The Added Value Playbook

By Troy Kirby

A sports business text examining the role of enticements such as Bobbleheads on marketing and promotion plans.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Troy Kirby
• Release date: Oct 25, 2014
• ISBN: 9780983518426

Troy Kirby

Sports Revenue Analytics Professional Troy Kirby has interviewed over 400 sports executives for a successful industry podcast, delved into the world of sports business with many publications, and sits on the board of two major sports industry associations. Examined by Kirby are current or long-standing industry topics; tickets, business, analytics, moneyball, revenue, finance, economy, sales and jobs of the NCAA, NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. Also included are topics surrounding third party vendors, sports business, revenue, marketing, mentoring interns, facilities, managing employees, as well as how to not only break into sports, but stay in the industry long-term. The often-invisible side of the industry is where Kirby attempts to pull back the elusive curtain, providing information both to industry insiders and those who want to work in sports.

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Tao of Sports, LLC

Copyright ©2014 by Troy Kirby

Published by Troy Kirby at Smashwords

www.sportstao.com

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1 – Stop Giving Away The Store

In the past, readers have either welcomed or ridiculed my opinion on sales. I consider that involvement to be a good thing. My opinions on sports business have the same effect on readers as movie goers who watch the late filmmaker Stanley Kubrick’s works. They like them or hate them; no one is on the fence about how they feel about them. A thinking man’s problem, I suppose.

I do have a tendency to harp a lot on today’s sports marketers. My criticism focuses on whether they consider themselves truly invested in marketing or have resigned themselves to the idea that they are merely the component of a bloated budget concept. Too harsh a question to ask? Probably. Which is why there are always those who think I’ve lost my marbles when I give my opinion.

Heresy is often the accusation of the establishment to those presenting new ideas. It’s that first man through the wall syndrome. Those who built the wall don’t bloody well enjoy seeing it knocked down. That’s the way it's always been done in the past, even if that system was wrong to begin with. Joan of Arc was able to lead the French Army in the Hundred Years War, but that didn’t save her from being burned at the stake for her ideas afterward. Being different means hitting hard with an idea, but in some ways, being punished by the establishment brought down in the process.

I consider myself to be part of the heresy of sales. It’s the component of the business revenue arm, that department smaller than the marketing wing. The sales component is often viewed as a stepping stone toward a greater path, such as communications or marketing, instead of the end result in itself. Yet, without sales, none of the other departments would exist, as revenue would not exist either. It is true heresy to suggest that in today’s marketing world.

The sales department and those that understand it are part of a sect upholding the belief that while the customer experience is important, it is not performed until after the sale is done, instead of before. What do I mean by that? Too many sports operations, whether college or