Director of Sales - Professional Sales
"Some of my friends tell me that I have the best job in the world because I get to sell what I love: the best sport in the world. I’m living the dream, but it’s long hours and hard work. For every “yes,” I’ll get 50 prospects saying “no.” But it’s the single “yes” that gets me up every day. I’m a manager, a motivator and a mentor to my sales team. My clients are my partners; results data is always top of mind, and my reputation for delivering on what I promise is my life blood."
Salary Range:
$130,400 - $165,800
The Tip
Some of my friends tell me that I have the best job in the world because I get to sell what I love: the best sport in the world. I’m living the dream, but it’s long hours and hard work. For every “yes,” I’ll get 50 prospects saying “no.” But it’s the single “yes” that gets me up every day. I’m a manager, a motivator and a mentor to my sales team. My clients are my partners; results data is always top of mind, and my reputation for delivering on what I promise is my life blood.
Priority Knowledge & Skills
Strategic Marketing
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Develop & execute a positioning strategy
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Conduct a competitive analysis
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Conduct an environmental scan
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Develop & apply a segmentation strategy
Research & Insight
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Demonstrate empathy & curiosity
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Leverage contextual knowledge of sports
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Ability to analyze data
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Leverage research to support consumer insights
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Presentation & report-writing skills
Product management
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Measure return on investment (ROI)
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Manage a budget
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Develop & execute a pricing strategy
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Manage projects
Sales & Channel Management
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Apply principles of CRM
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Manage a sales process
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Conduct sales presentations
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Develop & execute a distribution strategy
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Leverage e-commerce
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Develop merchandising strategy
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Leverage co-operative marketing
Communications & Branding
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Sponsorship & community investment
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Leverage event & experiential marketing
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Develop a promotional strategy
Content Curation & Design
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Apply visual design fundamentals
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Conduct content research & curation
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Develop original content
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Apply creative production processes
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Develop content schedule & plan
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Use design tools
Building Block Experiences
Education & Learning:
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Bachelor of Arts (sociology) with a minor in business
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Diploma in finance via Coursera
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Sales training from Mike Weinberg’s Sales Simplified course
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Dale Carnegie relationship selling course
"I knew a university degree was integral to break into the business. Doing a minor in business helped me to understand some key financial principles that led me to a diploma in finance. In sales, I find I need to always push myself and my staff to learn something every day."
Employment Experiences:
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Two sales internships for minor league teams
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Customer service representative for a major league team
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Account manager for a major league team
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Director of sales & marketing for a minor league team
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Director of sales for a major league team
"I found performance creates opportunities. The early stages were super hard work and I needed to persevere through rejection. I found most people didn’t have this driven resiliency, and because I did, I built a network and a reputation that have become my greatest assets."
Community Experiences:
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Was in membership role for student club
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Fundraising lead for local chapter of KidSport
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Coach youth sports
"Volunteer activities introduced me to people outside of my industry and network. This created the ability to develop and expand my skills, and give me proof I have them. My volunteer work has been an important foundation for building a sense of humility."
Contextual Experiences:
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Have travelled to 18 countries
"Exposure to diverse cultures reinforced my humility because it showed me the world is big and what I actually know is so small."
Relationships:
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Had a professional mentor in first job out of university
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Play pickup hockey with people in my industry
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Client networks and personal relationships
"Success in sales is about building strong relationships and networks. I recognize all relationships must be win-win. Sales can involve long hours (early mornings and late nights), so I need to have strong personal relationships who value this part of me."