We have expectations for our athletes, our volunteers, our employees and our assistants. We give them advice and coax them along. But who is coaching you? Do you have a mentor? I find that by stepping back, if just for a few minutes, and evaluating myself that I can be my own mentor (in addition to my real mentors). This is always the most valuable time that I spend all day. I save myself time and make more money because of it.
This time of year we talk about renewal and see the opportunity in front of us in the year ahead. I urge you to stop and sit for a few moments with a blank sheet of paper in front of you. Ask yourself 3 questions:
Where did I succeed in 2010?
Where did I miss the mark?
How will I implement those lessons in 2011?
Put pen to paper and start writing unedited. You'll see a flow of thoughts, ideas and action-plans begin to unfold in front of you.
Do this for yourself.
Do this for your community.
Good luck!
Let me know how it goes!
Happy New Year!
Jim Harshaw
Riot Marketing
More fans. More media. More money. Less work. www.riotsportsmarketing.com
(434) 409-0257
There's a buzz word in the marketing world called a "Call to Action." That means, just because you are offering something, that does not mean that people will buy it, register for it, click it, or otherwise take action. You must have a call to action. So, if you have a "Donate Now" button on your website or a "Become a Member" link and nobody is clicking on it, it's likely that you have either no call to action or a poor one.
If you want people to act, you must motivate them to do so. You have to talk to them, sell them, and then call upon them to take action. Tell people that you are running a fundraising campaign (or new member drive or whatever it is that you want) and that they should "click here" to help you raise money for your trip to Katmandu's for the annual toad licking conference.
Without a call to action, that button is just taking up space. Click here to download the Four Steps to Creating a Call to Action
I have a lot of fun writing the Riot Act blog. I hope you have fun reading it but, more importantly, gain from reading it. I hope that you can serve your people better and serve more people as a result. I hope that my writing helps you make the world a better place through what you do.
If you this blog is a gift to you, I ask that you share this gift with your network and friends who may also benefit.
If you're reading this from an email, click the Facebook or Twitter icons to "share" it or click "Forward to a Friend" at the bottom.
If you're reading it on Facebook, click "Share" below.
If you're reading this from the blog, click one of the icons below.
If your answer is "not important" then stop wasting your time reading this and do something more important, like picking your nose.
If your answer is "very important" then my next question is "how often do you touch them?" How often are you feeding them what they want? They are your pack. Your herd. Your tribe. And you are their leader. If there is no leader, there is no pack. If you're not feeding them what they crave, they will drift to another pack.
Your options are varied.
Text message alerts
Hand-written notes
Facebook Page updates
Twitter updates
Direct mail
Email newsletters
Events that support events (like a social after a competition)
Riot clients understand the value of their fans. Do you?
*Remember, businesses have "fans" too. At least the good ones do. VW, Mac, Build-a-Bear, Grateful Dead
If Sportscenter were just a listing of dates, times and locations of games, meetings and events, it wouldn't be very exciting or interesting. Teams would suffer because fans would be less educated, informed and engaged. Ticket sales would drop. Sponsors would leave. Licensing deals would lose value.
Instead, Sportscenter (and all of the other sources of news about a team) gives fans an inside look at the team, it's coaches, individuals and events. Fans get excited. They want more. They talk around the water cooler. They come to the game early. Buy gear (and concessions). They become the most important asset you have.
So... how are you educating and involving your fans?
Ever wonder what makes a fan a fan? I mean, why would someone support a team of people that, often times, does not even know that you the fan are there? Maslow's hierarchy of needs tells us all that we need to know. People need to belong and they need to have love and companionship. "Misery loves company," they say and that's true of happiness and every emotion in between.
So think of that when you are wondering how to grow your fan base (yes, businesses have fans too. Think Mac, Greatful Dead and VW), think about how you can serve your fans and give them what they want. No. Think about how you can give them what they need.
Host events. Give them insider information. Give them a "shout out". Show them you care. If you have to, do it one-by-one.
While presenting last weekend in New York, I had the opportunity to connect with Rob Koll, the head wrestling coach at #1 ranked Cornell University this past weekend. I am relatively well acquainted with his program through various people and avenues and have long heard how he runs his program as if he were the CEO rather than just a coach. During his talk, he stressed the importance of his marketing ("marketing, marketing, marketing" he said). More often than not, marketing will give you (my words, not his) the things that you need to move your organization forward. Community support, increased attendance, parental involvement, alumni engagement, student-body support, participation and, most importantly, money. Because without these things you will have a hard time fulfilling your mission... teaching life lessons, building character and winning titles all require facilities, gear, travel etc... and those cost money.
So step back, look at the big picture, dream a little... no, dream big... and figure out how you can get there.
There is a way.
What do you need to reach your goals? Administrative support? Community awareness? Participation? Money? Of course you do. Your situation is common and there is an uncommon solution. When programs need money, too often they turn to selling cookies, coupon books or candles; none of which create a sustainable source of revenue or fans. Build a community of followers around your program and you will have a dependable source of income and support on which you can rely to help you achieve your goals. Jim Harshaw, founder of Riot Sports Marketing, will share three techniques that you can implement immediately to begin raising serious cash while increasing administrative support, community awareness and participation. Sign-up for this free webinar at riotsportsmarketing.com to be held Tuesday, November 9 at 9 PM EST. Build sustainable revenue. Make your job easier. Get what you need to succeed. Riot Sports Marketing helps programs communicate with fans, alumni, and supporters to help them get more of what they need- fans, support and money- through building and maintaining multiple channels of communication.
I discovered a new term (and an interesting person in the process) the other day. Un-marketing. I'm not sure if Scott Stratten coined it or not but the term sums up what you need to do. If you want to drive ticket sales, get more members, maximize fundraising or increase attendance then you have to stop marketing and start engaging. That is possible now more than ever with the new communication channels available today.
Be interesting.
Write something I want to read.
Make my life easier.
Do something cool.
Exist where I already am. And... talk to me.
Like it or not, as a coach or administrator, you are selling something. You are selling yourself, your plan, your vision and your next course of action. You want people to "buy in". Keep this important fact in mind; people love to buy but they hate to be sold.
First, listen. Listen to learn about what your people want. Then, you can provide what they want to buy and you can do so in the manner in which you choose to present it.
How will what you are selling help me get what I want, coach?
Remember when you got your website? You built it yourself or you had "a guy" who built it for you. It was gong to be great! You added pages for your roster, schedule, team info, fundraising, alumni, links, results, fun facts, contact us, about us, news, coaches, history, pics, video, rankings, JV, site map...
Unfortunately, you haven't updated most of this since last December so when visitors land on your site, they think it, and your organization, is dead. They never return. No website is better than a dead website.
All you really need, most likely, is a news blog to let me know whats going on. A one-page website with news posted chronologically from top to bottom. If you need more, create a Facebook Page. I can find your videos and pics there in addition to your news. Or better yet, they find me.
The real key is to get me then keep me. You do that by creating multiple avenues of communication through which you can "keep" someone. Facebook, Twitter, email newsletters, blog and RSS feeds (notice I didn't say website).
Keep it simple and build as your resources allow. Baby steps.
I have been asked "why the hell would you name your company Riot?" Riot has a bad connotation of flipping over cars and burning buildings after your team loses the championship (or wins- never could figure this out). However, to start a riot, someone has to be passionate enough about something to stand up and take action. How do you start a riot through social media marketing? Well, it takes the right mix of quality content and engagement.
What does your team's community want to read about? What will make them stop in their tracks on this busy day to read what you have written (or watch your video or otherwise pick up what you're puttin' down)? Then, when they react, will you engage with them? Or are you just a one-way pipeline of information like a newspaper (dying) rather than social media (thriving).
Having been in athletics my entire bipedal life, I've been exposed to lots of different fund raisers. Selling stuff, hosting events, phone-a-thons, direct mailings, and more. Some work better than others. They all work great for some. Google "top fund raisers" and you'll find nearly 3.5 million results (3,470,000 to be exact). Here's one more to help you run your next fund raising event or activity.
Decide.
Do it.
Document it.
Delegate it.
Develop it.
I was talking with the director of a large national organization recently. "We're doing the social media thing," he explained. "The challenge is keeping it up-to-date."
I will be working with him on a paradigm shift before we even begin to talk about strategy. Social media is not something that you have to keep up-to-date like a website or brochure. Social media is where you engage and where you offer value. What do I mean? Here are some examples:
Respond to questions posted on Facebook or Twitter: like a handshake or a handwritten note, these encounters go a long way
Ask questions of your followers and fans by soliciting feedback and crowdsourcing ideas: show them that they are valued
Post good content: respect their time
Offer discounts or specials for those in your community
Enjoy it. I'm mean really enjoy your community. Like a smile over the phone, it comes through.
You have both features and benefits. Features are boring. Benefits are exciting!
Your features might be a new facility, the best coaches, year-round opportunity, lowest price.
Benefits are doors opened, success attained, desires fulfilled, lives changed, wishes granted.
We're all selling something. What are you selling?
Ever wonder how successful people seem to get so much done? Take Donald Trump, for example. We know he is a busy man. He has meetings to attend, interviews to do, and phone calls to make. He's probably so busy that he doesn't do his own laundry. No surprise there right? We understand that The Don would not do things that would take up his valuable time when it could be spent doing more meaningful things.
Now, place a value on one hour of your time. (If you're paid salary, cut off the zeros then cut the number in half to get a good approximation of your hourly pay.) If you are doing work that can be outsourced, through people or technology, for less than that amount of money then you should do just that.
Time is the only currency.
I'm looking forward to learning how Rob Koll brought an Ivy League program to the top of the Division I wrestling rankings.
I'm interested in learning how Mike Krause is able to "bring it" every time. And maybe take some of it home if he has any extra.
I'm excited to listen to Marty Bartram teach us how he got someone else to pay for 10 wrestling mats while making his city a vested partner in his program
If being successful depended on the person, then there is no use in coming to the Cliff Keen Coaches Clinic on Oct 30-31, 2010 in Binghampton, NY. And there's no use in going to school, reading books, attending seminars or otherwise educating oneself. However, if being successful means implementing replicable systems that others have developed, then you should be there.
I'm looking forward to sharing the stage with some great people. I hope to see you there!
Had a client ask me a question today regarding a strategy to increase awareness and community involvement in his program. The interesting twist was, his question was generated from his reading of the E-Myth (from my Summer Reading List). My answer was that it is not so much in determining the strategy-- that's easily done with a few people sitting in a room over some adult beverages.
More importantly is documenting what works so that it can be replicated by someone other than you. That way you experience the success of the system while working on more strategic tasks... such as developing new ways to reach your target audience or having another adult beverage.
See also: C-Myth C-Myth (cont)
Everyone is talking about the death of traditional media and the rise of social media. (Especially us consultants... I'm aware of the irony). There are 100 ways to leverage social media but what is right for your team, department or organization? Too many, and you spread yourself thin. Not enough, and you are practically non-existent.
Things to consider:
Outcomes- what are the outcomes that you want? Stronger donor relationships, better attendance, more media coverage, a closer knit community of supporters? ("Who is Your Target Market")
Budget- do you have someone who can dedicate themselves to this full-time? Part-time? Can you outsource this? Will this be something that you will be doing? If so, how often will you set aside time?
Competition- what is your competition doing? Is this a way for you to get ahead or just catch up? What are they doing that is effective?
Set aside time for strategic, high-level planning. Then attack!
I want you to start a blog. Forget about the preconceived notions that you have about a blog being for political junkies, small businesses or sports marketing consultants that provide an awesome service. Blogs are for everyone nowadays. Granted, most are full of the kind of people who like to hear themselves talk. The good ones are written by people with something to say. And, if you have a vision for your sports team, club or athletics department, then you have something to say. And we, your fans, alumni, community and prospective supporters, want to listen. What would you post?
Your mission- this cannot be done in one post
Interviews with athletes, coaches, administrators, alumni, parents and members
Links to organizations that are like-minded
Links to articles and resources that your followers would want to see
History of your team or club
Outcomes you expect
Video
Your schedule
Personal musings
Fund raising messages
See... it's not hard. Brainstorm a bit here... what am I missing?
What is it with all of this social media buzz? Where's the value?
The problem is in the metrics, or lack thereof. You can measure metrics such as Facebook fans (or "likes"), Twitter followers, retweets, blog comments and other such metrics but you want to know the bottom line. It's hard to measure the return on investment in time, energy and even money (time is money isn't it?) invested into social media so, unfortunately, all too often it gets ignored. Unless you're tracking how many fans show up at your competitions because of your printed schedule cards or by having your event listed in the paper's "community calendar", then it's hard to measure the ROI on many of the marketing actions that we already know that we have to do.
Consider this, coach. Practice 1,000 double-legs, shoot 1,000 free throws, run 100 miles... how many more "W's" will that bring? As a coach, you trust in the cumulative effect of daily effort. You can't work hard today and expect the results tomorrow. Sometimes you won't even see them this season! But you will see incremental gains.
How will marketing, more specifically social media marketing, help you? A few of the benefits that my clients see are:
more people learning of your mission and vision
increased attendance
more successful fund raisers
better attended optional workouts and off-season training
higher participation rate
more community involvement
better parental involvement
fewer communication breakdowns
If you are not fully utilizing the tools available to you then you should re-evaluate your program. Is it ok to operate at 90%? 80%? 70%?
I can get your schedule on your website. I can read the results in the paper. I can overhear that you made a new hire to your staff. But you need to tell me more... if you want me to join you, that is.
Marketing a sports team is more than just putting out some schedule cards and getting the tv station to cover your "meet the team" event. Pull back the curtain and let me inside. When I know your struggles and your fears and your aces and your strengths then I'm an insider. When I'm an insider, I'm on your side. I'm pulling for you. The article below talks about how professional sports teams are using social media marketing to drive revenue, connect with their fans and show their personalities. A website is no longer enough. A static website has very little value unless you are luring eyeballs to it. There's no better way to do that than through Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, blogging and email marketing. http://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/Sports-get-more-social-615598.php
What's your story?
You say that you are the underdog. Or maybe the veteran, the favorite or the new kid on the block. That's your status.
Every team and organization has a story behind their status. If your supporters and prospective supporters know your status, big deal. (By "supporters" I don't just mean your team and their parents).
Your story is everything that makes up your status. It is a story woven of the fabric of many, many stories within your program that happen over time. If I know your story- or, I should say, stories - then you're more likely to get me to get up and take action. Or show up at an event. Open my wallet. Tell a neighbor. Call the paper. Put a bumper sticker on my car. Wear a t-shirt. Talk to the guy in front of me in line who is wearing your hat.
You see, the story is much more than you can get from the newspaper. It is more than what you can get from Sportscenter. It is more than you can get from a 5 page spread in Sports Illustrated. Your story is what you get to tell daily in digestible bites.
Social media has given you the power to tell your stories; to create a following. That is why I say that social media is the great equalizer.
Spin me a tale and I may stand with you.
I was planning to write a post about the importance of location-based social media apps for sports, primarily Foursquare, when Facebook jumped into the game last week. So, with that, I think it's plain to see that, if Facebook is in the game, then it's likely to be big. Location based social media is basically a way for users to "check-in" when they arrive at a location. With Foursquare, maybe the most popular location based check-in social media, the person who has checked into a location the most is the "mayor". Some businesses offer special discounts for their mayor. I suggest you get yourself a Foursquare account (free) and create a "place" where you compete for home competitions. Tell your fans to "check-in" at home competitions. Your mayor can recieve preferential seating or other treatment.
Just another way to engage your sports fans! The professional teams are already doing it so, as I always say, social media is the great equalizer. Be your own sport marketing agent! Check out this short vid on location based social media
Marketers talk about defining your "target" or your "target market". This helps us determine the means through which we will communicate with them. If it is 18-26 year olds living in California who have no plans to attend college then we will design a strategy much differently than if the target market were 50-62 year olds living in Pennsylvania who plan to retire. Pretty basic stuff... not splitting the atom here. As a coach, to reach your goals, you must identify your target market. First, you must determine what you are trying to achieve. Are you trying to grow your attendance, raise money, get more volunteers, increase student-body awareness or get more participants? Each is a different target market for which a different strategy must be defined.
Let's use an example. You are trying to increase attendance at your home events by getting more of your student-body involved. You're not going to run an ad in the local paper announcing your event. But you might create a mobile marketing campaign where students can text the word "wrestling" to a number given to you by the mobile marketing service. This subscribes them to announcements that you make about upcoming events, fun promotions or where the in-crowd will be next Thursday night.
Step 1: What do you want to achieve? (ex: stronger parent support of your program since most care only about football)
Step 2: Who are the people that are going to help you achieve it? (ex: parents but also athletes and football coaches)
Step 3: How do they act? What do they read? Where do they hang out? What motivates them? (ex: parents are concerned with the welfare and success of their child, football coaches care about the success of their players )
Step 4: Create a win-win and talk to them about it. (ex: Demonstrate how you can improve the well-being of a parents child and a football coaches players through their support of your program with consistent and impactful communication like this or this through email, getting media coverage (pick up the phone!) and support of the football program.
That's what they tell me. You put in the work, you make the effort and good things can happen. Al Bevilacqua and the Living the Dream Medal Fund supporters have come to help those who are working so hard to help themselves. Maybe we can help those who help themselves.
When we are youth athletes, our parents support us.
When we are in high school, the tax payers support us.
When we are in college, tuition and, if we're lucky, revenue sports support us.
When we compete for a World Championship... who supports us?
You!
We are on the same team and we want gold. Support the Living the Dream Medal Fund. Tune in and watch live!
USA Wrestling's Living the Dream telethon is Fri, Aug 20 8-10CT Watch live: http://ow.ly/2p07e
Thanks to Mike DeRoehn (World Class Wrestling School and UW-Oshkosh head coach) for giving me this heads up. This is a free web conference regarding social media and mobile marketing as it pertains to higher ed. This will no doubt provide tons of helpful information for coaches! I'm signed up. Check it out!
I attended the National Wresting Coaches Association Convention over the weekend. A great event as usual. Mike Moyer is as passionate a wrestling person as you will meet. Out-going NWCA president Jim Beichner was right when he talked about how Pat Tocci and Tammy Tedesco have become nearly as driven as Mike. They work hard at what they do and they run a nice event. This year it was at Delray Beach, FL. The Marriott was immediately across the street from the beach, had a large and beautiful outdoor pool/patio area and, for the family types, was just around the corner from a huge playground. The presenters were all pretty solid. I particularly liked Dr. Coyte Cooper's talk about social media. He hit the nail on the head about why and how to use these tools. I like to think that I was equally as efficient in communicating the same ideas in a different way. As usual, I focused on the boots-on-the-ground approach of step 1, step 2, step 3 so that coaches could figure out how to implement what we were talking about when the get back to the office on Monday. Although we did have some discussion about marketing and promotion, I believe that these topics should be the central organizing theme of wrestling today. It is a highly marketable sport, proven by the fact that there are dozens of college programs that have events each year with 5,000 attendees or more and the NCAA Wrestling Championships are the 5th most profitable of any sport (and the NCAA hosts something like 88 championships (all divisions) in 23 sports). But I digress.... My hope is that coaches are able to take away practical, actionable items to implement this week, this month and this season. Here are some actionable items that may be of use to you:
Without hesitation you could probably name the mascot or team colors for your favorite team in any given sport.That is one sign of a loyal and devoted fan.This idea of branding and brand association is not exclusive to professional or college athletics.As the leader of your organization, you should also strive to create, nurture, and grow your own team's "brand".Here are 3 tips to follow that will help your brand management:
1.Make sure your logo and team colors are clearly defined.Be sure that your fans can easily communicate their support with the clothes they wear, accessories they buy, etc.
2.Display your colors EVERYWHERE!Be sure that your Twitter page has your logo and is in your color scheme.Make sure your Facebook fan page has your own logo uploaded and take it a step further by posting lots of pictures in the album of fans and athletes in team colors.
3.Incentivize the promotion of your brand.Encourage your fans to show their team spirit by having a giveaway for the most creatively dressed fan, best fan video or whatever you think is a great way to show it off.Make it easy AND fun for the fans to demonstrate support.Excitement is contagious!
Texting has become a crazy phenomenon in the past few years.Commercials poke fun at the communication gap between teens and their parents as they try to understand the language of ‘OMG’ and ‘BFF’.It all came even more into focus for me recently.In a local restaurant there was a TV tuned to one of the ESPN channels and it was flashing the news of George Steinbrenner’s death.I brought it up and one of the guys with us said “Oh yeah, I got a text about that earlier.Crazy, huh?”Ok, so he wasn’t overly stricken with grief but what really struck me was that he’d gotten this tidbit of sports news delivered right to his phone... and he remembered it.Imagine what people would do with information about a team they are connected to and care about—your team—if you had information streaming via text right to their phones.Using text messaging as an information delivery system and/or as a marketing system to your fans is a great way to connect to your team, parents, alumni, donors and fans.
It wasn't a Hollywood celebrity that broke the all-time record for number of Twitter posts written per second. In fact, despite some technical problems it was the FANS during the recent World Cup competition that brought on this recent super surge in Twitter activity. Better than that, the records set by the World Cup Fans were SHATTERED immediately afterwards. Yep, you guessed it—more sports fans when the Lakers won the final game of the NBA playoffs. My point here is that Twitter is a powerful force for sports teams. Those global tweets led to more people participating in World Cup activities than ever before which included higher ticket sales, greater merchandise sales, and a never before seen global recognition. As one writer puts it so well: "Sports fan's activity on Twitter over the last week proves that it is attracting a wider group of users, beyond the tech geeks that initially started using it." (Clair Cain Miller, 6/18/10, "Sports Fans Break Records on Twitter") So, if you aren't using Twitter yet, now is definitely the time.
You have a vision and a mission. Now all you have to do is communicate it regularly and consistently to your supporters. Get them to buy into it and you will have money to fulfill your dreams. You can communicate through Twitter, Facebook, your website, e-mail marketing and through the media with a PR campaign. If you don't have time, and I assume you have higher-level tasks to do, then outsource some of your communications. As I say repeatedly, you must create replicable and profitable systems. Delegate. Get more done in less time. That's the power of Riot.
I talk a lot about the fact that sports programs are no different than a small business. The point of a successful small business is not profit but a vision, a mission. The same with a successful sports program. As the quote above states, without money there is no success. Do you fund your success through trading money for a product (cookies, coupon books, etc)? Or by selling your vision and your mission? Most of us are much more willing to buy your vision and your mission than a product out of a fundraising catalog.
Even if you have not, masses and masses of people have flocked to Twitter to communicate, share, connect and converse. Contrary to popular belief it's not all posts about what people had for dinner or how they got poison ivy from wiping with the wrong leaves on last weekend's camping trip. Here's an example- I recently had an issue with an online printing company that I have used for a long time. They partnered with an outside company that somehow got my credit card information and made me a "subscriber"- to what, I don't know. But I was paying for it. I was charged $14.95 seven times over the course of a few months for a total of almost $90! I tweeted my frustration and hoped to spread the word about my poor treatment. Smart social media users themselves, they found my tweet, replied to me and offered to help me not only cancel the subscription but get my money back! Pretty cool! Good customer service and smart brand protection. And now I love them again. And I tweeted that too. What are people saying about you? Your organization? Your favorite team, athlete or enemy? Do a quick Twitter search here: Find out what's being tweeted about (fill in the blank)
More and more, I see the relationship between good business practice and good coaching. Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh's new book, Delivering Happiness, came out this week. In it he talks about how doing good business is good for business. John Wooden's passing reminded me that Hsieh's business philosophy can apply to athletics too. Coach Wooden was the epitomy of this. He never talked about winning. He only talked about process, preparation, character and moral condition. Similarly, I read an interview in Entrepreneur Magazine recently with Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia. His radically "good" business practices have brought him untold success. What is your coaching philosophy? What is the mission of your organization? Is it winning? Is it money? Is it the process? Is it performing at your maximum potential? Are you doing good? Hsieh's book is a great read and inspiring story. Buy it here.
Riot is, no doubt, a unique business. People often ask me how I came up with the idea. The answer is through educating myself in the best practices of successful businesses and learning how they are implemented in sport and other such organizations. The ideas flow through my head daily and I absolutely love it! There are 3 books that I suggest every business owner, coach or non-profit leader read. Remember, your organization is a small business.
The E-Myth: This will teach you first, why it is important to implement replicable and profitable systems("profit" is success to you- however you define it). Then how to develop, document and implement systems. The idea is to free up your time to do what you want to do instead of what are stuck having to do.
How to Win Friends and Influence People: This book has been in print since 1936. Yes, 1936. And you'll find it at just about every bookstore in America today because it is that important. If you have to deal with people- and you do- then this is a must read. Must, must, must. It will change your life like no other book will and it will make you more successful.
The Four-Hour Work Week: This book is candy for the soul of anyone who wants to free up more time and do what they love for a living. It will inspire you to look for effective ways to delegate tasks and get more done in less time so that you can spend your time doing what you enjoy.
Riot is all about creating systems to make your program create a following. And, of course, start a Riot!
I recently talked about the C-Myth as it relates to the popular book called The E-Myth. The "E" in E-Myth stands for entrepreneurial. The entrepreneurial myth is the idea that just because you can install a hardwood floor doesn't mean you can run a successful flooring business. Similarly, just because you can teach a single-leg takedown or 1-3-1 basketball defense does not mean that you can run a successful program or summer camp. This is the C-Myth- the coaching myth. Coaches can take a simple page out of the business playbook. Successful businesses are run by replicable and profitable systems. If something is not working then the problem is with the system, not the person. If your athletes are not performing, your fundraising is not working, your recruiting not successful and your assistant coaches not being accountable then maybe, just maybe the problem is with your system- or lack thereof. Do you have a system through which you do something? Then write it down, fine-tune it and put it in motion. When you see a problem then you tweak your system, document the changes and re-implement.
Remember: problems are opportunities for improvement. If you take this simple advice then your organization will flourish.
The NCAA seems to be more about money than opportunity. I'm well aware that opportunity comes from money but the business model is broken. There is waste is some sports and dire need in others. If it is about opportunity then change needs to happen. ======================================== Why We Play: It's not about getting a scholarship, getting drafted, or making SportsCenter. It's a deep need in us that comes from the heart. We need to practice, to play, to lift, to hustle, to sweat. We do it all for our teammates and for the student in our calculus class that we don't even know. We don't practice with a future major league first baseman; we ...practice with a future sports agent. We don't life weights with a future Olympic wrestler; we lift with a future doctor. We don't run with a future Wimbledon champion; we run with a future CEO. It's a bigger part of us than our friends and family can understand. Sometimes we play for 2,000 fans; sometimes 25. But we still play hard. You cheer for us because you know us. You know more than just our names. Like all of you, we are students first. We don't sign autographs. But we do sign graduate school applications, MCAT exams, and student body petitions. When we miss a kick or strike out, we don't let down an entire state. We only let down our teammates, coaches, and fans. But the hurt is still the same. We train hard, lift, throw, run, kick, tackle, shoot, dribble, and lift some more, and in the morning we go to class. And in that class we are nothing more than students. It's about pride--in ourselves, in our school. It's about our love and passion for the game. And when it's over, when we walk off that court or field for the last time, our hearts crumble. Those tears are real. But deep down inside, we are very proud of ourselves. We will forever be what few can claim... college athletes. -Author unknown
I was talking to a good friend of mine who is a Division I head coach. He is close to getting his Masters degree in Sport Management. I often wonder what people learn in those types of courses and how it might apply to their day-to-day work as a coach or administrator. He and I talked about some of the high level classes he has taken and the theory he learned. It turns out that, similar to the MBA's lack of preparation of an entrepreneur, much of what he learned does not help him become the CEO of his entrepreneurial, small-business-like athletics enterprise. This leads me to consider how poorly prepared most coaches are for the entrepreneurship of becoming a head coach and truly developing their program for success. While we might think that we can teach a single leg takedown, 4-3 defense, or breast stroke technique better than the head coach, many assistants are not prepared to be the head coach. The head coach does much more than simply teach technique... he must be prepared to communicate with the media, direct recruiting (college), woo donors (yes, high school coach, that means you too) and shoulder criticism. The book The E-Myth Revisited should be required reading for any aspiring head coach. The E-Myth stands for Entrepreneurial Myth. Just because you can swing a hammer doesn't mean you can become a contractor. Just because you can build a software program doesn't mean you can run a software company. It is not that simple. Neither is coaching. This is what I call the C-Myth.
Mike Novogratz, Al Bevilacqua and Co. pulled off a wrestling event the likes of which have never happened before. They are both action-oriented, "get things done" people to whom the wrestling community owes a debt of gratitude. The Beat the Streets Gala was a truly unbelievable event. Riot Sports Marketing supported their efforts to reach the wrestling community, grow attendance and raise money. Here is what Al Bevilacqua had to say...
"I am convinced and I think our Board is convinced that Riot Sports Marketing allowed us in our most recent Gala & Benefit to double our attendance and total donations. Last year we had a little over 450 people attend where we raised $450,000.
As of now, as donations are still "trickling in" where we have raised over $900,000 with over 1000 people on the Intrepid.
If we can move a few new cities to become successful it will be provide the validity nationwide that we can reverse the downward curve of participation that wrestling is experiencing in its High Schools and Colleges."
(watch vblog version) No. It's not just you. Everyone is dealing with budget cuts. How many cookies do you have to sell to make up for your budget short-falls? A SNL skit with Phil Hartman
comes to mind. You can continue to sell something with little value or you can sell something with real value-- your vision. What do you stand for? What are the results of your work? Don't know? Then go back to selling cookies. But once you figure it out you will have something to sell that is worth more than the $8.99 package of cookies or $25 coupon book (that you have to buy for $15). The truth is that if you are doing something good then people will want to support you. If you're a non-profit they will donate. If you are for-profit then they will sponsor. Here's how it works:
Determine what you are selling. What is your vision? What is the product? What are the results?
Develop a system for communicating with lots of people. Choose a subset with whom to communicate more personally.
Build relationships.
Ask for money.
Because the money that was there yesterday isn't there today... and it's likely that it won't be there tomorrow.
This is a very cool (and free) web-based resource that I came across for running a tournament. Very simple to use and fans can comment on matches and follow the event from anywhere. Pretty cool! www.konkuri.com
If you're scrambling to meet deadlines, running your organization by the seat-of-your-pants, getting work done between distractions and continually getting further behind then STOP! What exactly is on your to-do list? What is it that only you can do? What on that list can be handed off to someone else? Or maybe dismissed altogether? If you fit the above description then you owe it to the others that depend upon your leadership to do better. It is likely that your mandate is to strengthen and/or grow your organization. If that is the case then you can do it better by evaluating what you are doing right now and (as David Allen author of Getting Things Done would say) doing it, delegating it or discarding it.
When I ask people if they have a strategy for using social media and social networking the response I get is "Do you mean like Facebook and stuff?" If you want your organization to touch more people then you need a strategy. First you have to understand what all this mess is. We make it simple with Riot University. Learn about how you can benefit from using Facebook, Twitter, blogging, e-newsletters, text message alerts and more. Enroll in Riot U! What is Riot U? It is an 8-week course that will take you about 10-15 minutes per week to learn. At $9.99/week it is a low cost investment in yourself and your organization. Let me know what you think. http://www.riotsportsmarketing.com/page/Riot-University
Everyone wants a website. "You need a website," everyone says. "If you don't have a website," everyone says, "you're non-existent."
"Everyone" is wrong.
Websites are cumbersome. Even the simplest website is technically intimidating not to mention time consuming to maintain. Consider the fact that if I don't set aside time to come to see it then I'll never know what is on it! If you don't have a website already, spare yourself the headache.
The widely used but oft misused Facebook Fan Page is the solution for the organization with limited resources (both time and human):
They have more functionality than any traditional website (add photos, video, events, schedule, online donation button, discussion forum etc).
They are free and anyone with minimal technical know-how can maintain one.
Anyone (even the aforementioned "everyone") can view it with or without a Facebook account
Post an update on a traditional site and, like the proverbial tree in the woods, you can wonder if it actually makes a noise. Post it on your Facebook Fan Page and all of your fans will see it, can share it and comment on it.
Step 1: Program gets cut Step 2: Raise mountains of cash Step 3: Pray for reinstatement
This temporary solution lasts only as long as it takes for the administration to find another way to cut the program or until the cash runs out. It is unfortunately a necessary short-term solution but it fails to address the real problem. It has happened before, it's happening now and will happen again. How do you make your program relevant? To be relevant you have to have to have:
media that cares
fans who care
student-body who cares
donors who give
In addition to a coaching staff, warm-ups and shoes, every program should have a Facebook Fan Page, an email newsletter, an annual fundraising campaign and a PR campaign.
In business it is said that it costs seven times more to get a new customer than to retain a current one. It is the same in athletics.
There are lots of philosophies out there on how to build a stronger program. None, however, is more important or more powerful than this one. www.riotsecret.com
With budgets being slashed and programs being cut, strengthening his program is the most important thing a coach can do. Riot Sports Marketing, a recognized leader in marketing for Olympic sports programs, is presenting a free webinar on Tuesday, April 13 at 7pm EST. During this live webinar, Riot Chief Instigator Jim Harshaw will be teaching coaches how to work smarter, not harder and the top three ways to market their program to raise more money.
Harshaw, a former Division I All American in wrestling at UVA, feels that “it is time for coaches to take it upon themselves to strengthen their program. Funding will go to some sports while others suffer. If coaches had a simple and efficient means of marketing their programs without taking up any more of their time, the result would be more media coverage, a stronger fan base, and a larger donor pool. Riot Sports Marketing teaches coaches how to market their programs with the most impact for the least amount of time and effort.”
Let him/her do the talking: Ask questions and let them talk, vent, explain or brag. People love to talk about them selves.
Take him/her to lunch: See number 1.
Walk a mile: Administrators are under a lot of pressure. Much of that pressure is financial, especially in the current economic client. Let them know that you understand that. Try saying "I'd feel the same way if I were you..." Avoid using "but" because it negates everything that came before it.
Do your part: Demonstrate that you are a team player by helping to cut financial corners where you can and by pitching in.
Avoid gossip: Don't partake in the negative gossip that your colleagues would like for you to engage in.
This is business: Understand that athletics is a business where, like it or not, money is the bottom line. You, therefore, are a business-person. Treat your role as such.
If you don't love your fans you had better learn to. As one major university marketing campaign recently put it,
"Ultimately, a successful program is sustained by unwavering and passionate fans."
At the recent NCAA Wrestling Championships I made it easy for fans to follow my alma mater's wrestling team. They could follow updates and inside news on Twitter, Facebook, via text message alerts and on our website with behind the scenes video footage of our team and the championships. Show your fans this kind of love and they'll love you back.
You have to love them when they love you, which is easy. You have to love them when they're indifferent to you, which is not very exciting. And you have to love them when they are angry at you, which is, at times, excruciating.
But there are certain things that you have to do to be successful and loving your fans is one of those things. If you show them unconditional love they will reciprocate. I'm talking about the unconditional love of your pet dog. You can yell at him, smack him with a newspaper, rub his nose in his wrongs (literally) and not for a minute will he consider forsaking you. That's the love I'm talking about.
Love them by thanking them publicly ...by sending them enewsletters each week ...by posting news to your Facebook Page regularly ...by thanking your donors personally ...by making it quick and easy for them to donate ...by hosting socials for them to get to know other fans (and feel part of a family) ...by giving them stuff (like t-shirts, bumper magnets or food)
Without this love you'll not get their financial support. And without that you are not relevant to your AD. Develop this love and express it in every way you can think of. It will pay dividends.
As I pack my bags for the NCAA Division I National Championships (the most electrifying event in all of sports), I look forward to hearing the Oklahoma State, Iowa, Iowa State, Penn State, Lehigh and Cornell contingents roar for their warriors as they fight for supremecy on the mats. These progams all have strong followings and good attendance at their home competitions. Why? Because they're good. Everyone loves a winner. However, to have good attendance you don't have to be a winner. You just have to know how to get your fan base excited. Ohio University had a huge turnout for the Ohio U. vs. Kent State dual. Neither are in the top 10 the nation but they know how to rally their fan base. Just because you are not involved in the highest level of competition doesn't mean that you can't have a strong following and good attendance. So stop using the excuse that you're not good enough. Good enough is good enough. So get marketing!
Your fans- hopefully. The University of Virginia athletics department raises lots and lots of money which is why they are so successful. They are filming a commercial for the football team with the theme:
"Ultimately, a successful program is sustained by unwavering and passionate fans."
What are you doing to make it easy for your fans to be unwavering and passionate? Do they have to come to your website to find you? If they do make it there is it up-to-date? Do you have a system in place for getting news to them so they don't have to remember to come looking? Can they donate online? Do you ask them? Make it easy for your fans to be fans and they'll support you and help you become a more successful program.
This is going to be short and simple because you don't have time to worry about this kind of stuff right? You're putting out other, more important fires today, right ? I ask you this... what is more important than building a community of supporters around your program? So, here's the quick list:
Start a Facebook Fan Page (not Group). Thousands of your fans are already on Facebook and getting their news there (and yes, you have thousands of fans). Pages have tons of funtionality that you really don't need to worry about until you get over 100 fans. At that point you can get a custom URL (like www.facebook.com/riotsportsmarketing). Then you can add tabs and links to your online donations page, your email newsletter sign-up page, your text message alerts sign-up pages, etc. These are more advanced for those wanting to start a riot. For now, just start a Facebook Fan Page and invite some friends.
www.Facebook.com/Pages
Get a Twitter account. Some experts recommend getting a Twitter account just so that no one else can claim your name and use it erroneously. This is a good method for me to scare you into getting started on Twitter too! I didn't use mine for the first 6 months I had it. I gradually worked my way into it and discovered that there is real value in Twitter. There is a conversation going on in the Twitterverse about your sport, your program, and your community. You should have a voice there too.
Start a blog. I know, I know. You think blogs are for political junkies, techie geeks and business people. Wrong. they are for you and your fans. You're reading one right now. Blogs are simply this- a simple means of posting news quickly in a chronological order (newest posts at the top). Everyone wants a beautiful website with a dozen pages. Each page that you create just adds work to your plate. You have to maintain and update these pages or your site will look dead. An out-of-date site is worse than no website. I know that you have "a guy" that is doing this for you but what about when his kid graduates or when he's on vacation and you win the big tournament? Create a blog where you can post information quickly and easily so that your fans have a reliable place to get up-to-date information regularly.
Yes, I know that you have fires to put out that are right at your feet. But the biggest fire is raging up ahead (called budget cuts, Title IX or indifferent administrators). Start building!
1) Assuming you're safe. In these lean times budgets are being slashed and programs are being cut. Don't think you're insulated. Take action to minimize your risk (raise money, strengthen your fan base, create multiple means of communicating with thousands of fans)
2) DIY Approach. You don't have to be the Bob Villa of your program and fix everything yourself. Learn to delegate. Choose three simple tasks that you can outsource to a student, parent or supporter.
3) Believing that better technique will strengthen your program. Head wrestling coach at the University of Minesota J Robinson said it best (paraphrased) "Wrestling will not survive based on how well we teach single-leg and double-leg takedowns but on how well we market the sport."
4)Looking for instant results. Strengthening your program through marketing, fundraising and "fan raising" is a process, not an event. Just because you send a press release or email newsletter doesn't mean you're done. Just like building an athlete, building a program is a process.
5) Believing that a good athlete= Good coach- Don't rest your hopes upon hiring the best athlete you can find to be an assistant coach. Find the best program administrator (think communication skills, organization skills, and action-oriented people).
6) Seat-of-the-pants approach - Good businesses operate based upon replicable and profitable systems. So do good programs.
7) Do the Talking- Successful leaders are good listeners. Do more listening and decision-making becomes more informed and easier.
There are some great writers in our sport. Joe Baranik, of www.pawrestling.net/ writes one of the best.
HALF-NELSON REPORT
By Joe Baranik
When?2010-Collegiate Wrestling Back Again: From the early 70's, to the mid-80's college wrestling was at its peak.There were nearly 750 college teams that had programs.Teams in the South East Conference such as Auburn, Tennessee were in the top 10 in the country.Kentucky was tough along with Florida and LSU.Yale had some tough guys, UCLA was a decent team and Notre Dame was coming on.Syracuse with "Mean Gene the Pinning Machine Mills" was a national power. Collegiate wrestling was thriving.Indiana State had big Bruce Baumgartner and all 14 schools in the PA State Athletic Conference had squads along with Temple University in Philadelphia.
Then the wheels came off with the unintended consequences of the Title 9 law in 1979.The initial law was great; in essence it said that females should have equal opportunity to participate in high school and college athletics.Then the law got amended to include an equal number of male and female athletes.With 120 football players at that time on scholarship, it became impossible to have that many women athletes to equal the numbers of male athletes, so male sports began to be dropped in droves in the mid to late 80's.Also, football wanted to increase their budgets and in no way wanted their rosters cut.
Finally, today, it appears the bleeding has stopped.Sure there may be some more college wrestling programs discontinued, but the trend is turning in wrestling's favor.In my opinion, here are the top five reasons college wrestling is making a come back, and the trickle down effect will only strengthen middle and high school wrestling.
1) 600 college wrestling programs have been added since 2000.Just recently, Shorter College in Georgia (Div. II) announced that they will add wrestling next season to become the only 4-year college in Georgia to offer the sport.Darton College, a junior college in Georgia, added wrestling 3 years ago and are coming on strong.Plus, according to the NWCA News, Quachita Baptist University (Div. II) will become the first college in Arkansas to offer wrestling next season."To be the first institution in the state to have collegiate wrestling will give us a stronghold on it," said Quachita Athletic Director David Sharp.Greg Hatcher, President of the Arkansas Wrestling Association, has announced the non-profit association will provide mats, uniforms and other assistance to help Quachita's wrestling program get under way.The association also has donated mats to more than 40 Arkansas high schools to help launch their wrestling programs.Hatcher is founder and owner of the Hatcher Agency, the largest health insurance agency in Arkansas.He lettered in wrestling, soccer and baseball at Alma College in Alma, Michigan.Emphasizing that "wrestling creates leaders," Hatcher said the opportunity for wrestlers to "go one-on-one with no one to bail you out" helps build confidence and discipline as well as "great self-defense skills."He also cited wrestling's fitness benefits for student-athletes.Hatcher also is the author of "55 Steps to Outrageous Service."
Also, Tiffin College, a Division II college in Ohio, is competing in their first year of the program and showing great promise.
2) College administrators are finally realizing how much football costs and how little wrestling costs and the return you can make on your investment.Boston University eliminated their football program about 7 years ago in order to keep a number of their other sports including wrestling.Just last month, Hoffstra discontinued their football program because they were spending $4.5 million per year.Also, last month, Northeastern University in Boston dropped football.TCU, who went 11-1 this year and was ranked 4th in the country before losingto Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, spends $16.6 million on their program and only has a seating capacity of44,000.They admit that their budget pales compared to their neighbors in the Big 12 such as Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.In addition, Florida State, a member of the ACC (6 member schools offer wrestling) just agreed to pay their new coach $9million over the next 5 years.Don't you think the Seminoles could afford a wrestling program?As strong as Florida high school wrestling has become, there is no college in the state that sponsors a college team.
3) Never has there been more money spent on college wrestling.In the last 5 years, a myriad of colleges have gotten either new wrestling rooms or a whole new facility to include weight & cardio rooms, locker rooms and video analysis and study lounges.Michigan just opened a brand new building just for wrestling and virtually every program in the Big 10 has a new or remodeled wrestling room.Numerous other programs across the country have recently upgraded or added new wrestling practice areas including Old Dominion University, Army, Campbell University, West Virginia, Virginia, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Cornell.This fall, the University of North Carolina will open a brand new building for wrestling.
4) Fans in the Stands.So far, this wrestling season attendance is on the upswing.Over 11,000 people witnessed the Iowa vs Iowa State dual in Ames, Iowa, over 5,000 watched the Lehigh vs PSU match in Bethlehem, Cornell sold out its first home match in November with 6th ranked Maryland when over 1,000 fans attended the meet in their multi-million dollar wrestling-only facility. Penn St. crowded in nearly 5,000 fans with their first home match in the Cael Sanderson era against Bloomsburg and LHU bolstered nearly 2,000 fans for their home match with PSU on January 4th.
One must keep in mind, that there is very little to nil pre-match hype for college matches in the national media or on Sports Center like for football or men's and women's basketball.Can you imagine if the national media would hype a big match a few days in advance?I believe the crowds would double.
5) Finally, the powers to be in wrestling such as the NWCA, USA Wrestling, The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the NHSCA realize the importance of promoting and marketing our product-Wrestling!More specifically: college wrestling.I am convinced, that the bigger college wrestling gets, the bigger high school wrestling becomes, which will trickle down to middle schools and elementary leagues and into international wrestling.Dan Gable and the Iowa dynasty got spectators to come out en mass, J. Robinson proved you can get crowds anywhere if you work at it and now RIOT Sports founder Jim Harshaw is taking the importance of promoting wrestling to the next level.I must add, yours truly has been an advocate and pro-active in growing this sport for the past 30 years.
6) Wrestling has gained more credibility and influence because we are getting more former wrestlers who are becoming athletic directors and administrators.Such examples of former wrestlers who have climbed to the top in administration include Bob Bowlsby, Athletic Director at Stanford; Pat Pecora, AD at UPJ and head wrestling coach; Tom Bold, assistant AD at Brown University; Andy Noel, AD at Cornell University; Steve Erber, Associate AD at Cornell; Gene Nighman, Assistant AD at Cornell; Dan Gable, Assistant AD at Iowa; and Charlie Heller, Superintendent at Titusville School District.
In closing, let me leave you with a quote from Olympic gold and silver medalist Ben Peterson: "Please be reminded that anyone can add energy to a wrestling program and responsibilities can be shared, but leadership and an undying hope is needed in this sport that is so similar to life."
Until February, remember as Neil Turner likes to say "As iron sharpens iron, one wrestler sharpens another."And, as of 01/05/10, we are reminded on Cornell's wrestling web page that there is only 71 days, 11 hours, 35 minutes and 25 seconds until the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Finally, keep your grades up, your weight down and Go 4 the PIN!(For comments email baranikjj@sapc.edu)
