advanced theory and practice in sport marketing - Marshalls University

FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE – Continued
Football, the different ticket plans and the pricing structure. Next, to help us
prepare for anything we might encounter when calling, we role-played potential
phone scenarios. The compensation plan consisted of an hourly wage,
commission and bonuses for added motivation. The sales board, displayed for
everyone to see, created a competitive atmosphere. Although the nightly 4hour
calling shift could be extremely dull and monotonous, I developed some
great phone skills. I would later learn from a well-established business mogul
that the phone can be a businessperson’s best tool.
Week after week I was consistently atop the leader board in sales. Being
from Connecticut, I used my hometown roots to help drive sales and began
to inquire about group sales and sponsorship. These were not sales that fell
under our job description so the initiative was immediately recognized. I was
also given the opportunity to become the production assistant for the team’s
weekly television show. This was a volunteer position but I knew the experience
was more valuable then any pay could have been. Before long I was
offered a full-time position as the team’s Director of Group Sales and
Marketing. I was not very excited to stay in Connecticut but I knew that the
opportunity was unique and the experience would be worth the sacrifice.
At the end of my first season in Connecticut the team was purchased by a
group of businessmen and relocated to Manchester, New Hampshire. Most
all of the staff and the local partnering organizations were not aware that
this move was going to take place until only a week or two before it was officially
announced. I was given the opportunity to move along with the club or
take on a position with another team already established in the league. I
chose to move with my team because I wanted to gain the experience of
working in a completely new market. I was in for more than I could ever
imagine. I came to find out that starting a new team is very similar to running
a political campaign.
The team had to be introduced to the public, gain their respect and to win
their support. This was even more challenging because many citizens of this
new state had never even heard of Arena Football. The NFL was hugely popular,
but few knew whether or not we were bringing legitimate professional
football or an unorganized and contrived product that resembled the XFL.
Our mission became proving ourselves as a sport and organization.
We began with a press conference at the team’s new arena. Opening 2
years prior, the building was already one of the busiest in the world for its
size and represented re-growth and prosperity in a city that was experiencing
a renaissance. During our first official public appearance as an organization
it was important to position ourselves with this great arena and everything it
meant to the people of the city.
On that day I was introduced to the eight local owners, all of which had
grown up in the area and become very successful in their respective businesses.
Although the team was not yet established, the ownership group had been
36 ADVANCED THEORY AND PRACTICE IN SPORT MARKETING