Top athletes use an agent to help them get to the best team, at the highest price, with the most future incentives. An agent also helps athletes to find and negotiate endorsements from sponsors. These negotiations require innate knowledge of deal making, finances, and contract law. Many agents are also lawyers which enables quick negotiation to secure contracts with the lowest risk and best terms.
These negotiations take valuable time away from practicing and doing what the athlete does best – playing basketball, football, etc. Let the agent do what they do best – negotiate contracts.
According to Forbes the #1 spot on the World’s Most Powerful Sports Agent list is Scott Boras who has $1.66 billion in Current Contracts Negotiated, and $83.14 million in Maximum Commissions. He has 30 years of experience and has come to be respected and feared by baseball management.
Octagon, a global leader in sports, music, and entertainment marketing, states on their website, “We strive to deliver the highest level of personal attention to our clients.” They offer expert contract negotiations, a vast network of corporate contacts, and superior attention and service to their clients.
Yee & Dubin Sports differentiates their management and consulting business by being “athlete-centered, not investor-centered”. The sports industry is filled with unreliable people and companies. There are many large corporations that believe they can deliver better service, but in reality they have multiple layers of bureaucracy and clients are merely a “client number”. The interests of the athlete take a back burner to the interest of the company and stock holders.
Frontline Athlete Management Company places a “distinct emphasis on the relationship rather than the transaction. They value the well-being of their clients above all else, they foster a culture of friendship, loyalty, and trust.”
Do you notice a common theme here? What can Enterprise IT learn from this?
-
The best agents are experts at contract negotiation – they let you get back to doing what you do best.
-
Agents are advocates for their clients; they are with you for the long-haul. The key to success for a good agent is to deliver results – they get you cutting-edge services at the best price for the lowest risk.
-
Agents offer one-on-one support, unbiased consulting, and account management. They’re focused on building trust and long term relationships with their clients. If you work directly with a service provider, especially the big name companies, frequently you get what is best for the company, not the client. They want to sell you services whether it’s the best fit for your requirements or not. A knowledgeable agent can help you avoid these pitfalls.
-
It’s important to work with an agent that has industry experience, they have more knowledge, power, and contacts – respected and feared.
When looking for a reliable agent to work, ask for references and examples of how they have saved their clients time and money.
