Jacob Morris’ 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

One of the most common hiring issues I run into is recruiting against the "Big Four" sports leagues for entry-level talent. While the NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA carry prestige, starting at the minor/developmental league level offers valuable advantages: 1. **Sports Experience:** Breaking into the sports industry is challenging. Starting at the minor league level provides crucial entry-level experience vital for career growth. 2. **Learning Opportunities:** Working in minor leagues exposes you to diverse projects, offering insights into various aspects of a sports team beyond specialized roles found in the Big Four. 3. **Proximity to Executives:** Smaller organizations facilitate direct interaction with high-level executives, unlike the typical barrier in Big Four franchises. Collaboration towards common goals fosters a more inclusive environment. 4. **Potential Career Growth:** Beginning as an Inside Sales Representative with the Gulls, I've advanced to a Ticket Sales Manager role, showcasing how starting at a smaller league can lead to fulfilling career progression. Did I miss anything? Share your thoughts 👇

I always ask what candidates are looking for in their next role. If it’s an entry level role then the most common answer is… opportunity to progress Progression over money Progression over culture Progression over a beer tap and a table tennis table Wanting to progress is great. It shows ambition. But be mindful of how this can come across though. You need to build the skills to master the role you’re applying for… before you can progress. Don’t fall into the trap of only talking about the next role, and not the one you’ve applied for The sales leaders that I speak with also want ambitious teams. They want people that will progress the company, and themselves. But they’re looking for people who will come in and perform in the role they’re hiring for. Show them you can do that. Then execute and the progression will follow. #saleshiring #salescareer #salesinterviewtips

🏅 Are Athletes Good Hires? 🏅 Have you ever hired an athlete? 🤔 From my experience at Erickson Search, athletes bring a unique set of skills to the workplace. Their discipline, resilience, and teamwork mentality make them well-suited for sales roles. Athletes know how to push through challenges, set goals, and work collaboratively—all traits highly valuable in any sales-driven environment. In fact, a survey by Ernst & Young found that 94% of women in C-suite positions played sports. This is a telling statistic on how the qualities honed through sports can translate into successful professional careers. The competitive edge, dedication, and focus that athletes develop is unparalleled. What do you think? Have you had positive experiences hiring athletes? Share your thoughts! 🌟 www.ericksonsearch.com #Hiring #Sales #Recruitment

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

Here’s my best advice for people looking to build authority: Share what you know. If you believe what you have to say isn’t relevant - think again. We all have a unique blend of: - experiences - observations - communications - education - skills All these factors make our knowledge unique. It makes our brand unique. And your personal or business brand is your ticket to your next: - business opportunity - sales opportunity - promotion opportunity - hiring opportunity ✨ What will you share today? ✨ #BeBrilliant

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

How are Sports and Sales related? Sports and Sales surprisingly are very much interrelated in many ways. How so? You might be asking 🤔 look down 👇 -Sports and Sales are both individual and team driven. Ex: When I played Water Polo in College I was apart of a team and we worked together to achieve a common goal. When I entered my 1st Sales Organization the Sales team was group focused on group success and group performance. Fast forward to my role as a Recruiter I’m in an individual contributor role and drive Sales, Matrix, KPIs and I’m driven by own performance. - Sports and Sales are highly competitive and competition is fierce sometimes. Ex: when I 1st got into recruiting I would hear “candidate took a competitors offer” to some effect. In Sales I’ve learned you’re not the only person and or company they’ve had a conversation with and sometimes it’s hard to hear the words “we went with someone else or I took another offer because benefits package was bigger” -Finally: Sports and Sales are driven by numbers. Ex: When I worked in my agency staffing days every 1st of the month and end of a Quarter we would have a company wide meeting and listen to various managers and partners talk about end of quarter performance numbers such as conversion rates, leads, and finally total sales versus company goal. After such a meeting you have your own 1:1 conversations with manager to go over your performance to discuss numbers, KPIs etc. At one point I was told I did a record breaking 14 placements in one 1️⃣ quarter. I will leave you with this and if you are in #sales #recruiting or a matrix driven organization I hope you have an amazing day and go crush it.

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

Let’s keep it a buck—breaking into sales or finding your next opportunity can be scary…… I wish I knew this before starting my sales journey: Do your due diligence. Treat your job search with the same seriousness as an executive would—you’re committing to a company, so make sure it’s a place where you can thrive. Here’s a simple framework to help you get started:👇 1️⃣ Understand the Unit of Economics: What are the metrics behind the business? Why are they hiring for this role? Are current reps hitting their quotas, or are they just adding bodies? 2️⃣ Supportive Environment: Is it a place that values work-life balance? Are they transparent about goals and expectations? You should feel encouraged and supported. 3️⃣ Growth Opportunities: What does their promotion pathway look like? Are there programs to help you evolve? 4️⃣ Positive Culture: What happens when reps miss quota? How does the management treat their team? These factors matter because you want to wake up excited to go to work—not crawling into it. Next time you’re evaluating a role, dig deep. You’re looking for a position for a reason—don’t fall into the same traps you’re trying to escape from. Comment below, and I’ll send you the exact framework you can use to evaluate your next opportunity! #Sales #JobSearch #CareerAdvice #SalesCareer #SalesCulture #SDR #BDR #AccountExecutive