This is the assistance of a Division I-A program.

One of the graduate assistants transferred in from LaGrange College (NAIA). He was compensated by the coverage graduate tuition and a $4,000 stipend for the entire calendar year.

Overview

Let’s look back at this. These college students go to school full time (don’t forget about homework and projects) and devotedly work 100-plus hours a week in the football office to earn a living of under three dollars an hour. The work commitment and sacrifice of these young men well outlast the assistance they receive by the school. These young coaches and sport administrators deserve a simple boost in their pay to support the work they provide for universities and colleges across the nation for extremely low pay.

The introduction of the “Cost of Attendance” scholarships presented to student athletes to help cover everyday necessities such as gas, school supplies and personal living needs would be a starting place for additional compensation toward graduate assistants.

Dustin Henry is a senior marketing major at Middle Tennessee State University.

Want to Work in Sports Business? Parting Advice for the Class of 2015

Image Credit: Flickr/GotCredit

Last week, I shared advice f\to new graduates from six sports business professionals about how to get a sports business career off on the right foot (see "Getting Your Sports Business Career off to a Great Start: Tips for Standing Out"). Their advice was spot on as the industry pros encouraged new graduates to connect with other professionals to build a network, do the extra tasks that often no one else wants to do, and be passionate about your work.

In this post, I share their reponses to the following question about career preparation:

What is one thing that you know now that you wished you would have known when you began your sports business career?

Their viewpoints shared three themes: selling, connecting (a recurring theme from the last post), and preparing. New graduates and students still in school preparing for their professional careers would be well served to take the following advice.

Sell

When I started working in sports I avoided the sales aspect of the business as much as I could. Over the years I have come to learn that the best opportunities and the most opportunities are in sales. 

Brandon Vonderharr, Partner, Alliance Sports Marketing

I wish I would have known how important it is to be able to “sell” yourself, whether it is a job interview or not and no matter what profession you are in. A big part of success is building relationships with the right people, so if you are able to properly express who you are or why you are the best person to get a job, it will go a LONG way. This continues to be important for me even beyond landing my job and I feel that if I had a better grasp on this pre-graduation I would have been better set up.

Eric Yost, Corporate Account Manager, Sacramento Kings

Connect

I wish I connected with more people at the beginning, because in sports a lot of people move on to another job or other careers and you can build on that. I have worked with many people in my 5 year career period and I probably connect with 15% of them still through social media and other sources. If I started again, I would start an Excel file and put in Name, Phone, Email address and make a point to touch base with them once a year to stay in touch.....being in sports it is always nice to go visit a friend and see a game for FREE since that person works there. 

Mickey Hock, Supervisor of Ticket Sales, Nashville Predators

I wish that I would have volunteered more at local sporting events, for example local golf tournaments, NASCAR, tennis, conference tournaments, and attend more conferences that the sporting world hosts (this one is tough as they are sometimes very expensive to attend).  It is all about meeting people and staying in touch with those people.

Jason Capel, Regional Manager, Learfield Sports

Prepare

What is the key for a successful job interview? I really believe it is all about CONNECTION! Just like finding a date. It’s the ability to connect. It’s in your look. Your eyes and how you smile. Resumes, sometimes, are not the most important. It’s that MOMENT of contact. Even your handshake can be a difference maker! How you answer questions – be truthful. Come PREPARED – YOU HAVE TO SHOW THAT YOU WANT THE JOB! I, for one, want charismatic people who can SMILE, shows a professional and maturity. I love people with a CAN DO attitude. Most companies are looking at the make-up of the person and how they see this individual fitting in with others. If they sense a spark, more than not, the employer is going to teach you their way of doing things. 


WHAT CAN KILL YOUR JOB CHANCES? According to a recent CareerBuilder survey, they said that your body language is what can mostly hurt your chances of landing a job, especially a lack of eye contact. This survey involved more than 2,500 hiring managers and 67% said that failure to make eye contact would make them less likely to hire a job candidate. 

Other non-verbals cited as negative included the following: 

* Lack of smile – 38% 
* Fidgeting too much – 33% 
* Bad posture – 33% 
* Handshake that is too weak – 26% 
* Crossing arms over their chest – 21% 
* Playing with their hair or touching their face – 21%
* Using too many hand gestures – 9% 

Jim Loria, Director of Corporate Sales, Sioux Falls Storm Football

I would tell a new graduate looking to work in sports to be flexible. I have heard it been said that opportunities are rarely perfect, but they often do not present themselves a second time. Do not hold out for a job with your favorite team. First, get the best job you can at the time, do your best at it, and continue to learn and get better at what you do every day. That way, when your dream job comes open, you will be ready to take it.

Mac Maddox, Manager of Group & Season Ticket Sales, Oklahoma City Thunder

It's Time

Class of 2015- It's now your time to make your mark in the industry you have chosen by selling connecting, and preparing. The advice shared by Brandon, Eric, Mickey, Jason, Jim, and Mac in the two-part series on starting your career is a useful guide for any early career professional. Thank you again to these six pros for giving back to the newest sports marketers by giving their perspective on career launch and management.

Getting Your Sports Business Career Off to a Great Start: Tips for Standing Out

It is the time of year for new beginnings- many high school seniors prepare for college and commencement ceremonies on college campuses across the country turn out graduates about to embark on their professional careers. Thousands in both situations have aspirations to work in sports business. The allure of being associated with sports is strong. The challenge is that it attracts a great deal of competition from others chasing the same goal. 

Given this scenario, what can a person do to differentiate himself or herself to get ahead at the outset of the next stage of their life? For answers to this question, I asked some sports business professionals to share advice to new graduates. Specifically, the question I posed to them was:

What advice do you have for new graduates looking to land their first professional job on how they can stand out to a prospective employer?

Six professionals holding various roles and at different points in their careers weighed in; consider it their gift to the Class of 2015. Three themes emerged from their advice: Connect with people, be willing to take extra steps that others will  not take, and be passionate about what you do.

Connect

Be a sponge. Come in excited about the opportunity and show your new employer that you are willing to learn everything you possibly can early on. Dedicate yourself to whatever the position may be, ask meaningful questions, and pick up new information wherever you can.

Also, be proactive in meeting the people you will be working with. Building relationships with these people early on will go a long way with employers, as they will see that you can work with others and can be a part of the team.

Eric Yost, Corporate Account Manager, Sacramento Kings

I would suggest young adults seeking their first job in sports is to use the resources that have a connection with other people in the sports industry (example: teachers, professors, family members, intern bosses, etc.). I was told when I interned for the Nashville Sports Council to get your resume to the top of the pile for the job is to use the people you have worked for to help you. When you are applying for a job, you are not the only one applying, most of the time you are competing against thousands of other individuals some with more experience than you, so think "how can I beat those other people out?" 

Mickey Hock, Supervisor of Ticket Sales, Nashville Predators

Take the Extra Step

When you are looking to stand out to a prospective employer, do not discount the little things. Spend as much time working on the details as you do the "big ticket" items like your resume. What can kill a potential candidate are things like poorly written e-mails, bad non-verbal communication, or not being prepared for an interview. Those that spend as much time on the details as anything else are the ones that really stand out.

Mac Maddox, Manager of Group & Season Ticket Sales, Oklahoma City Thunder

I receive several unsolicited resumes and cover letters to the companies general email address daily. Among those applications I rarely receive one that doesn't look generic. I like to see that an applicant has done their homework to learn a little about our company and about the person they are directing the application to. 

Beyond that I would recommend picking up the phone and making a phone call. Most companies have bios online or a LinkedIn profile. While I have received literally hundreds of applications I can count on one hand the number of phone calls that I have received about job inquiries. 

Brandon Vonderharr, Partner, Alliance Sports Marketing

If you know the specific industry that you want to be in, volunteer as much as you can at their events if possible.  If that is not possible do your homework and find out all of the major players in the business or industry.  Reach out to them with a written note to share with them your interest in getting a job in their industry or business. Connect with them via LinkedIn.  See if you can set up a face to face meeting or call with someone on the staff that is doing the hiring to learn more about the position.  Try to stay in touch with that person (not pester) but once every quarter reach out to see if there is any positions coming down the pipe.  One or all of these might be the one thing that you need to be top of mind when they see your resume come across their desk. 

Jason Capel, Regional Manager, Learfield Sports

Passion

I would tell any graduate to find a job you'll be passionate about. You need to have fun in your job. But no job is perfect. You will see, just like a sports team locker room, every employer has highly paid personnel and average paid members. There will be bickering. Regardless, it is YOU that DRIVES your CAR and it is the DRIVE in YOU that fills up your SUCCESS TANK each and every day. 

When finding that first job, it is most important to be surrounded by caring people that are willing to teach and guide you. It's crazy to say this but learning the ropes the right way from the beginning is a "Foundation" that will serve you all throughout your career. There is a reason why many sports teams like to hire away assistant coaches from the New England Patriots, Duke University Basketball, Alabama College Football, San Antonio Spurs, St. Louis Cardinals. It's called "Bloodlines!" Everyone knows in the industry that these members were taught the right way! 

When going into that first job, try to bring ideas and solutions to correct a problem! Separate yourself from the competition and even from your colleagues. Also be the best person ever when it comes to "Communications and Follow Thru." NEVER EVER LET YOUR SUPERVISOR COME TO YOU AND ASK FOR A FOLLOW UP ON A PREVIOUS TASK. You lose "Equity Points" that can be hard to regain back. 

Jim Loria, Director of Corporate Sales, Sioux Falls Storm

There's More

This post is the first in a two-post series on starting a career in sports business. In the next post, Eric, Mickey, Mac, Brandon, Jason, and Jim share what they wish they had known at the beginning of their careers that they know now.

Image Credit: Flickr- L. 

Volunteer Your Way to the Career You Want

Image from Pixabay - Creative Commons


“How can I be useful, of what service can I be? There is something inside me, what can it be?”
- Unknown

Over the past 12 years, I have had numerous sports business professionals speak to students in my sports marketing classes. The inevitable question that is asked more than any other is "What advice can you give for someone who wants to break into the sports industry?" Interestingly, the answer to that question does not vary much from one professional to another. The answer heard most often is "get related experience and build a network of professional contacts. There you have it- two secrets to success for working in sports! Of course, the simplicity of gaining experience and building a network is quickly overshadowed by obstacles for doing these things. "How can I get experience" and "Who would give me an opportunity to learn" are examples of questions that stop many would be sports marketers in their tracks, planting self-doubt about one's ability to have a dream career.

Adopt a Service Mindset

 So, how do you gain experience in sports marketing when many open positions seek candidates with experience? Internships are an obvious answer, but they are very competitive to obtain and often unpaid positions. For many students, making a significant 4-6 month time commitment with an organization with zero compensation is not feasible given their financial situation. An alternative is seek out volunteer opportunities, short-term or one-off events that need "sweat equity" from committed volunteers in order to succeed. Volunteers of the unsung heroes of events ranging from a 5K race, to football game day, to a golf tournament. Their work is largely unnoticed and uncompensated, but volunteers benefit from intrinsic rewards of the sense of accomplishment by doing something that adds value to others.

Benefits of Volunteerism

If you are serious about wanting a career in sports marketing, you need to become serious about finding volunteer opportunities. They are more plentiful than internships and are potential learning opportunities. Three benefits you can realize from volunteering are:

1. Low risk way to "kick the tires" - The short term nature of volunteer opportunities allow you to observe what goes on in a particular job or organization. For example, if you have an interest in collegiate athletics but are unsure if that interest translates into career interest, volunteering as support staff on football game days would be a way to get exposed to the responsibilities and tasks performed by employees in a collegiate athletics marketing department. Volunteerism is a form of sampling; you get small quantities of the job experience and can determine if you want to continue down this path or explore other opportunities.
2. Build your skill set - Ultimately, you will be hired for what you can do more than what you know and certainly not for the list of courses you took in college. Volunteerism can take you out of your comfort zone and put us in situations in which you gain experience solving problems, dealing with customers, and meeting deadlines. Your goal is to get off the bench and get in the game; volunteering with sports properties gets you in the action.
3. Expand your network - While volunteerism is thought of primarily for its potential to help you gain experience, do not lose sight of the fact that you will most likely be "performing" in front of other people. For example, several of my students volunteered this past weekend with the Nashville Sports Council in support of its work with the NCAA Women's Final Four. The event is attended by numerous athletic marketing administrators and corporate sponsors, creating potential opportunities to meet important people and engage in networking. I have even had students offered job opportunities (outside of sports) by fans with whom they have interacted while volunteering at sporting events.

Get off the Couch and into the Game

You may be interested in marketing spectator sports, but the marketing side is definitely not a spectator sport. The reality is you probably will not get hired because of the degree and list of courses taken that appear on your résumé. They are necessary, but not sufficient credentials to get hired. To be competitive, you need experience- it's that simple. Take control of gaining experience by converting from spectator to participant and volunteer to position your personal brand to compete in a very crowded space.

Additional reading: Blogging 4 Jobs - Volunteer Your Way to an Internship or First Job

Don't Ask "What If..."

from @jbourne

The Gold medal women's ice hockey game at the 2014 Winter Olympics was an epic battle between Canada and the United States. The Americans built a 2-0 lead and clung to a 2-1 advantage in the last two minutes. Canada pulled their goalie for an extra skater, and a shot from center ice toward the empty net slide harmlessly into the left goalpost with 1:26 remaining. Just 31 seconds later,Canada scored the game-tying goal and went on to win 3-2 in overtime. The photo above shows the puck just after making contact with the post. Mere inches meant the difference between what would have been a surely insurmountable 3-1 USA lead and Canada staying alive with a chance to tie.

What if...

The heartbreaking outcome for the USA women's hockey team brought on the inevitable questions- What if the puck had been a couple of inches to the right? An empty net goal would have sealed the game. Or, what if the USA had tried to skate it farther down ice before shooting? Or, what if... let's stop here- but you get the point- missed opportunities bring out the what if questions. The exercise can be part learning experience, part pity party, and part self destruction. Although we must hold ourselves accountable and assess our performance in all aspects of our lives, we must be careful  when asking ourselves what if questions.

Ask "Why Not?" Instead

If you want to pursue a career in sports business, it will be beneficial to shift the questions you are asking yourself from "what if" to "why not." The what if questions like those coming after the USA's fall in the Gold medal game are natural, but do not let them have too much influence on how your career unfolds. They are reflective in nature and although they are useful for improving performance they can also create regret over missed opportunities. 

I have talked to many students over the years that expressed an interest in working in sports business. Yet, a very small percentage of them follow through on their desires. Often, there are practical reasons such as inability to secure an internship or feeling that a steady income was needed following graduation to pay bills. We can logically defend any decision we make, but we can also find ourselves looking back and asking "What if I had..." 

Breaking into the sports industry is not easy- you have heard stories about hundreds of applicants for a single internship or job. That mountain should not be as much a concern as what you are doing to prepare to compete. When a question like "Why not believe I can be the person chosen for an internship or job?" guides your career preparation, you are more likely to engage in activities that will develop knowledge, skills, and relationships that will help you reach your goal. Yes, sometimes you will hit the post and miss, but at least you are in the game shooting for the goal you aspire to reach.

How to Have a Career in Sport Marketing? Butt In

I was fortunate to attend the Sport Marketing Association annual conference in Albuquerque two weeks ago. In addition to meeting sport marketing colleagues and learning about the latest scholarly research, I was particularly excited about the keynote speaker for the conference's concluding session. Jon Spoelstra has been someone whose work I have admired for a long time. I took a copy of his book Marketing Outrageously to class last week and marveled at the number of sticky notes I had placed throughout the book marking all of the "important stuff." Spoelstra built an impressive track record as a master of selling tickets with the Portland Trail Blazers, New Jersey Nets, Sacramento Kings, and in minor league baseball as an executive with Mandalay Entertainment Group. I knew his presentation would be good, and he did not disappoint. You can see for yourself here- watch the Livestream capture of his address from the Sports Business Education Network.

Best Advice Ever
The highlight of Jon Spoelstra's presentation was his response to a question from the audience about what advice he would give to students aspiring to work in sport marketing. Rather than touching on the often cited suggestions to build a network of contacts and gain experience, Spoelstra's response touched on the mindset needed to approach pursuing a career in the industry. He said "If you feel like you belong, butt in." His advice is refreshing and inspirational. The deck is stacked against anyone attempting to break into the profession; numbers are tossed around about the ratio of applicants to positions for jobs and internships. The long odds alone are enough to discourage many students from pursuing sport business as a career path. But, for those students who are willing to follow Jon Spoelstra's suggestion to "butt in," you can chart a course for beginning a career in sport business.

How to Butt In
The advice to butt in if you feel like you belong is refreshing; it should give hope to aspiring sport marketers everywhere. Now for the heavy lifting- how do you prepare to butt in? Below are five things you can do starting today if you are not doing them already:

1. A daily reading routine - Utilize readers like Feedly, Zite, or Flipboard to compile a collection of articles, blogs, and websites related to sport business. Just as stock market investors keep on top of developments in companies and industries, you need to build a knowledge base of firms and executives that are the "players" in the industry.
2. Join LinkedIn groups - You have likely been advised to join LinkedIn (if not consider yourself advised). But do more than join, seek out groups that are related to your interests. Join the groups, then actively read discussions and take the plunge of participating in discussions by commenting on others' posts, asking questions, or starting new discussion threads. You can join up to 50 groups with a free LinkedIn account. Some people join a large number of groups, while others choose to limit their participation to a small number. Take the approach that feels right for you, but be sure to do it!
3. Use Twitter for professional development - Twitter is an interesting social networking site; you can do anything from post photos of your lunch to follow the musings of your favorite singer or athlete. But Twitter also can be used as a learning resource. Follow companies, media outlets, and industry pros to learn more about what is going on in sport marketing. Also, be a contributor by sharing links to articles or other information that would be of interest to sport marketers.
4. Follow industry-specific Twitter chats - Take your Twitter use to another level by following sport business hashtags (e.g., #sportsbiz, #smsports, #sportjc, #sponsorship, and brand-specific hashtags like #NFL and #NBA). Tweets using hashtags like these bring sport-specific content to you. Hashtags also identify Twitter chats, usually weekly real time gatherings of people interested in a particular aspect of sport marketing. If you think you have nothing to say or contribute, no worries. Begin by listening to others and getting to know the participants in the community.Three Twitter chats you should check out include:

#sbchat (Sundays at 9:30 pm Eastern)

#sportjc (Mondays at 8:00 pm Eastern 

#smsportschat (Thursdays at 9:30 pm Eastern)

5. Find a Mentor - Reading and observing can be valuable in building a knowledge base and becoming better versed in the workings of sport marketing. However, there is really no substitute for connecting with someone who is already where you want to be or knows how to help you get there. If you do not know someone who could be a mentor to you, seek out the guidance of industry professionals as you encounter them online. A mentor-mentee relationship takes time to develop; an initial contact with someone that begins with "Will you mentor me?" is not the way to obtain a mentor... but it might be effective in scaring away prospects. Be patient and work on making contacts and building relationships.

The Choice is Yours
It is important not to confuse Jon Spoelstra's encouragement to butt in with a sense of entitlement. You will have to prepare for a chance to butt in and prove your worth once you do it. The good news is that these variables are under your control. Preparing to butt in will reduce your fears and make the process less intimidating. One of my favorite quotes fits here- Zig Ziglar said "No one can make you feel inferior without your permission." Similarly, no one can tell you that you do not belong in sports marketing unless you give them permission to make that assessment. If you have prepared to butt in and are willing to make multiple attempts to butt in if initial efforts are unsuccessful, you have a much better chance at succeeding than your competitors who bail when the road to a sport marketing career is blocked.

Embrace Rejection in Your Career

So the headline does not offer much encouragement, no? If you are a student aspiring to work in sports business, it is not much fun to have someone throw water on your vision.  But, you have probably heard stories about there being 100-plus applicants for a single internship or entry level position. The odds are stacked heavily against the field. The competition is enough to scare off many of your would be competitors, but many remain with whom you will battle for opportunities.

You Will Be Rejected
Rejection is a given, not just in sports business but in any pursuit. In the book Choose Yourself, James Altucher discusses how rejection will find you... and that is normal. Whether it is trying to find a publisher for a book, line up a buyer for a business, or convince someone to hire you, rejection is an outcome to be expected- often happening many times over. The key, according to Altucher, is how you respond when you are rejected (notice that is "when" and not "if"). Your response may make the difference between rejection winning out and you persevering.

Using Rejection to Your Advantage
When you experience rejection, accept it is part of life and resolve to use it to your benefit. Three ways you can make rejection be a matter of turning lemons into lemonade are:

1. Improve - Rejection can trigger external attribution for why you did not meet your goal. Instead of pointing to other people or factors, look at the person in the mirror. James Altucher says to ask yourself what are 10 things you can do to improve. Let rejection make you stronger.
2. Ask for Advice - People around you including friends, teachers, and mentors can help by giving you feedback on how you can become stronger at whatever it is you are trying to accomplish. If you apply for an internship or job and did not get an offer following an interview, ask the interviewer if he or she can provide feedback on why you were not selected and how you can improve (going back to #1).
3. Dance with Failure - Rejection may not be as detrimental to our future as our reaction to it. When you are rejected, do you slam yourself for inadequacies? Blame those idiots that did not choose you? Or, do you look at these disappointments as opportunities to learn and get better? I won't go so far as to say that failure is your friend, but given that it will cross paths with you why not learn to co-exist with it and use it to better position yourself for future opportunities?

You have probably heard stories about successful people overcoming rejection. Colonel Harlan Sanders could not find any takers for his fried chicken, so he started KFC. Fred Smith got a C on a paper at Yale University in which he proposed a business that would use aircraft to deliver packages overnight (he later founded FedEx). Likewise, if you are trying to launch a career in sports business, you are almost certain to be rejected. Accept it, deal with it, and use rejection to move you toward your career goals.

Don't Strike Out with Your Lead-Off Communication when Networking

If you ask sports business professionals for advice on how one can best position himself or herself to work in the industry, to a person their advice will include something about building a network of contacts. What you know is important because it will ultimately determine your performance, but who you know is crucial for providing "foot in the door" opportunities to launch your career. A valuable tool for networking today is LinkedIn.It is a valuable networking platform for professionals. LinkedIn expands our connectivity by removing geographic barriers to interacting with other people who have shared interests. LinkedIn extends the reach of our personal brands, increasing exposure in the marketplace and potentially leading to new opportunities.

For students, practitioners, and scholars in sports business, social networking sites like LinkedIn provide opportunities to learn, share best practices, and position your personal brand to compete for jobs. Among the features of LinkedIn that activate these opportunities is LinkedIn Groups. For example, a search of the term "sports business" returned 711 results. The point is that if you want to network with others interested in some aspect of sports business, there is probably a group you can join. And, if there is not, you can start one!

All of the benefits mentioned about LinkedIn are contingent on one thing: Applying common sense networking principles. Unfortunately, not everyone uses their common sense, and they fail to realize the full potential LinkedIn holds as a connector of people.

What not to Say
How do people fail with LinkedIn? The number one mistake can be summed up in the following phrase:

I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

Yuck! This phrase, the default networking language LinkedIn has crafted for its users, is disastrous for your personal brand when it is used as a stand-alone invitation to connect with someone. Yes, it seems innocent enough, and the statement does specify what you want. But, this "pick up line" can be interpreted in other ways:

• You are lazy - It is too much trouble for you to write a personalized note explaining why you want to connect
• You want something - The other person has no idea about your motives for reaching out because you have given no explanation for the invitation connection.
• You are not really interested in adding to your contacts - Without showing some interest and effort, you seem to be going through the motions of networking.

The only thing worse than getting this impersonal LinkedIn connection request is getting it from this person:

Do you recognize him or her? Worse yet, is this you? I know you are much better looking than this silhouette. I don't want to network with graphics, I want to network with real people!

Make it Personal

When reaching out to someone with a connection request on LinkedIn, approach it as you would a face-to-face encounter. A personalized message is essential to making a positive first impression. Give the person on the other end a reason to want to connect with you. Among the critical elements of a connection request are:

• Delete LinkedIn's connection template and replace with a message in your own words
• Introduce yourself
• State a common interest or common connections such as you are both members of a particular LinkedIn group
• Briefly explain why you wish to connect

Let's face it, you would not initiate communication with someone you do not know in the following ways:

• Hi, I'm Sharon- will you hire me?
• This is Joe here- will you marry me?
• My name is Steve- can you lend me $10,000?

A very simple definition of networking is "building good relationships." Commit to using LinkedIn as a channel to do just that. In order to build relationships, focus on communication quality. Make your interactions personal and show genuine interest in others. Online networking might be relatively new, but it is built on timeless principles of human relationships. Take an interest in others, make your personal brand personal, and enjoy the process of building good relationships.

Note: This post is adapted from a post on the Marketing DR Blog from September 11, 2013.

Pursue a Master(y) of Sports Business

If I had a dollar for every student that came to my office over the past 15 years to express their desire to work in sports business, I am pretty sure I would have a lot of dollars. Many students are attracted to sports business as a career opportunity given their affinity for sports as a fan and/or participant. If I were a student today, I would be one of those persons showing up at my professor's door to profess my desire to work in sports, too. Thousands of students across the country have those feelings, too. In other words, there is a great deal of competition to land the "dream job" that you want.

Don't Rely on Your Dream
It has been said that a dream without a plan is just a wish. You cannot wish your way into working in the sports industry (or any industry, for that matter). So how do you avoid making sure the emotions that guided you to consider a career in sports business are supported with action. Within you resides the potential to bring your dream to life. One way that you can do this is described in the book Drive by Daniel Pink. A significant intrinsic motivator is mastery. Pink defines mastery as the desire to get better at something that matters. A commitment to continuous improvement nudges us to move closer to the top of whatever field in which we are competing. Pink shares a quote from Olympic distance runner gold medal winner Sebastian Coe in which he describes how he practiced mastery:

"Throughout my athletics career, the overall goal was always to be a better athlete than I was at that moment- whether next week, next month or next year. The improvement was the goal."

When you adopt a mastery mindset, the goal of improvement is a moving target. You reset improvement benchmarks as they are reached.

Striving for Mastery in Sports Business
For college students on the cusp of launching their professional careers, now is the time to commit to a mastery mindset. What can you do to earn a master(y) of sports business? Three priorities are:

1. Read - See yourself as a sponge that wants to develop as much knowledge about the sports industry as possible. Books, magazines, blogs, podcasts, tweets- consume information on sports business from all available resources.
2. Share - Participate on social networking sites by sharing some of the insights you obtain through your continuous learning efforts. Share links to articles, interesting infographics, or inspirational quotes, whatever you find interesting and valuable others will, too.
3. Meet - Continuous learning cannot occur in a vacuum. Your commitment to mastery will benefit by putting yourself in front of other people, both in face-to-face and online environments. Remember that Charles "Tremendous" Jones said "you will be the same person in five years that you are today except for the people you meet and books you read." 

Sign up today to pursue a mastery of sports business. The potential benefits for your professional development are immeasurable yet undeniable.

What is Networking?

If you were to ask 100 sports business professionals their advice on how students can best prepare for a career in the industry, two responses are nearly universal:

1. Get experience
2. Build a professional network of contacts

Both pieces of advice are outstanding and among the most useful a student can receive. If you teach sports marketing or sports management, there is a feeling of validation experienced when guest speakers tell students about the importance of experience and networking. But, that does not help meet the pressing challenge of grasping what networking is and how to go about building a professional network.

Networking is...
Whether done face-to-face or online, networking sounds a bit mysterious to the newcomer who is about to launch his or her professional career. Questions arise like "Who do I network with?" and "What am I supposed to do?" are not uncommon. Let's remove the mystery- I like the description of networking given by Terrance Williams in a post on the blog New Grad Life: Networking is building good relationships."  Networking is not about how many business cards you can collect or how many "big name" connections you have on LinkedIn. It is an ongoing process of relationship building with people who share common interests and goals.

Students' Views of Networking
I have included networking as a component in my undergraduate sports marketing course for the past four years. The emergence of LinkedIn as a social networking site for business professionals coupled with the importance networking in the sports industry prompted me to incorporate networking into my class. I quickly realized that students' familiarity with social media via their Facebook usage did not prepare them to be successful at networking on LinkedIn. In fact, I was unsure how prepared they were to network in general.

I address this uncertainty by collecting data on students views of networking. Each semester, I gather data on networking about two weeks into the class. I distribute a survey with three items:

1. Complete the following sentence: Networking is _____.
2. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being very uncomfortable and 10 being very comfortable, I would rate my comfort level with networking with people face-to-face as a _____ because _____.
3. What I need to become better at networking is _____. 

Transaction or Relationship?
Extending the marketing literature to networking yields two views:

1. Transactional - Networking is exchange of information or influence for short-term benefit
2. Relational - Networking activities are not outcome dependent; they are done to build mutually beneficial relationships

A content analysis of students' definitions of networking finds that the transactional view dominates- 74% of definitions collected use words that are consistent with a transactional view of networking. Only 32% of definitions make reference to relational characteristics of networking (The fact that the sum exceeds 100% reflects that some students had transactional and relational characteristics in their definitions).

Networking as Transaction. Here are two definitions representative of a transactional view of networking:

• "Seizing every opportunity to professionally connect with an individual providing you with valuable professional contacts. It's a small world."
• "Building a contact base with several people that could lead to more future contacts."

 These definitions are consistent with perceptions of networking as being like notches, with the objective to acquire as many notches as possible, that they are like prizes in some way.

Networking as Relationship. While most definitions emphasized networking as a transaction, some students come into networking with an understanding of its relational benefits:

• Making advantageous relationships.”
• When you go around engaging with other business people to form a relationship. This relationship can be the start of a friendship as well as a great career opportunity."

Like the transactional view, networking as a relationship acknowledges there are times we will make "withdrawls" to benefit us (e.g., request a recommendation letter or ask for an introduction to a prospective employer). But, we also need to make deposits with people in our network, otherwise our goodwill account can become overdrawn!

Quantity versus Quality
The distinction between networking as transaction or relationship can be described as a quantity versus quality issue- should we focus on building a large network or develop a smaller one with deeper interactions? There are merits to both sides of the question, and some might even answer "both." Don't let this question stifle your networking efforts, though. You can figure out the answer that serves you better as your networking progresses, but either way get off the couch or from behind the screen and network!

Encourage Graduates to be Tremendous

College graduation season is upon us. It is an exciting time as students and their families celebrate the culmination of a journey that entailed hours of attending classes, engaging in studying, taking exams, and writing papers. Graduation closes one chapter and serves as a bridge to the next- the launch of one's professional career. This year, that bridge has the stability of a monkey bridge as competition is stout for entry level opportunities. The National Association of Colleges and Employers projects that 1,791,000 students will graduate college in 2013, and the employment outlook for new college graduates is not very promising. One estimate puts the number of new graduates being hired this year at 2.1 percent higher than 2012 but far short of an earlier projection of a 13 percent rise. The realities of the current labor market require new grads to think about how to best position their personal brand to stand out.

My advice to this year's college graduates (and anyone else working on their personal brand) is simply "Be Tremendous." The inspiration for this advice is Charlie "Tremendous" Jones. He was a top insurance salesman before beginning his own personal development company. He also was an author; his book Life is Tremendous has sold nearly 2 million copies since its release in 1968. Jones was a voracious reader and encouraged others to do the same to build knowledge and expand thinking. He pointed out that the average American reads one or two books a year, so if we read one book a month we put ourselves far ahead the norm.

Quotes are a form of "mind candy." They provide quick bursts of energy and focus that can help shake us from the doldrums. For me, Charlie "Tremendous" Jones is the source of one of the most powerful quotes I have ever come across:

 "You are the same today as you'll be in five years except for two things: The books you read and the people you meet."

College graduates working on launching their professional career will be well served to follow Jones's advice. While one's college career might signal the conclusion of formal education, we should never cease in our quest to learn. Reading books is crucial to broadening our horizons. Yes, we want to expand our knowledge in our chosen field, but reading in general is beneficial to furthering intellectual development.

When it comes to the people you meet, students aspiring to become sports business professionals are well versed in the importance of networking to make contacts that can lead to an entry level opportunity. Social networking sites such as LinkedIn expand the geographic reach and ease of connecting with others. At the same time, face-to-face networking remains a powerful connector. Expanding your network is vital, but keep in mind the important outcome is now who you know, but who knows you. Go beyond a commitment to meet people and strive to add value to the people you meet.

Best wishes to the Class of 2013. You have worked hard and now your time has come... your time to Be Tremendous, that is.

Sell Your Brand, not Your Objective

Today is May 1- graduation month for thousands of college students. It is a rite of passage from being a student to embarking on a professional career. And, a time to craft one's story for prospective employers. The traditional vehicle for communicating our personal brand story is the résumé. That document forces us to reduce our education, experiences, accomplishments, and interests to a single page. It is almost scary to think about how influential one page is in deciding whether an applicant is considered or cast aside. The significance of one's résumé getting noticed is even greater for aspiring sports marketing professionals given the high number of applicants for any given open position.

It is crucial to write a résumé that sells your brand. That challenge begins with the manner in which you introduce your brand. The standard "headline" on a résumé is an objective statement. It is usually a one-sentence pronouncement of what the person seeks. And, most objective statements are boring and full of abstract language. The result? The résumé writer has succeeded in sounding like most other people but have done little to communicate their value. In fact, many career and human resources experts say leave the objective statement off the résumé because it does little to define the person.

You need a headline that introduces your brand to prospective employers, but an objective statement just does not cut it. Here is an alternative suggested by Todd Henry, a creativity expert and author of The Accidental Creative. Henry advocates writing a 7-word bio. The idea is simple: distill want you do and who you are into a 7-word description. I see it as a cross between mission and position. More importantly, it has much more potential to define who you are and how you uniquely add value than the standard objective statement. Drilling down to 7 words forces us to strip away words we likely do not use otherwise that make their way into objective statements. In other words, cut to the chase and define who you are. What is the payoff of having a 7-word bio? It provides grounding and focus that guides decisions on what you adopt as priorities and how you manage relationships.

If you know a graduate preparing to launch his or her career, please share the idea of a 7-word bio. More importantly, the 7-word bio concept is not limited in usefulness to résumés. All of us can bring clarity to our personal brand by thinking in these terms. What are your 7 words?

You Can't Fake Culture

Each semester, students in my sports marketing class make a short presentation about a sports marketing agency that they have researched. This “show and tell” exercise gives the class exposure to 20-plus companies serving the sports industry. The idea is to broaden their perspective on the breadth of career opportunities available in sports marketing. At the same time, students are exposed to the “players” in the industry.

The last presentations for the semester were made yesterday, and a student, Amanda, gave an enthusiastic presentation about The MarketingArm, the Dallas-based agency that helps clients create activation programs for their sponsorshsips. Perhaps the most striking takeaway from Amanda’s sharing of The Marketing Arm’s work is the unmistakable influence of the organization’s culture. The Marketing Arm takes great pride in its culture; events such as bowling day, cookie day and spring break trips serve to energize employees and reward them for their hard work. It is not surprising that the agency has one several awards for its creative work as well as recognition as a great place to work.

One characteristic of organization culture is that it cannot be faked. Sure, employees can put on a good show if a visitor shows up, but in general the shared values that guide and influence how a firm conducts business are enduring- culture cannot be turned on and off. Organization culture sets the agenda for what is important. For The Marketing Arm, it is evident that its people are important. After all, the company’s output is not a product that rolls off an assembly line; it is the creative efforts of employees working to deliver profitable ideas for clients.

We want students who aspire to work in sports business to make it, to achieve their dreams. But, it is also rewarding to see them happy and fulfilled. Getting an opportunity to break into sports is one thing, but being able to do so with an organization whose culture values employees (especially early career professionals (can be the difference between having a job in sports marketing and having a professional career in sports marketing. Checking out potential employers in sports marketing should include asking the culture questions- What are the underlying shared values that guide the organization? How is culture reinforced in manager-employee interactions? How does culture impact how customers and clients are served?

Kudos, The Marketing Arm, for your efforts to establish a culture that is employee-focused. You impressed students in my class! 

Find the Best Boss to Advance Your Career

In the concluding chapter of Sports Marketing, a panel of sports industry veterans who contributed to development of the textbook were asked questions about career planning and management. The questions came from undergraduate sports marketing students, and the experts gave candid, insightful advice. Students had the luxury of tapping the wisdom of experts including:

• Rob Farinella, Blue Sky Agency
• Jeff Hennion, Branding Brand
• Tom Hoof, Tampa Bay Rays
• Terry Lefton, Sports Business Journal
• Tony Ponturo, Kirmser Ponturo Group

The feedback shared by the industry experts gives students the benefit of years of working side-by-side with clients, colleagues, and of course, aspiring sports business professionals. Of all the advice given by the panel, I believe the most memorable thought came from Kathy Carter, president of Soccer United Marketing.  She was asked the following question:

Which would you recommend to someone starting out—look for a job you want or take any job you can find?

Carter's response fits whether the industry is sports, retailing, financial management... you name it:

 "I would look for the very best boss. Find someone who will take an interest in you and in your ability to learn and experience the business. Working with, or for, someone who challenges you to be better, supports your growth, and celebrates your achievements is far more important than the logo or the title on your card."

Finding the very best boss is a criterion that many early career professionals will likely overlook. Other criteria tend to rise to the top of their concerns including advancement opportunities, culture, and of course, compensation. But, if you have been in your career for a while you can appreciate the value of Carter's advice. Bosses come in all stripes- supportive, aloof, egotistical, indifferent, and downright bad- just to name a few.

The right boss has obvious value in terms of mentoring and shaping a person at a pivotal career stage, but how can you gauge whether a boss will help you develop your abilities? One indicator is to look at the paths taken by people who have worked under a particular boss. Are they moving into positions of greater responsibility over time, or are they stagnant in the organization? Or, if they are moving up by moving to other organizations, are they leaving because of lack of opportunities or lack of mentoring?

Another way to seek what you are looking for in a boss is to consider the mentors that have influenced you. What traits or leadership styles of these people had the most impact on you? If you recognize how bosses, teachers, and other mentors have contributed to your development to this point you can more confidently assess how a prospective boss might help you in the early stages of your sports business career.

Look for the very best boss- you don't know if you will find him or her but one thing is certain: You cannot get where you want to go all by yourself. Your superiors will play a role in determining whether you go on to have a long, prosperous career or if you just go on.

Your Story is Your Brand

Yesterday, my friend and colleague Dr. Colby Jubenville spoke to my sports marketing students. His visit has become a tradition in my class as I look to Colby to share his insights as a former football coach and mentor to graduate sport management students. Among the points Colby made to the class was the importance of telling your story. After all, our personal brand and identity are comprised largely of the stories of the events, trials, and accomplishments of our lives. Our story makes each of us unique, enabling us to stand out in a crowded field of personal brands that all want the same thing: a shot at working in sports business.

One of the most poignant suggestions Dr. Jubenville made with regard to the importance of our brand story is that if it is difficult to tell or reads more like a short story than a novel, we must work on creating more content. How? By getting off the couch or from behind the screen and experiencing life! For students aspiring to launch a career in sports business, it means acquiring relevant experiences and becoming immersed in the industry. A suggestion that fits point was made by Rob Farinella, founder and president of Atlanta-based Blue Sky Agency, who says people wanting to work in sports business should become a fan of sports business. Read publications and blogs on sports marketing, follow sports business professionals on Twitter, join relevant groups on LinkedIn. In other words, let sports business consume you like baseball fanatics track batting averages and ERA. The knowledge gained and interactions experienced if this strategy is followed will help in building one's brand as a prospective sports business professional.

In addition to committing to following sports business, we build brand stories through what we do. For students wanting to position themselves for sports business careers that means attending presentations by business experts (regardless of whether it is sports related), reaching out to meet and learn from people already in the industry, and volunteering to gain experiences that add to knowledge. Our stories arise from what happen to us; it is hard to write a story about "nothing"... unless you are Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza!

We should always be working on our brand story. One of the best pieces of advice is this quote from Charles "Tremendous" Jones: "You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read." You are author of the most important story that needs to be told- your personal brand story. Your story is your brand; prepare for your career now by working on the stories that define you.

I Want to Work in Sports Marketing, but...

If you are a professor or a mentor and have heard this sentence before, how does it end? The sentence ending I hear most often is both surprising and concerning. Many students end up at my office door, sent to me by colleagues who know that I am "the sports marketing guy." As I talk with students, almost all of them profess a love of sports and a desire to do something business-related in the sports industry. The "but" that is a concern is when students say "I want to work in sports marketing, but I don't want to work in sales." The concern with this statement, especially when it is coming from marketing students, is a failure to recognize that marketing and sales are hopelessly intertwined.

Too many students have a view of sales being a distinct (and undesirable) activity separate from marketing. What factors are behind this misguided perception of sales? Perhaps it is stereotypes of salespeople being pushy, self-absorbed people concerned only with making quotas and commissions. Or, maybe it is a view of salespeople intruding on buyers, trying to persuade them to buy something that they may not want or need. Whatever the source of the negative perceptions of the sales profession, aspiring sports marketing professionals seriously limit their opportunities to break into the field when they exclude sales.

I have observed this stance on sales taken by many students over the years, but I wondered if by chance it was a phenomenon limited only to my campus. Apparently it is not as I learned in a conversation with a team ticket sales executive recently. He shared with me that he had attended a networking event at which he spoke with many college students. An alarming theme in many of his conversations was that students had little interest in working in ticket sales despite their avowed desire for a career in sports marketing.

As a follow-up to his experience at the networking event, the ticket sales executive conducted an informal survey of peers in other organizations. His goal was to find out what proportion of total sports marketing jobs in an organization were in the sales area. He found that 37% of all professional positions involved sales. Many of the remaining positions were made up of non-marketing roles such as accounting, legal, and human resources. One position for which there was limited opportunity was marketing, the very field that so many college students wish to pursue.

The purpose of this post is not to discourage any student for pursuing a career in sports marketing. Rather, it is a call to those of us who mentor future sports marketing professionals to examine how we teach sales as well as understand students' perceptions about the sales profession. Do students really understand the role of sales in an organization's marketing strategy? What are their beliefs about what salespeople do? For example, do they view salespeople as problem solvers, assisting buyers in satisfying their needs and wants? Or, is their view of salespeople based on negative stereotypes? Of course, educators must depict the realities of ticket sales. But, we have the ability to mold students' attitudes about selling and equip them to compete for coveted entry-level sales positions in sports organizations.