Bill Guertin is an expert speaker and sales motivator, with 25+ years in successful small-market broadcast advertising sales, medical sales, and sales training. CEO of The 800-Pound Gorilla, a sales improvement company that works with a diverse mix of companies and individuals to help them become the dominant player (the "800-Pound Gorilla") in the market they serve. Bill's affiliated company, Stadium Gorilla, works specifically with the ticket sales departments of professional sports teams, including those in the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS, NASCAR, and others. Bill is the author of two books, including "Reality Sells: How to Bring Customers Back Again and Again By Marketing Your Genuine Story," (WBusiness Books) and "The 800-Pound Gorilla of Sales: How To Dominate Your Market" (John Wiley & Sons). Guertin talks ticket sales on the podcast, as well where the sports industry is headed.
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John Dittrich has spent 40 years in professional baseball, with 36 of it being in the minor leagues, both affiliated and independent. Dittrich talks promotions that have gone wrong, the differences between what regions get & don't get about certain marketing, how to craft a good lease agreement with a stadium, and what generally works for a new owner's good business plan. Dittrich expands into why the minor leagues are able to draw fans when some of the bigger leagues can't, and talks ticket sales, marketing, corporate sponsorship and why some teams fail because their ownership didn't take the operation as seriously as they should. Twitter: JohnDittrich
"East Bay Moneyball" may not get a movie made about it, but the concept of dynamically pricing baseball tickets has been just as controversial for the San Francisco Giants as its cousins in Oakland had with who they chose to stick in the batting lineups. SF Giants VP of Ticket Services & Customer Relations Russ Stanley brought the concept to Major League Baseball and was able to show success with a new revenue stream since adopted by several professional teams across sports. Stanley sits down to talk about what dynamic pricing is, how he sold the team's ownership on its implementation, and why the concept is not only good for the bottom line, but also for the fans who want to see a Pirates v. Giants game on a Tuesday night. While the team has won two of the last three World Series, its also achieved a larger success at the gate, selling out over 150 straight home games. Twitter: @SFGiants
The words "Dynamic Pricing" are vogue throughout professional sports. But few understand them as well as Dr. Jan Eglen, Ph. D. As CEO of Digonex Technologies, Dr. Eglen oversees a vast operation which has helped look at pricing indicators for professional teams since the early 2000s. Dr. Eglen explains the various misconceptions of why dynamic pricing should not be feared, including the wrong idea that dynamic pricing for sports tickets has anything to do with the airline industry. Dr. Eglen expands to talk about how ancillaries in the arena has the capability of the next dynamic pricing model and why one of new skillsets for working in the sports industry's revenue side may include information technology experience. Twitter: @Digonex
A companion to this podcast is a Digonex Case Study PDF, available to premium subscribers of the FREE iOS/Android Podcast App for your smart phone/tablet device.
E. Ken “Ziggy” Siegfried is new to the west coast, arriving from Memphis over the last few years to become CSU Bakersfield’s Sr. Associate Athletic Director for Development & Major Gifts. Siegfried brings a lot of development knowledge from his years at Memphis before & after the Tigers men’s basketball team went to the N.C.A.A. Championship Game, thus his expectations for telling the Bakersfield Roadrunner story remain high as the athletic department enters the Western Athletic Conference next season. Siegfried talks about how he works on major gifts for Bakersfield and what his plans for the department in terms of development are down the line.
Sarah Melton has spent over 13 years with the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, rising in the Public Relations Department until becoming the team’s Director in 2004. Melton talks about the ins-outs of the sports industry, especially things such as travel, sleep, social & family issues that come as a by-product of her job. The owner of the Mavericks tends to get quoted a lot by the media and Melton talks about she handles the unexpected issues that come with being high up in the Mavericks organization.
Brian Watson is the Director of Sales, Event Suites & Special Events at The Staples Center in Los Angeles. Watson talks about filling the suites regardless of whether the anchor tenants have CBA issues or what to do when playoff formats strike, as well as how luxury packages are sold compared to only a few years ago. Watson expands on the Staples Center property, speaking about non-team sport events such as Golden Boy Promotions, the NHL Draft, Walking With Dinosaurs and various concerts.
University of Memphis Professor & Associate Dean Richard Irwin knows the bad rap that some sport management degrees earn in the field. The Memphis program has set itself apart by focusing on revenue streams & sales management. Irwin talks about the state of ticket sales in college & professional sports, as well as the Sports Sales Combine in Atlanta where 40-50 prospects will train for opportunity to join professional teams after the course’s culmination. http://www.sportsalescombine.com
Brian DiTucci has spent over 11 years with the Oakland Athletics, moving up the ranks from a Ticket Sales Representative to the Director of Ticket Sales, focusing on new season ticket sales, group sales, and suite bookings. DiTucci talks about the Service & Value concepts with his sales floor methodology, why discounting randomly can harm a franchise’s ticket base, and how to develop new fans by providing “added value” to the entire experience. Twitter: @BDIT10
Jim Weyermann operates one of the newest pro sports franchise operations in the country, The Santa Cruz Warriors, an NBA Development League team. The SC Warriors have a long championship history during the organization’s incarnation as the Dakota Wizards, winning titles in the International Basketball Association (2000-01), The Continental Basketball League (2001-02, 2003-04) and the NBADL Championship (2006-07). Purchased by the Golden State Warriors, the team became the fourth in the NBADL to be fully owned by an NBA franchise. Moving to Santa Cruz in time for the 2012-13 season, the newly-named Warriors have a brand new facility in a public-private partnership, as well as the challenge of building up a fanbase from scratch. Weyermann talks about how his twenty-six years of professional sports experience will help make Santa Cruz the perfect location for a minor league basketball franchise. Twitter: @DLeagueWarriors