Bill (Alex) Foltz’s Post

Part 2 of my best advice/insights for landing an entry level sales job in sports: Q: What characteristics am I looking for in a new hire? A: 1) Consistent positive attitude 2) Coachable/Desire to learn 3) Relentless work ethic 4) Personal accountability 5) Passion for revenue generation Q: You've had quality conversations with a hiring manager; how often should you stay in touch? A: If you're graduating in May 2024, monthly. If you're graduating in December 2024 or May 2025, quarterly. Email should include RELEVANT updates and what you learned. (Built out a partnership proposal for class, made 400+ cold calls for minor league baseball team in my city, etc.) Q: How long should your resume be? A: 1 page maximum. Hit me with your best applicable skills and experiences at the top. Again, what did I miss? Happy to answer any additional questions. #Hiring #Recruiting #SportsSales

You cant hide in pro sports. It’s impossible to coast by unnoticed. There are countless others eager and ready to take your spot at the drop of a hat. When it comes to sales, employers often seek individuals who embody qualities like determination, grit, consistency, and adaptability. These are the traits ingrained in athletes through years of training and competition. Sure, they may not always fit the conventional mold of the "perfect" candidate with all the qualifications and credentials, but I often hear hiring managers say they are looking for someone who will bet on themselves. That’s what these people have done their whole career. Next time you're hiring for a sales role, consider the athletes. They may not have followed the traditional career path, but they've proven time and time again that they have what it takes to go above and beyond in any endeavor. Hiring Managers looking for sales talent- Let's chat. #hireathletes #medicalsales

Over the last 3 months we have reviewed over 600 candidates who applied for a Sales Pro role at Signature Athletics... Here are the biggest lessons learned; 1. Top performing athletes transfer their behaviors/character/effort into the job with being achievement oriented, possessing grit/mental toughness, overcoming adversity, tenacious, a desire to learn/grow, coachable, inquisitive, deep learners and an open mindset - candidates are underwhelmed and bored in their current jobs that prevent them from being able to unleash their true potential. 2. A burning desire to make a high income and concurrently be immersed in their sport. Frustrated that many jobs are in sports like coaching and ticket sales pay at minimal levels. Very few opportunities to work in soccer, lacrosse, or field hockey and make a high income. 3. A desire to replicate their collegiate playing and coaching team experience of being part of a high performing team in the corporate world. Disappointed in the lack of a culture in most companies - particularly around high achievement and performance. These insights validated a key thesis we have. The Team Sales Pro role we designed combines competitive compensation with a challenging and team-oriented work environment, this is critical, particularly for individuals with athletic backgrounds. The results, under the leadership of Danielle Etrasco, Barry Deutsch, Chad H., and Brian Bohn, we have built a Proven Process for interviewing/hiring, onboarding/integrating, and coaching to obtain an 80-90 percent success rate in hiring of people who hit their initial "tryout" expectations and fit within the company culture and values. We believe we can keep this level of performance up for an extended period of 3+ years with a manageable sales ramp schedule. Incredibly proud of the team's work to grow our Sales Team from 4 high-performing reps to 12 superstars! 🤝 #sports #sales #culture

The career path for Individual Contributors in sports sales can be very uncertain. Because of this we lose some of our best salespeople to jobs outside of sports. When I came into the sports industry if you did not want to become a manager your path for growth was very unclear. Fortunately, I wanted to go the management route so my path was laid out for me. Inside Sales Rep -> AE -> Inside Sales Manager -> Director -> VP As organizations begin to scale down and roles become more specialized it’s going to be crucial for organizations to keep these high producers from looking elsewhere. Their revenue impact to the organization is to high to let them leave. Leaders will need to create clearly defined career paths for these team members to grow and feel part of the organization's future plans. I do see a path in the future where you can go from an Individual Contributor to a Director or VP without going the traditional management route. Along the way it will be important to gain leadership and strategic planning experience so that person is prepared for next steps as they move up within the organization. If you are one of these top producers that is bringing in incremental new business on top of your current book of business every year you have a TON of leverage. Meet with your supervisor and ask to map out a career path so you have a growth plan just like the person that wants to take the Inside Sales Manager -> Director -> VP path. You're also in a position where you can ask for more money, responsibilities and a higher title if that is important to you. #sports #sales #individualcontributor

Salespeople are the athletes of the corporate world 🏃🏽♂️ As a former international athlete who is now an AE, here's 5 compelling reasons to hire for potential, and consider an elite athlete for your next open sales role: 1. 📈 Performance based roles - Athletes love targets, and make diligent plans to achieve them. We thrive on predictable success, not luck. 2. 💪 Resilience - Athletes are used to losing, and understand that failing is where growth lies. We analyse mistakes meticulously to ensure they only happen once. 3. 🔋 Energy - Want candidates with maturity, self-awareness and confidence, but with the beans of a bushy-tailed graduate? Athletes. 4. 📝 Coachability - Sales is a skill. Sportspeople are used to being coached, and they know how to learn quickly and effectively. We actively seek feedback, and take constructive criticism on the chin. 5. 😤 Hunger - The elite mindset is not specific to sport. We want to win. All the time. (bonus points here if the athlete has come straight off of a soul-crushing sporting disappointment, as was my case. It lights a fire...) Athletes - I strongly recommend Athlete Origin and a career in sales after sport. It is the closest environment to sport in the corporate world. Employers - Hiring for potential brings in driven, capable candidates, with diverse backgrounds and skillsets. If you're hiring for sales positions, you won't find a better personality fit than that of the elite athlete. #Athletes #Sales #salesdevelopment #eliteperformance

I keep applying but nobody is hiring. I'm told to use my network, but I have none. WRONG. You do and just don't know it. ➢ College alumni ➢ High school alumni ➢ Fraternity/sorority alumni ➢ Previously worked at the same company ➢ Mutual interests (ex: sports team, church, etc) ➢ Extracurricular activities ➢ 1st and 2nd degree connections I just ran a couple of LinkedIn searches. Below are the results of sales leaders in the US. (based on my college and love for my football team) 3,200+ Miami University alumni 1,200+ Cleveland Browns fans Not everyone will help. But some will. Find a commonality and your response rates will increase. Especially when using personalization and humor. (Easier to do as a Cleveland sports fan since there is a lot to joke about) #sales #hiring #jobsearch #recruitment

Here’s what I would do if I were starting my sports sales career over tomorrow. (And wanted to become a sales leader as soon as possible ) 1. Find the aces on staff Aligning yourself with the top performers is basically a cheat code. They teach you things that took them much longer to learn. And they obviously work since they are top performers. You’ll also start to be seen in that light as well. 2. Repetition is the mother of skill Like anything you just get better with practice. And sales is a compounding game. The more effort you put in the more results you see. 3. Learn how to sell businesses The best sports sales people i’ve ever been around know how to sell businesses. The deals are longer, more complex, and bigger. That’s why so many don’t stick it out and learn how to, after getting their teeth kicked in they fall back to the easier quicker wins of B2C selling. If you want a job sell B2C, if you want a career learn how to sell B2B. 4. Do what others won’t. Ask for the tough feedback from your boss. Don’t shy away from sideways management of holding your teammates accountable. Be the first person to raise their hand for anything your boss needs. Be the one who speaks positivity when your boss makes an unpopular decision. Put in the early and late hours that help you separate yourself. 5. Put up a number you can hang your hat on. When you become a leader the first question your staff is going ask is “Can this person help me sell more to advance my career and make more money?” That means you need credibility. A skillset that can sell every product. A number that shows you did the job at a high level. 6. Let your leaders know what you want. Lastly, make sure everyone knows that you want to be a leader. It helps everyone with their feedback and advice for you to be more intentional towards your goal. Closed mouths don't get fed. These aren’t for everyone. But these are what I would do to set myself up for a long career in sports business. What would you do if you started your sports sales career over tomorrow? #LinkedInSports #SportsBiz #Sales

Here’s what I would do if I were starting my sports sales career over tomorrow. (And wanted to become a sales leader as soon as possible ) 1. Find the aces on staff Aligning yourself with the top performers is basically a cheat code. They teach you things that took them much longer to learn. And they obviously work since they are top performers. You’ll also start to be seen in that light as well. 2. Repetition is the mother of skill Like anything you just get better with practice. And sales is a compounding game. The more effort you put in the more results you see. 3. Learn how to sell businesses The best sports sales people i’ve ever been around know how to sell businesses. The deals are longer, more complex, and bigger. That’s why so many don’t stick it out and learn how to, after getting their teeth kicked in they fall back to the easier quicker wins of B2C selling. If you want a job sell B2C, if you want a career learn how to sell B2B. 4. Do what others won’t. Ask for the tough feedback from your boss. Don’t shy away from sideways management of holding your teammates accountable. Be the first person to raise their hand for anything your boss needs. Be the one who speaks positivity when your boss makes an unpopular decision. Put in the early and late hours that help you separate yourself. 5. Put up a number you can hang your hat on. When you become a leader the first question your staff is going ask is “Can this person help me sell more to advance my career and make more money?” That means you need credibility. A skillset that can sell every product. A number that shows you did the job at a high level. 6. Let your leaders know what you want. Lastly, make sure everyone knows that you want to be a leader. It helps everyone with their feedback and advice for you to be more intentional towards your goal. Closed mouths don't get fed. These aren’t for everyone. But these are what I would do to set myself up for a long career in sports business. What would you do if you started your sports sales career over tomorrow? #LinkedInSports #SportsBiz #Sales

I asked a fellow Value Creation team member from another VC, "Hey, what are you up to these days?" His short, flat answer made me ponder the entire day: "I'm busy enriching our portfolio companies." As simple as it sounds, that one line completely changed my perspective and how I approach things. I was so fixated on aspects like BD, Hiring, PR, and community events, all the while forgetting WHY I'm engaging in these activities. My role is intended to generate value or bring dollars to the portfolio companies we've invested in. We assist in hiring key leaders because we understand that poor hiring can cost time and money. We facilitate connections and unlock partnership deals because they contribute to generating revenue. We organize community events so that our portfolio companies can connect with new investors and other founders to synergize along the way. All that we do is aimed at helping our portfolio companies scale and succeed. Being reminded again of WHY I am here as a part of the Value Creation team makes me excited to expand my connections and learn more from all of you. PS: I'm still hiring for VP of Sales and B2B Sales Manager, ping me to learn about the opportunities!

The athletes who make it through Shift Group’s candidate pipeline & are making the commitment to transition into Sales Careers won’t last in BDR roles - here’s why: - They have a 5% attrition rate once they’re hired by one of our partners - They get promoted twice as fast as their peers Bottom line, they’re valuable to an organization - not just the role. When we were on the field, pitch, rink or court, we loved playing the game. Now, however, opportunities like Shift Group are helping so many of my peers transition into something just as fulfilling. I’m not saying all athletes are good salespeople - it’s a skill that has to be developed just like any other. What I am saying is that we’ve already developed another skill for 15-20 years in our previous careers and have seen the fruits of our labor. We’ve physically witnessed peers have great summers and come back and dominate. We see direct correlations to, in hockey terms, “off-ice issues” having a negative impact on performance. There’s politics in everything, yes, but at the end of the day it’s up to each and every one of us to take accountability for the way our athletic careers go. What we all find out through that pursuit is the direct result of our input into the craft. You are the sum of your training, as Under Armour would say. Shift Group gets the ball rolling through FREE training. 30+ hours of it. Information that can change lives. In fact, when I started the program I didn’t even know what a Business Development Representative was. So for those of us who are capable of the self-awareness required to harness those experiences in athletics and use them to fuel our development as Sales Professionals - what’s possible? My argument is that the BDR position is just a start.