Today’s guest blog comes from Bess Brodsky, a seasoned sports industry professional whose career includes senior marketing and sponsorship roles at Madison Square Garden, US Soccer and ESPN. Currently, Bess is working as a career coach and freelance consultant in the industry, with a focus on career counseling and executive search in the sports, entertainment and media industries. In the week leading up to the Business of Sports New York Networking Event on January 13, 2010, Bess has graciously listed out some key items to remember about networking.

The word “Networking” conjures up both positive and negative reactions.  The word itself has to be the most used and probably least understood term used in the midst of a job search or career change. If you are effective at networking, it can result in an ever increasing number of people supporting and advancing your cause to reach your desired career goal. It is crucial to keep that single thought in mind when meeting people in yours (or other) industries. I say “other” industries because  “you never know who knows who”. It is one of the most effective means of finding a job, especially in the current marketplace.  So what is networking?

• Connecting with people and then nurturing those relationships
• Tapping into the hidden job market through other people (learning about opportunities never advertised!)
• Learning about career fields and jobs
• Pooling resources from an ever-growing number of sources (ones you never thought of)
• Figuring out how to be creative in reaching out and expanding your contacts

Networking is not asking for a job, walking into someone’s office, sending a resume or making a cold-call.

A few of the key benefits of networking are that most jobs are never advertised (it is estimated that about 10-15 % are advertised in print and another 10-15 % online). Through networking with others you not only are able to learn about specific positions, companies, industries, career fields and career paths, but you are also able to gain insight into current industry trends without the primary focus being to land a job. You gain a sense of the career field, the company culture and figure out if you are a “fit” with a specific company. By reaching out to your network, and expanding to others, you get your name out there and open doors to others. By letting people know you are actively networking, your contacts are likely to think of you when they hear about appropriate job opportunities. Finally, networking allows you to gain confidence in your ability to describe your interests, skills and value when meeting others. 

Networking is not for everyone and many people really hate it or simply don’t do it because they say they aren’t good at it. Here’s a list I recently read of why people hate to network: 

• Fear of rejection – using appropriate networks and techniques, this is unlikely. What’s the worst that happens if someone refuses to meet or speak with you? Move on to someone else, but don’t give up too quickly. An email and follow-up calls over the course of a week or two are not overdoing it.
• Fear of failure – there is no failure when the goal is appropriately set. What is your goal in networking? NOT to find a job, but to gain the exposure and to learn as much as possible, and to build relationships.
• Fear of sounding / appearing “stupid” – networking and informational interviewing are sound, legitimate job search techniques. If you are prepared (knowing yourself, knowing a bit about the target industry or company, and having intelligent questions to pose), you will effectively articulate your goals and come away from each “meeting” with information and additional contacts.
• Fear of bothering / taking up someone’s time – think of networking reciprocally! You are wisely utilizing someone’s time. Your contact would not agree to meet with you if s/he weren’t willing to help. That contact may come to you for help sometime in the future, and you will undoubtedly return the favor!
• Fear of making a negative impression – unlikely if you are well prepared for the meeting. However, just like a “real” interview, you might not connect with the interviewer. Focus on positives and the goals you have set for the meeting.
• Fear of being asked questions – It is very likely that you will be asked questions about yourself and your career goals. Be prepared to answer sincerely.
• Fear of overstepping boundaries – think of informational interviewing simply as a way to gather information; prepare questions that engage your contact and result in better mutual understanding. Stay away from inappropriate questions such as personal salary inquiries or requests for specific job help. Everything else that enhances your understanding of a person’s career, current position, company or field is legitimate.
• Fear that it is a barrier to a “real job” or that it doesn’t count! Too many people network their way to their next job through this process for it NOT to count! For younger people and career changers, this is the best means to learn about new career fields, jobs, companies, trends, and more. For other job seekers, it is a critical step towards making the connections that may count immediately or at some future time.

So, how do you take this advice and make it work for you at an industry/trade networking event like “The Business of Sports” that you may be attending this Wednesday?

You need to be focused on what your “elevator pitch” is when you meet people, but be sure to make it brief. Plan and practice your opener. Discuss with a friend, colleague, or counselor first if desired. More importantly, after you finish your pitch, take the time to listen and learn about the people you are meeting.  Many people just talk about themselves, where they worked, what they did and that is OK if you are responding to their question, but be succinct.  If their company or job is of interest to you, nicely ask if you could have their card to follow up with them. Do not ask them for a job right on the spot (which believe it or not people do). If you get a sense from listening to them that they may know someone at a company you are interested in, it is appropriate to nicely say something like, “Wow, that’s interesting. I was wondering in your role if you might know anyone at X company. Whom do you recommend I contact for additional information?” .  If they agree to help, YOU should offer to do the follow up.  This applies also when meeting someone during a networking meeting.  The people whose advice and assistance you are asking for are often busy.  If you make the follow-up easy for them, it will not be a burden for them to help you.  “That’s great, I’ll follow up with any email”.  They are helping YOU so it is critical to make this as easy as possible for the other party.

Make sure you have biz cards on you so people can follow up with you. As you meet people, or follow-up with them following an event, you should also ask if they are aware of any other trade/industry organizations that might be helpful in your networking efforts/job search.  Following the event, jot down a few notes on the back of the card to remind you where you met them and what the follow up action is. This might sound silly, but I attend a lot of events and it’s helpful to remember this info. And finally, when you get that networking meeting, remember to establish  your credibility and honesty.  State your background relative to the area of which you are speaking. Be clear you are involved in a job search.  Make sure your request is non-threatening. You are asking for information with no expectation of possible job openings or referrals.

Be yourself, have fun at the event and make sure if you tell someone you will follow up with them you do. Be persistent with your follow-up but not pesty!  Maintain connections. Nurture the relationships by staying in touch and letting them know where you “land!”   And last but not least, BE PATIENT.  Networking takes time but the benefits can be HUGE.  Good luck!!

Bess can be contacted at bessbrodsky@aol.com.

Today’s guest blog comes from Ben Goss, an associate professor in the entertainment management program in the College of Business Administration at Missouri State University. A full description of Goss can be found at the bottom of the blog.

Before a crowd of over 200 attendees, on last Thursday, the John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University hosted a panel called Sport Business & Soccer.

The panel helped SLU mark 50 years since the inception of its powerhouse men’s collegiate soccer program, 60 years (in 2010) since the historic 1-0 U.S. win over England in the 1950 World Cup (a team that featured five St. Louis natives), and the launching of the school’s sport business certificate academic program in 2010.

Incidentally, the panel was convened the same week that the city’s new North American Soccer League was officially named AC St. Louis.

Tim Hayden, chief marketing officer of AC St. Louis, organized the panel. Hayden will also teach the first sport business course in the new curriculum during the Spring 2010 semester.

Panelists included:
• Jeff Cooper, Chair of AC St. Louis
• Dan Flynn, CEO/General Secretary of U.S. Soccer
• Bruce Hudson, former head of sport marketing for Anheuser-Busch
• Frank Viverito, president of the St. Louis Sports Commission
• Mark Santel, executive director of St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Club
• Dan Donigan, head men’s soccer coach at Saint Louis University

ESPN soccer announcer Bill McDermott (also of St. Louis Athletica and the Columbus Crew) emceed the panel, spreading and guiding the discussion across several major topics, which are encapsulated below.

From left to right: McDermott, Donigan, Santel, Hudson, Viverito, Flynn, Cooper

Sport of Soccer
Culture was an early common theme among panelists’ answers.
 
Cooper fired a strong early statement almost from the beginning as he called soccer a tribal sport that was unquestionably the biggest element for social change, including religion.

Donigan echoed this sentiment, calling soccer “a cultural enterprise,” as did McDermott, who noted, “Americans are big event people.”

Soccer in the U.S.
Much of the panel discussion was woven around discussion of the state of the sport of soccer within the United States, often soliciting or necessitating answers from Flynn, who noted that the sport of soccer currently lacks relevance in the U.S. 365 days a year.

When asked what forces would be necessary to change that, Flynn replied, “Owners, television, and consumers will make it relevant,” acknowledging that despite widespread grassroots participation, soccer traditionally lags as a good spectator sport. 

In addressing the more problematic aspects of soccer within American culture, Flynn noted that the pay-to-play youth development model is probably the biggest hurdle of development of the sport in the United States.

Another hurdle faced by the sport within the U.S., Flynn opined, was the lack of a uniform national style of play enjoyed by many other nations, which he said varied here because of a diversity of temperature across the American geographic zones.

Flynn also emphasized that, while Americans possessed a great deal of enthusiasm and effort, as a national group, they must improve fundamental technical aspects of their play, citing the crucial nature of instruction for the 6-12 year-old age group.

He also praised the development academy model such as the one planned by AC St. Louis, which he said would likely address that issue over time, a sentiment echoed by Santel.

Flynn also wistfully noted that overzealous parental involvement could be as problematic in soccer as in any other youth sport.

Concerning the advancement of the U.S. Soccer team in its prelude to World Cup competition, Hudson said he believed that the global perception of the U.S. as soccer nation was improving and getting closer to the status of global elite.

Hudson cited the perspectives of several of his England acquaintances, whom he described as “wary” that the American team could be a bit of a force that can upset any of top eight World Cup teams on any given day.

Global Outlook
Due to his extensive business experience abroad before his recent retirement from 27 years of service at Anheuser-Busch, Hudson fielded most questions about global soccer matters.

According to Hudson, the World Cup easily ranks as the most prestigious sporting event because of the high levels of nationalism associated with it: “Even the Olympics don’t compare to world cup globally,” he said.

The sport of soccer allowed Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser brand (a distinctly American one not always well received by beer drinkers in other countries, he said) to develop a strong association with its global consumer.

Hudson said that the World Cup causes Anheuser-Busch distributors to clamor for marketing materials related to it, unlike any other sponsorship, endorsement, or theme the brewery ever utilized.

With InBev’s recent merger with Anheuser-Busch, Hudson said he knew that the Budweiser brand would retain sponsorship of the World Cup through its 2014 rendition in Brazil.

After that, Hudson said he was uncertain of Anheuser-Busch’s World Cup involvement or its long-term commitment to sport marketing as a whole but said he felt the brewery will remain with certain sport properties in highly focused strategies.
 
When discussion turned to future U.S. World Cup event bids for 2018 or 2022, Vivorito stated that the City of St. Louis could not seek to host a better or more important impact event than the World Cup, for which he said the city is ideally suited in many respects.

When asked about the prospects of a successful future World Cup bid by the emerging nation of China in light of their role as hosts of the 2008 Olympic Games, Hudson replied that the cities of China are indeed ready for such hosting such a large-scale event.

Flynn added that while China’s cities and infrastructure were indeed ready to host such an event, its national team probably lacked the standards of readiness for World Cup competition that Chinese officials would like to see before bidding for the event, noting that China seemed currently intent on developing elite athletes for other sports more so than soccer.

Sport Marketing
As might be expected, the broad topic of marketing was widely dispersed throughout the panel discussion, touching many specific aspects from team to league to brand marketing.

When asked about the secrets behind the strong success of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Seattle Sounders franchise, Cooper simply stated, “Seattle did it right from A to Z in building their success, and it was a lesson for everyone [at the team level].”

Flynn echoed Cooper’s thought, noting that the Sounders executed team marketing well right down to the last detail, such as attaching season tickets to a scarf, a traditional staple of the European soccer wardrobe, resulting in a stadium filled with scarf-clad fans.

Flynn also noted the tremendous recent strides of maturity enjoyed by MLS, reminding the audience that, until 2006, MLS bought its own television time, then sold advertising time to sponsors.

When recalling the historical evolution of sport marketing, Hudson said that Anheuser-Busch entered sports because of its competition in the 1970’s marketplace with Miller Brewing, whose extensive marketing research had discovered beer drinkers’ passion for sports, which subsequently became fertile advertising and sponsorship ground.

When asked about what America could offer to the rest of the world concerning the sport of soccer, Cooper noted the country’s current corner market on sport business expertise.

However, Cooper said differences in approaches to sport as a business were beginning to narrow globally as sport managers in other countries also recognized the fundamental need for strategies in selling tickets and sponsorships.

Flynn confirmed this perspective, saying that international sport managers were recognizing that they were essentially consumer product companies and were recognizing the need for refined revenue models, including stadium development, stadium operations, and other sport infrastructures.

Ben Goss is as an associate professor in the entertainment management program in the College of Business Administration at Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo. In addition to his teaching in the management curriculum and courses on sport, event, and sponsorship management, Goss has also taught in Missouri State’s program with Liaoning Normal University in Dalian, China.

Goss’ research and teaching focuses on the empowerment of postmodern sports fans, the breakdown of the invisible wall between them and the games, and the evolution of sport business practices as a result.

Contact Goss at bengoss@missouristate.edu, and follow him on Twitter @sportMGTweet. Visit the journal at www.jsasonline.org, and follow it on Twitter @jsasonline.

Today’s guest blog comes from Tim Cary. Tim has covered college football from the Illinois, Louisville, Ohio State, and Purdue press boxes for BleacherReport.com. Currently, Tim serves as a Bleacher Report featured columnist and writes about college football at FirstandBigTen.com. He can be reached via e-mail (carryingonabout@yahoo.com) or Twitter (@TimCary).

The BCS has taken to social media to state its case.

And at first glance, that doesn’t seem to be a good thing.

College football’s Bowl Championship Series has been debated, criticized, and even termed illegal by frustrated fans since its inception in 1998 as it struggles to produce an undisputed national champion for one of America’s favorite sports. With this week’s decision to hire Bill Hancock as its first executive director, the BCS appears ready to utilize Facebook and Twitter to help convince its detractors that the system is not as flawed as many want to believe.

The series’ official Twitter account, @InsidetheBCS, has especially drawn attention this week.

But again, that’s not necessarily a positive sign.

Since (and including) its first tweet Wednesday, the Twitter feed in question features a grand total of four messages. One is a welcome, two are links to pro-BCS stories, and one is a pro-BCS quote from Florida football coach Urban Meyer, who termed the series “not perfect, but…great for college football”.

One of the reasons the BCS has drawn so much hatred and criticism is its perceived lack of concern for what college football fans have vocally and repeatedly expressed a desire to see: a full-fledged playoff system. Personally, I am an unabashed proponent of the playoff, but I have resigned myself to the fact that the university presidents and other powers-that-be won’t change the system until it’s in their best interests.

I am of the opinion that it would take a complete boycott of college football by fans everywhere: one season worth of not buying tickets, not watching on television, and not attending bowl games. Until fans are willing to make this sacrifice so that their voice can be heard, the decision-makers involved with the BCS have no financial motivation to change.

However, this week’s entrance of the BCS into the world of social media gave me hope that at least the new executive director was interested in an honest dialogue with fans, not just regurgitating PR spin.

And perhaps, the @InsidetheBCS account will be used for exactly that purpose. Unfortunately, the fact that it hasn’t in its first 36 hours of existence may have doomed the social media experiment before it even started.

Let’s face it: football fans aren’t exactly a patient bunch (just look at all the second or third-year coaches who are about to get fired before they’ve even seen their first recruiting class graduate). So when a widely-despised entity sets up an account that only appears to be a public relations mouthpiece, the impatient fans pile on in a hurry.

And pile on they did. Twitter users responded to the Meyer quote with quotes of their own, most notably Yahoo! columnist Dan Wetzel, who referenced sentiments of USC’s Pete Carroll (“I think it stinks”), Penn State’s Joe Paterno (“I think we ought to have a legitimate champion”), and even Meyer himself (“The system is a failure. You’ve got to blow it up and start over”).

Some tweeters were polite: “Please implement a college football playoff system as soon as possible. It’s the right thing to do. Thank you.”

Others were sarcastic: “Can you explain why you continue to ruin College Football in under 140 characters?”

Snarky anagrams (“Inside the BCS= SEC’s Behind It”), one-liners worthy of a late-night comedian (“Isn’t it a bit contradictory for you to have more than two followers on Twitter?”), and wondering amazement (“If the balloon boy dad set up a Twitter account, even he would not draw the level of venom @InsidetheBCS is right now”) ensued as word spread of the series’ Twitter feed.

Meanwhile, replies to the questions of the masses were nowhere to be found. As the hours dragged on (an eternity in social media), tweets began to question why the BCS would subject itself to this kind of criticism and feedback without a strategy for utilizing Twitter to its advantage.

A sampling: “You should have known better than to tangle with social media unprepared,” “worst sports media idea of 2009,” and “The biggest problem…is how they’re using it. It’s like they didn’t think it through at all.”

Those questions continue to this very moment. If the BCS does in fact intend to dialogue with fans, maybe change isn’t as far off as I previously thought. However, dialogue (Facebook Page encourages playoff proponents to submit their suggested models, since “this should be fun”, which doesn’t seem to bode well for serious queries), the whole social media exercise is a waste of time and merely opens Hancock and his organization up to more serious and widespread criticism than they faced previously.

Count me among the hopeful that honest, personalized responses start flowing from @InsidetheBCS to its questioners sooner rather than later, and maybe social media will achieve what undefeated, complaining, excluded football teams like 2004 Auburn, 2007 Hawaii, and 2008 Utah couldn’t as their national title dreams were brutally dashed by—ironically—a computer.