Structuring Ticket Sales Teams: Optimizing R.O.I.

STRUCTURING TICKET SALES TEAMS OPTIMIZING R.O.I.

KATHARINA ELBERTI & COOPER GILLOGLY OHIO UNIVERSITY SPORTS ADMINISTRATION FALL 2017

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report examines the organizational structures in place for professional sports teams’ ticket sales staff. This includes workplace culture, pay structure, goal-setting - among other unique objectives - that a team of salespeople may have.

In additional to conducting 15 one-on-one phone interviews, an extensive quantitative and qualitative survey was taken by 46 sales professionals currently working in the sports industry. These respective individuals cover a wide range of backgrounds, styles, and settings, intentional so in order to find the best methods to arrange a comprehensive program that would be beneficial to all particular institutions that are involved in the business of selling their respective products throughout the professional sports industry. The pros and cons of their current and past places of employment are also taken into account to better understand the process from their point of view.

A case study within the report summarizes the Dallas Cowboys’ sales staff that drew in $600 million in revenue before opening AT&T Stadium. 15 members of the sales staff gave valuable insight on the entire process from start to finish to provide their expertise and guidance for any team looking to accomplish a sales goal of any magnitude.

When the research was concluded there was a definite result to the findings, summarized into three pillars that all industry front office’s can use to form a lucrative sales team: culture, structure and process.

Introduction • Research • Industry Overview • Dallas Cowboys • Considerations

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TABLE OF CONTENTS OBJECTIVE .................................................................................................................................................. 07 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Quantitative .........................................................................................................................................

Qualitative ...........................................................................................................................................

Respondent’s Demographics ...............................................................................................................

09 10 11

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

The Big 5 .............................................................................................................................................

National Football League ....................................................................................................................

Major League Baseball ........................................................................................................................

National Basketball League .................................................................................................................

National Hockey League .....................................................................................................................

Major League Soccer ...........................................................................................................................

13 14 15 16 18 19

THE DALLAS COWBOYS: A CASE STUDY

The Situation ........................................................................................................................................

The Sales Team Managers ...................................................................................................................

The Sales Team ....................................................................................................................................

Insights From Interviews with The Sales Team ...................................................................................

21 22 23 25

CONSIDERATIONS

Culture ................................................................................................................................................. 31

Structure ............................................................................................................................................... 32

Process ................................................................................................................................................. 33 APPENDICES

Appendix A - Qualtrics Research Results ............................................................................................ 35

Appendix B - Interview Transcriptions ............................................................................................... 45

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OBJECTIVE

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OBJECTIVE THE GOAL

The objective of this project is to identify what structure and attributes drive each individual sales teams’ success.

Inevitably, the goal is to identify if those distinct approaches can be duplicated and translated into other sectors, franchises, and leagues within the sports business industry for optimum success and return on investment.

Many teams have very different mentalities when it comes to how to structure a sales team: the power in numbers approach; the quality versus quantity model; finding the best return on investment in regards to payment and revenue; the list goes on. Is there a finite answer that’s transferable between all different avenues of reaching a set of goals? The answer is no, there is no one correct way to structure a sales staff. However, there is a right way to structure each individual. Based on a few criteria - company culture and mindset; market and geographic distribution; compensation package; ability to advance within the company; etc. - there are principles that can be applied to reach optimum success for each and every member of a respective sales team. The objective of this report is to examine how each individual practice can be implemented in order to maximize a more profitable return on investment from a sales team.

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

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For this project, research was gathered with both a quantitative and qualitative methodology in mind. Cumulatively, 61 unique individuals currently working in the sport industry were interviewed surveyed with a multitude of different questions pertaining to their experience, background, motivations, and more. This information was collected in order to gain insight on why they chose to work in their current sports discipline, as well as what section of the industry they aspire to work towards.

Below is the explanation of questions asked, and why their findings were valued insights leading towards proposed considerations.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY QUANTITATIVE

CAREER BACKGROUND AND GOALS The intention was to gain an understanding of what experience a current young professional in the sports industry has in terms of what parts of the business they have worked in and how they got their start. This serves as an indicator of how far they have come in their careers, as well as to gather insight on the multitude of unique backgrounds that have brought them to where they are now.

MLL

College NHL MLB Other

The second half is seeing where each person wants to end up in their career. Few secure their dream job straight out of college, or even in their first few jobs, so to better understand the end-goal of each individual, we found it important to know what they are working towards in the position they are presently in.

WORK ENVIRONMENT Each team and department have a unique makeup and structure. It is important to distinguish what each person’s current workplace culture is like on a daily basis, as well as what they believe can be done to make it a more suitable and successful environment for all parties involved. Additionally, there are many factors that go into accepting a new job opportunity. The surveys intent was to see how important the company culture was to each individual, in order to grasp the significance and gravity of that factor.

NFL NBA

“ ALL THE AREAS OF THE INDUSTRY YOU’VE WORKED ”

Other

Operations

Marketing/Promotions Sponsorship/ Sponsorship Activation

PERSONAL MOTIVATIONS Every person has a different set of motivations that propels them to work to the best of their ability. Each interviewee was asked what motivation factors drive them in their current work environment to try and gain an understanding of what components are most compelling.

When the Cowboys assembled their sales staff, they were looking for a team of competitive, self-motivated sellers. Throughout the interview process each person was asked whether the idea of a high-risk, high-reward sales job for a topnotch sports team would pique their interest, and if so, why that was the case.

Legends

MLS Racing

Ticket Sales/Inside Sales

“ FIRST FULL-TIME JOB IN THE INDUSTRY ”

Motivation to Perform Be the best in the respective field Responsibility to family and friends Salary / Commission To improve chances for a promotion Responsibility to coworkers and employer Other

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% 30.4 % 19.6 % 17.4 % 15.2 % 13.0 % 4.4 %

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY QUALITATIVE

By surveying 46 individuals, the research cast a wide net and attracted responses from individuals with many different backgrounds, careers, and ambitions to create a varied and assorted conglomerate of results. Therefore, all the information gathered could not be pigeon-holed into one section of the sports industry’s view and makeup.

The diversity of interviewees ranges from particular jobs, age, gender, current pay-grade, career goals, and beyond to harvest a broad landscape that encompasses all corners of the sports industry.

Development/Fundraising

Analytics Other Racing

Media Relations/ Communications

MLB

Operations Sponsorship/ Sponsorship Activation Client Services

Marketing/ Promotions

Other

NFL

NHL

College

Ticket Sales/ Inside Sales

“ IF YOU COULD CHOOSE YOUR DEPARTMENT ”

NBA

“ CURRENT FULL-TIME JOB IN THE INDUSTRY ”

The respondents were asked what changes they would like to see implemented in their current department, and a majority of responses stressed the need to have more people in sales roles. Another recurring theme was to have broadened leadership responsibility, where different sectors of the sales department had more communication and a strengthened structure in place to empower the employees.

40

Combination of Commission & Salary

35 30 25

Salary Based Commission Based

20 15 10

Over 80% of respondents stressed the importance of having a good balance between a base salary with a commission built in. Their reasoning is summarized as to having a salary to fall back upon in case of a rough month, but also to have the primary motivation of financial gain to reward the hard work of the top individual(s).

5 0

“ HOW DO YOU PREFER TO BE COMPENSATED? ” Page: 10 // 68

Introduction • Research • Industry Overview • Dallas Cowboys • Considerations

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY RESPONDENTS’ DEMOGRAPHICS

45 - 54 years old

55 - 64 years old

35 - 44 years old

18 - 24 years old

Master's Degree

Bachelor's Degree 25 - 34 years old

“ HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATION COMPLETED ”

“ CURRENT AGE ”

Average Annual Income $10,000 - $30,000

% 26.1 %

$30,001 - $45,000 $45,001 - $60,000 $60,001 - $80,000

17.4 % 15.2 % 10.9 %

$80,001 - $100,000 $100,001 - $125,000 $125,001 - $150,000 > $150,001

8.7 % 10.9 % 2.2 % 8.7 %

GENDER COMPOSITION (%)

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PROFESSIONAL SPORTS INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

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PROFESSIONAL SPORTS INDUSTRY OVERVIEW THE BIG 5

All professional sports teams have their own method and ideology on how they set up their ticket sales staff. From looking at the number of ticket sales representatives that each team employs, the trends in their respective sales staffs starts to become less evident.

Organizations that are rich in history, play in a larger market, and are putting winning teams on the field or court tend to have a smaller number in the office whose main job is to sell tickets. This is due to the lack of assistance these teams need in filling their respective stadiums. With so many fans in the area, where the team has been around for generations, along with a winning culture, teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Giants, and New York Yankees have no trouble attracting a large number of people to each game.

In contrast, teams that lack in the aforementioned categories tend to focus more on ticket sales staff. When a team like the Brooklyn Nets moved out of their previous home in New Jersey to a new arena in Brooklyn, they lost a great deal of their core fan-base. The Nets also must deal with being in the vast shadow of the New York Knicks playing in the same market, and a less than desirable product on the court.

One of the recent success stories of a sales staff in the professional sports world would be the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 76ers have not been a contender on the court for some time, tanking every year became the norm, and the phrase ‘Trust the Process’ was put on repeat to show fans the direction the team was hoping to go. In the midst of all this, the front office assembled a team of 105 to focus solely on ticket sales at all levels: full-season, partialseason, group tickets, etc. This number is much higher than the average NBA team, especially when taking into account the large market that the 76ers play in. Through this staffing model, the 76ers were able to bring in the third-most amount of tickets throughout the league, vastly exceeding the low expectations people had for a team that was struggling on the court.

Another method that varies between leagues and teams is their hiring process, and how they prefer to bring in new hires to work in their ticket sales departments. When the Dallas Cowboys opened up AT&T stadium, they brought in the best in the business to sell out the stadium, while paying their account representatives well above the going rate at the time. A good portion of the employees brought in had already had a good amount of success in ticket sales with other professional and college sports teams across the country. On the other end, the Dallas Stars prefer to bring in sales reps without very much experience selling in the pro sports world. This is because they want to mold their entry-level staff to move up the ladder within their organization, and not to come in with preconceived notions on how their tickets should be sold.

In observing industry trends, this research focused on the big 5 professional leagues because any new franchise in North America will hope to emulate the success in sales that a lot of these teams currently have. No matter the size of the market or stadium the team is playing in, this information overviews the wide array of staff each league employs based on their need and market size.

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PROFESSIONAL SPORTS INDUSTRY OVERVIEW NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (NFL) Conference American

Division East

North

South

West

National

East

North

South

West

Team Name Buffalo Bills Miami Dolphins New England Patriots New York Jets Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Pittsburgh Steelers Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Tennessee Titans Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs Los Angeles Chargers Oakland Raiders Dallas Cowboys New York Giants Philadelphia Eagles Washington Redskins Chicago Bears Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings Atlanta Falcons Carolina Panthers New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay Buccaneers Arizona Cardinals Los Angeles Rams San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks

Sales Staff 25 56 18 21 8 26 38 6 22 6 30 22 16 25 18 13 41 6 12 37 14 32 10 17 43 27 15 50 59 11 9 9

The NFL currently has 32 clubs in 30 unique markets. The average sales staff for an NFL franchise is 23.2, slightly lower than the other four major leagues in North America.

This is a result of NFL teams only having eight home games each year, while the others leagues have at least twice that amount. The NFL is also ranked the most popular of the respective leagues, meaning a larger portion of people are already planning to go to an NFL game compared to the other professional leagues.

League Average

23.2 League Low

6 League High

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PROFESSIONAL SPORTS INDUSTRY OVERVIEW MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL (MLB) Division AL East

AL Central

AL West

NL East

NL Central

NL West

Team Name Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox New York Yankees Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians Detroit Tigers Kansas City Royals Minnesota Twins Houston Astros Los Angeles Angels Oakland Athletics Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers Atlanta Braves Miami Marlins New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies Washington Nationals Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds Milwaukee Brewers Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Diamondbacks Colorado Rockies Los Angeles Dodgers San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants

Sales Staff 62 26 25 31 24 30 33 43 21 28 51 23 47 52 39 44 38 62 26 73 37 32 46 40 105 62 30 35 48 38

The MLB has an average of 41.7 members on their respective staffs with 30 teams in 27 different markets. Of the Big 5 leagues, this is by far the most for quite a few reasons. Each team has 81 home games they need to fill, almost double the averages of the NBA and NHL and more than ten times as many as their NFL counterparts. With so many more games it is essential for these baseball teams to employ more people assigned with getting ticket sales.

League Average

41.7 League Low

21 League High

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PROFESSIONAL SPORTS INDUSTRY OVERVIEW NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA) Conference Atlantic

Central

Southeast

Pacific

Southwest

Northwest

Team Name Boston Celtics Brooklyn Nets New York Knicks Philadelphia 76ers Toronto Raptors Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers Detroit Pistons Indiana Pacers Milwaukee Bucks Atlanta Hawks Charlotte Hornets Miami Heat Orlando Magic Washington Wizards Golden State Warriors Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Lakers Phoenix Suns Sacramento Kings Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Pelicans San Antonio Spurs Denver Nuggets Minnesota Timberwolves Oklahoma City Thunder Portland Trail Blazers Utah Jazz

Sales Staff 22 34 6 105 24 30 15 27 24 15 45 45 12 37 31 10 53 7 55 24 15 39 44 43 18 36 20 36 28 54

The NBA has 30 teams in 28 different markets with an industry average of 31.8 sales staff members. With 41 separate home games each season, it becomes difficult to attract individuals out to games, hence needing to have sales staff compared to their counterparts in the NFL. This is also where a serious trend in numbers emerges comparing teams with their size of market and past success. For example, teams in large markets with a history of success that dates back generations such as the Los Angeles Lakers need fewer employees designated to sales when they are compared to teams in smaller markets who lack that geographic history such as the Memphis Grizzlies or the New Orleans Pelicans. With a significantly smaller pool of potential sales, these teams need as many sales representatives as they can manage.

League Average

31.8 League Low

6 League High

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Introduction • Research • Industry Overview • Dallas Cowboys • Considerations

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS INDUSTRY OVERVIEW NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA): PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

EVAN OSTROSKY //

HBSE - New Jersey Devils, Prudential Center, & Philadelphia 76ers Manager of Inside Sales

Evan provided great insight on the structuring of sales staffs, what drives them, how each one is unique, and what makes the sales team he is a part of in Philadelphia so special.

Prior to joining the 76ers, Evan was an account executive with the New Jersey Devils, a member of the NHL. He has now been in Philadelphia for almost four years, and moved into his current position as Manager of Inside Sales in March of 2017. In his current role, Evan oversees a team of a dozen inside sales representatives on a daily basis. When asked about assembling his current team, Evan explained the philosophy that goes into making the right hire. “Our culture here is so important to us we want to make sure to extend job offers to the right people with the right attitude. We want them to make an impact from day one and to be the type of people who love coming in every single day and having fun in this environment.”

The 76ers have the highest amount of members that work in sales, not only in the NBA but in all of the major 5 professional sports leagues in North America. While they are in a major market, the 76ers have been lacking on the court for quite some time. When asked how he and his team deal with losing seasons on the court, Evan reiterated that is something that is completely out of the sales team’s control. “For us, its how we can sell the experience and the future of the team. It’s how we’ve taught the staff to deal with the lack of success on the court. We can only control the effort and enthusiasm that goes into each sales call every single day. It also comes down to our culture; we have a fun atmosphere. When our team isn’t doing so great, it’s part of our culture to make sure each representative is excited to come to work every single day.”

Sales staffs vary throughout all of sports, in terms of how many are on team, how many under each manager, and the structures in place to get the best numbers in each team’s respective market.

Evan’s ideal staff is 36 individuals split into three different teams - 12 to 15 each - supervised by three individual managers. “[12 to 15] is perfect in terms of talking, teaching, and growing your sales reps. If I had thirty different people to oversee, it would become complete chaos. Of course if you have more than one manager then you have an opportunity to expand your sales teams to make sure that each manager is able to continue having the one-onone conversations with each representative that is crucial to their growth and success.”

In the sports business world, turnover is quite high, especially for people who work in the ticket sales sector. Evan was able to share some insight on how a team like the 76ers with such a large staff deals with turnover when it happens. “Anytime you work in sports it’s a pretty high turnover. But here in Philadelphia we are big on internal growth opportunities. Every time a position opens up we look within the team first. But the way the map works out, there just aren’t enough sales manager jobs here. We grow them here, and obviously a lot of factors go into helping our people find other opportunities but we are always open to doing so.”

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PROFESSIONAL SPORTS INDUSTRY OVERVIEW NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE (NHL) Conference Eastern

Division

Team Name

Sales Staff

Metropolitan Carolina Hurricanes Columbus Blue Jackets New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Atlantic Boston Bruins Buffalo Sabers Detroit Red Wings Florida Panthers Montreal Canadiens Ottawa Senators Tampa Bay Lighting Toronto Maple Leafs Central Chicago Blackhawks Colorado Avalanche Dallas Stars Minnesota Wild Nashville Predators St. Louis Blues Winnipeg Jets Pacific Anaheim Ducks Arizona Coyotes Calgary Flames Edmonton Oilers Los Angeles Kings San Jose Sharks Vancouver Canucks Vegas Golden Knights

Western

24 36 32 42 65 22 37 19 24 32 24 24 19 21 24 22 16 25 3 31 26 18 8 37 10 16 22 40 26 18

The NHL has 31 teams in 29 unique markets, 24 in the United States with 7 in Canada.

With 41 home games for each team, their sales staff numbers are most comparable to that of the NBA, in number of games, size of stadiums, and time of year in which their seasons take place. Again we see the trend of the NHL teams in larger, tradition-rich markets like Toronto and Boston employ fewer sales staffs, however it is not as prominent as in the NBA. With such a large portion of the fan base in Canada, we see even the smaller market Canadian teams such as the Edmonton Oilers having smaller staffs than their American small-market counterparts like Carolina and Columbus.

League Average

League Low

League High

25.4

3

65

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PROFESSIONAL SPORTS INDUSTRY OVERVIEW MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER (MLS) Conference Eastern

Western

Team Name

Sales Staff

Atlanta United FC

24

Chicago Fire

21

Columbus Crew SC

36

D.C. United

23

Montreal Impact

8

New England Revolution New York City FC

17

New York Red Bulls

23

Orlando City SC

21

Philadelphia Union

36

Toronto FC

24

Colorado Rapids

10

FC Dallas

28

Houston Dynamo

11

LA Galaxy

24

Minnesota United FC

29

Portland Timbers

20

Real Salt Lake

12

San Jose Earthquakes

19

Seattle Sounders FC

12

Sporting Kansas City

15

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

18

The MLS has 22 teams across 21 different markets. MLS is the lowest of the Big 5 in terms of revenue, ticket sales, and popularity. However, it is the league growing at the fastest rate, and the next few years are essential to its long-term success. The MLS has been around nearly as long as the other professional leagues, and a majority of the teams have been formed within the past decade, with more expansion on the horizon.

With teams at a disadvantage in terms of building fan bases over generations, teams would benefit from having larger numbers on their sales staff. However, compared to the other leagues, the MLS simply cannot afford to employ so many full-time sales representatives.

32

League Average

League Low

League High

21

8

36

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THE DALLAS COWBOYS: A CASE STUDY

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THE DALLAS COWBOYS: A CASE STUDY THE SITUATION

After construction had begun on the new home of the Dallas Cowboys, now known as AT&T Stadium, Jerry Jones and the rest of the front office started to gather a sales staff that would be responsible for selling the 80,000 seat stadium. In all, the sales team would have to bring in $600,000,000 in PSL’s (Private Seat Licenses), suites, and season tickets prior to the first kickoff in AT&T. This would be a momentous task that had not been attempted by another professional team in all of North American sports. So unique that a brand new structure of a sales team had to be considered. They decided that they would hire 36 different sales people of diverse backgrounds to complete the task at hand, where the average PSL costs $150,000. In the middle of this huge project, the Great Recession hit, the worst economic time in the United States since the Great Depression of the 1930’s.

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THE DALLAS COWBOYS: A CASE STUDY THE SALES TEAM MANAGERS

CHAD ESTIS // President Legends Global Sales

Executive Vice President, Business Operations Dallas Cowboys

DOUG DAWSON //

Vice President, Ticket Sales & Service Dallas Cowboys

TODD FLEMING // Vice President & General Manager Legends Global Sales

AL GUIDO //

President San Francisco 49ers

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THE DALLAS COWBOYS: A CASE STUDY THE SALES TEAM

LOUIE IGLESIAS // Director of Adult Programs Southlake Tennis Center

GREG KISH //

Vice President of Sales & Service Legends, LA Stadium at Hollywood Park Project

JAIMA SCHIFFER // Business Partnerships Ticket Galaxy

NICK GEBRU //

Director, Collegiate Partnerships Legends

Senior Sales Manager Legends Global Sales, Mercedes-Benz Stadium

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THE DALLAS COWBOYS: A CASE STUDY THE SALES TEAM

MATT BOWMAN // Vice President, Sales & Marketing Dallas Stars

CJ WIATR //

Vice President, Fan Relationship Management The Aspire Group Inc.

MICHAEL DAMMEN // Account Executive Cumulus Media

GINA BELTRAMA //

Senior Manager, Global Partnerships Topgolf Media

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THE DALLAS COWBOYS: A CASE STUDY INSIGHTS FROM INTERVIEWS WITH THE SALES TEAM

THE INTERVIEW PROCESS To generate the new sales team, 156 pre-screened candidates - out of a pool of over 1,000 resumes - were invited down to Dallas to participate in the Cowboys’ job fair. These individuals came from all professional backgrounds: recent college graduates with little to no work experience; current inside sales representatives from other franchises and leagues; experienced businessmen and women from other industries looking to break into sports; to seasoned sports-industry veterans.

Day One: Group interview rounds with eight to 12 candidates simultaneously

interviewing with a current member of the Cowboys’ managerial staff.

Day Two: 56 candidates were invited back for one-on-one interviews. 31

individuals were hired to round the sales team out to 36..

Conducting group interviews allowed the Cowboys to be very efficient in hiring a mass quantity of people in one setting. There were able to invite candidates from all backgrounds and inevitably flush out the overall-superstars from the individuals that were merely great on paper.

SELECTING THE TEAM One of the number one things to avoid is office friction. Office friction can put a team in a foul mood. If you’re in a foul mood, the next conversation you’re in is bound to be affected by it. That’s not something a sales team can afford. The Cowboys were looking for a certain type of personality that would fit into the culture that they were trying to create. They wanted people that would get along, work well together, and build a team consciousness.

It didn’t matter how productive a candidate had been in their resume; if they couldn’t interact and gel with the rest of the staff they were not going to be selected.

“

The group interview provided an atmosphere of very friendly competition, and seeing how they reacted in front of 8 to 12 people that they did not know. You’re not only jockeying for air-time, but it gives the manager a real insight into how succinct somebody can be... and in the sales process that’s critical. You can’t go on long winded pitches; you have to be succinct in your messages and in your questioning. Who’s going to get there quick enough? Who understands the person on the other side of the table? You got to see how everyone could handle the pressure, and moving onto the one-on-one gave everyone the chance to perform in a smaller setting. It made an effective approach to assembling the team.

- Todd Fleming

”

In regards to the potential cons of such a rigorous, spotlight-enabling interview process, one former sales team member remarked, “If you’re not a person that shines in that environment, maybe you’re not the right person for this kind of job in the first place.”

In the long run, the Cowboys found the group interview process beneficial because it allowed the more highly assertive candidates to come to the forefront, which is what an organization wants from a sales representative.

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THE DALLAS COWBOYS: A CASE STUDY INSIGHTS FROM INTERVIEWS WITH THE SALES TEAM

THE SALES TEAM ATMOSPHERE The sales team was set; and it was not your average team environment. In many professional sports organizations, respective representatives are separate: the suite sales team in room X, the premium sales steam in room Y, the sponsorships team in room Z, et al. On the Cowboys’ sales team, all 36 entered the organization at the same level; an equal playing surface, and equal opportunity for success. The team consisted of everyone from a few wide-eyed 20-somethings with two or three years of sales experience, to a handful of 40-year-old-veterans who’d been around the industry awhile; all coming together and learning from one another.

“

“I fully believe structuring it that way benefited our dynamic. It helped the veteran-types to feel more youthful, energized, and ingrained in the culture, and it also reminded the younger folks to remember to rely on experience.”

”

To an extent, sales is storytelling with a purpose. Life experience holds a key in sales, the key being learning how can you relate your life experiences to the experience that you’re going to go through in the sales process.

While management fostered an environment of workplace collaboration, in the sports industry competition is imminent. Work Hard, Play Hard was a staple concept in the Cowboys’ culture, a culture built on expectations, accountability, and results. Dawson et al. developed a sales culture that was based upon clearly defining expectations, with an understanding of you’re going to be accountable -- and if not, there’s going to be an open and frank discussion about it. Once the 36 understood what was expected of them and how they should go about their day, management utilized competition as a driver for the sales team.

“A lot of sales organizations are cutthroat, backbiting, snakes etc., and that mentality is just not something we would tolerate. We wanted professionals who had great passion and work ethic; who wanted to make money; who wanted to be good team players. We’re going to celebrate our successes, but we’re going to be good teammates and celebrate each other’s as well.”

Collaborative, yet competitive. The sales team developed the mentality that a win for one was a win for all. “I’m succeeding because we’re all creating something here; we’re creating history every single day.”

In sales environments, recognition should not be overlooked as a performance driving factor. The Cowboys created competition that would result in recognition. Each month at their internal state-of-theunion meeting the top ten sales team members were recognized for their efforts, then invited to dinner with the Jones’ family.

“

Very fast paced, competitive environment.

”

“Our culture was ‘I will be recognized for the work that I’m doing one way or the other, but I have a culture of team. Yes, I want to be number one; but overall I’m going to be looked at much differently in this industry just by being part of this historic project.’ ” Page: 26 // 68

Introduction • Research • Industry Overview • Dallas Cowboys • Considerations

THE DALLAS COWBOYS: A CASE STUDY INSIGHTS FROM INTERVIEWS WITH THE SALES TEAM GROUP CULTURE & PERSONALITY

“[The Cowboys] created something that was more than just a paycheck.”

- Jaima Schiffer

“It kind of felt like college all over again. Everyone was eager to perform well. Because we were from all over the country, we only knew each other which contributed to a more close-knit team that was around each other all the time, inside the office as well as out.”

- CJ Wiatr

“Two of the most memorable years of my life.”

- Matt Bowman

“The atmosphere the Cowboys created through their unique sales team model of hiring an entire staff at once inevitably created a family-like cohort. The sales team felt as if they were part of something.”

- Greg Kish

“A bunch of different personalities, but everyone was here for the same reason and we were all going on the same adventure.”

- Gina Beltrama

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THE DALLAS COWBOYS: A CASE STUDY INSIGHTS FROM INTERVIEWS WITH THE SALES TEAM

Many former sales team members referred to their former colleagues as brothers and sisters; individuals they’d run through walls for. “You wanted to be there; you wanted to be part of that atmosphere.” As the millennial generation begins to dominate the workforce, organizations are aiming to duplicate the type of culture and atmosphere the Cowboys fostered in their sales team. The millennial trend has become to make a name for oneself, but also be part of something bigger.

However, culture is not a cookie-cutter fit, and not every structure is applicable to every business situation. In a situation such as the 36 it was organic; everyone coming in at the same time, on the same level with the same thing to prove – “you’re almost forced to be a family.” Former team members stressed that while the model was great for the Cowboys and the project they were tasked with, implementing it into an organization with more of a year-over-year business plan and not a big-time project could face some challenges. “Embracing new people every few months is hard. It’s hard to create that environment and that culture very quickly. It takes a while and a certain level of impact.”

COMPENSATION One of the biggest things the Cowboys’ did differently when structuring their sales team was their method of compensation. Each sales team member started with a base salary of $35,000 with the opportunity to earn additional commission on their sales. Combined, the projected income of each individual was $108,000 annually. With the 36’s previous average income being approximately $65,000 to $70,000, accepting the position with the Cowboys provided an opportunity for significant increase in annual income.

Dawson said when Jerry Jones was informed of the $108,00 projection, his exact words were, do you think that’s enough? Jones wanted to ensure that the position would attract the best people in the country, and in order to do that he knew – and was willing – that his management staff would need to pay. “I don’t know if it had been done before or if it’s been done since, but when we posted the job on TeamWork Online the job description said, ‘You will make an estimated income of over $100,000.’ As you can imagine, it really caught the attention of the industry.”

Base Salary

$35,000 Commission Opportunity

$108,000 Average Salary Pre-Cowboys

$65 - 70,000

Personal contacts of Estis, Dawson, et al. reached out from other NFL franchises and professional leagues suggesting individuals the Cowboys should take a look at for the position.

“They’d say, ‘This individual used to work with me at X and was a stud, but they’ve never been promoted there. I know [the Cowboys] will take their career and make something of it. I’d much rather see this person work for you and I know they’ll make more money, so it’s a win-win.’ ” Through that the Cowboys began getting individuals who were primed to be Director of Sales, Director of Inside Sales—people that weren’t even looking to leave, but this opportunity, brand recognition, and income structure opened their eyes to the possibility.

Page: 28 // 68

Introduction • Research • Industry Overview • Dallas Cowboys • Considerations

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

INSIGHTS FROM INTERVIEWS WITH THE SALES TEAM TRAINING For training we were role playing probably until our brains were about to explode, but in the long run that practice makes perfect it was very like what you describe with football, basketball, the preseason - we were honing our craft, that’s never been done in any other teams I’ve worked with. Nobody took the time to do that WOULD YOU DO IT AGAIN?

“

Hands down it has changed the trajectory of my career.

I would go back in a millisecond. Absolutely; 100%.

The job propelled me to a job as a Director, then VP...I can credit my career to my time with the Cowboys.

What we were generating, and what we were creating in that environment was life changing, not just career changing. You make a ton of new friends and see a different way to do business. People who have been in the industry for a while who then go through a project like that are like, holy crap, this is so different from what I’d expected.

I developed management and leadership skills that got me to where I am today.

It was a positive experience from top to bottom.

Introduction • Research • Industry Overview • Dallas Cowboys • Considerations

”

Page: 29 // 68

CONSIDERATIONS

5 Page: 30 // 68

This section includes recommendations for an organization to consider when configuring its sales team, in order to and capitalize upon their investment. Through our extensive research of interviewing some of the top executives in the business, we came across multiple important themes that were being stressed to us by many of the men and women we spoke with.

The findings that have been presented in the preceding pages of the report have identified several key takeaways, including the characteristics an organization should look for in candidates when building its sales team. The following considerations revolve around the three overarching themes and concepts that were established through the findings: culture, structure, and process.

CONSIDERATIONS CULTURE

CULTURE: A collaborative, forward-thinking environment. Each employee understands the expectations, goals and objectives set for themselves, their colleagues, and the organization as a whole – and operates with accountability.

FUNCTIONING AS A UNIT Everyone within the entirety of the organization should know the ticketing goal. Even for departments that are not involved in ticket sales, they should actively know the goal that is set so everyone is helping one another reach the common objective as a team. This includes at any point in the process, so changing up on the fly is as smooth as possible. You need everyone’s strengths to come together to maximize opportunities. For example, you need marketing to put together a package that sales can leverage and cash in on any opportunity that is presented. It’s also important that it becomes a fun competition at the same time, so people are ringing the sales bell, and they know where they stack up in relation to each other at any given point.

This all starts with getting the right people in place with the right background that is the best fit for your organization. The skill-set that grows within the culture is largely dependent on how you want them to interact with the customer, and that starts with day one on the team.

Some places will have sales reps that are responsible for solely retaining season ticket holders, that way the can focus on getting to know the season ticket holder, why they come to games, what is going on in their life at the time to have a better understanding of who they are. For teams that do this, it’s essential that each person involved knows their role, and can work together as a cohesive unit to attain the goal as a team.

THE INTERVIEW PROCESS When assembling their sales staff, the Dallas Cowboys held interviews over a two-day period to gather the most promising salespeople into their organization. They found the best way to sift through the countless resumes for the job was to hold group interviews with 8-12 candidates each. Not only was this the best method in terms of time management, but with the competitive nature of sales, it forced each potential staff member to fight tooth and nail for the ability to make their respective pitches to the Cowboys staff. This also limited each applicant’s answers to be as short and concise as possible. Just like in sales, if you talk too much, you might as well not talk at all. Each contender in the group interviews had to be perfect on both accounts to have the ability to move on to the one-on-one portion of the interviews.

Introduction • Research • Industry Overview • Dallas Cowboys • Considerations

Page: 31 // 68

CONSIDERATIONS STRUCTURE

STRUCTURE: In order to accomplish the established goals and objectives, an organization should be assembled to maximize its productivity, foster teamwork and cross-functional efforts, and create streamlined communication channels between all departments.

To create the perfect environment within your sales staff, having the right arrangement of duties to each individual makes that as achievable as possible. If you want to sell 30 suites in a new stadium, and you think that your best salesperson can bring in seven on their own, but you only have three other people on staff who might be able to bring in five if the cards fall right, then how will you sell the remaining eight suites? You’ll have to up the staff if you want to reach the attainable goal in a reasonable fashion.

Throughout the research we found that most executives prefer to have a structure where it is clear and concise what each person is expected to do, and to have as little overlap as possible. If you have two VP’s responsible for a certain goal and it isn’t reached, then who is able to be held accountable? With a structure in place that promotes an attainable sales point from each individual without setting unreasonable expectations, and a succinct group of obligations divided out to each member of the team, the structure of the staff is put in place to be successful.

Chief Sales & Marketing Officer

Managers

Directors

VPs

Premium / Ticketing

Service

Suites & Club Seat Sales

Marketing / Brand

Season & Group Tickets

Suite Premium Suites & Season & Inside Service Service Club Sales Group Sales

Page: 32 // 68

Reps

Ticket Sales

Ops.

Sponsorship

Ticket Sales Marketing & Promotions

CRM Marketing

Events

Sponsorship

Ticket Sales Marketing & Promotions Managers

Managers

Game Day Operations

Coordinator

Account Sponsorship Activation Executives Sales

Introduction • Research • Industry Overview • Dallas Cowboys • Considerations

CONSIDERATIONS PROCESS

PROCESS: How the organization operates to produce results is agreed upon and straightforward. Transparency in how compensation is distributed, clients and portfolios are awarded, and roles are managed is crucial in motivating each individual and enabling everyone to exceed their potential.

Compensation is different for each staff and employee, but it is so important that they know upfront how they will be compensated. If you have a structure in place that is over complicated with different kinds of mathematical formulas, the employee won’t know where they fit. They have to know and recognize what each level of compensation they might fit when working to achieve a goal. Having team goals is also hugely important for the right culture. Having an every-person-for-themselves structure can really backfire within a team environment, so it’s essential to have the team know that they can only get an certain extra incentive if they reach it as a team.

Having the right structure of commission versus base salary is also essential and has to be aligned to the objectives at hand. If you’re paying someone a base salary of $50,000, but they have the potential to make up to $100,000, is the structure in place beneficial to the team and its ambitions? Throughout all of our extensive interviews with executives, the clear favorite method of base compared to commission was a 50/50 split after hitting a set revenue goal. This way it is incentivized to hit the goal, knowing that once they do, the allocation that goes into their pockets gets far greater. This method of equal payment is an easy to understand method will create the best results for both the sales associate and the team as a whole.

Kickers

Value at Target

Bonus 1

$5,000

Bonus 2

$3,000

Bonus 3

$1,000

Total

$9,000

Salary - $50,000

Compensation of $100,000

Commission - $41,000 Incentives - $50,000 Bonuses - $9,000

Commission on Revenue 0 to 80 % of Target Revenue

Individual Goals Suites Club Seats

Renewal

$

33 %

1.03 %

1.03 %

$8,200 2.73 % 2.73 %

$5,467 3.23 %

$3,233

$3,233

33 %

$1,000,000

1.03 %

1.03 %

$8,200 2.73 % 2.73 %

$5,467 3.23 %

3.23 %

$3,233

Season Tickets 33 %

$1,000,000

1.03 %

1.03 %

$8,200 2.73 % 2.73 %

$5,467 3.23 %

3.23 %

$3,233

Commission at 80% $24,600

New

Renewal

$

Above 100 % of Target Revenue

Target Revenue $1,000,000

Weighting

New

80 to 100 % of Target Revenue

Commission from 80 to 100 % $16,400

New

Renewal

$

Commission from 100 to 110 % $9,700

Total Commission if 100 % Reached - $41,000 Total Commission if 110 % Reached - $50,700

Introduction • Research • Industry Overview • Dallas Cowboys • Considerations

Page: 33 // 68

APPENDICES

6 Page: 34 // 68

APPENDIX A

QUALTRICS RESEARCH RESULTS SURVEY NAME Sports Industry Sales Representative Survey ACCEPTED RESPONSES Opened Friday, November 10th, 2017 at 10:00 AM // Closed Wednesday, November 29th, 2017 at 10:00 PM DISTRIBUTION METHODS - Emailed to personal network of sports industry employees - Sent LinkedIn messages via Jim Kahler’s personal account - Respective respondents shared within their organizations TOTAL NUMBER OF RESPONSES 46

QUESTION 1: Select all the areas of the sports industry that you have worked in throughout your career.

Answer

%

Count

College Athletics

25.00%

25

National Football League

21.00%

21

National Basketball Association

17.00%

17

Major League Baseball

8.00%

8

National Hockey League

8.00%

8

Major League Soccer

5.00%

5

Major League Lacrosse

1.00%

1

Racing (NASCAR, Formula 1)

5.00%

5

Legends

1.00%

1

Other

9.00%

9

OTHER: Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball and a Sports Agency Tennis Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball / AHL Hockey WNBA Minor League Baseball Agency Minor League Hockey

Page: 35 // 68

APPENDIX A

QUALTRICS RESEARCH RESULTS QUESTION 2: In what department was your first full-time, paid job in the sports industry?

Answer

%

Count

Ticket Sales / Inside Sales

78.26%

36

Marketing & Promotions

6.52%

3

Development / Fundraising

0.00%

0

Operations

2.17%

1

Media Relations / Communications

0.00%

0

Sponsorship / Sponsorship Activation

10.87%

5

Client Services

0.00%

0

Facilities

0.00%

0

Other

2.17%

1

OTHER: Analytics

QUESTION 3: In which area of the sports industry do you currently work?

Answer

%

Count

College Athletics

17.39%

8

National Football League

28.26%

13

National Basketball Association

23.91%

11

Major League Baseball

4.35%

2

National Hockey League

10.87%

5

Major League Soccer

0.00%

0

Major League Lacrosse

0.00%

0

Racing (NASCAR, Formula 1)

4.35%

2

Legends

0.00%

0

Other

10.87%

5

Page: 36 // 68

OTHER: Minor League Baseball WNBA Minor League Baseball Agency Mobile Technology Vendor Serving the Sports and Live Event Industry

APPENDIX A

QUALTRICS RESEARCH RESULTS QUESTION 4: What department does your current job title fall under?

Answer

%

Count

Ticket Sales / Inside Sales

73.91%

34

Marketing & Promotions

4.35%

2

Development / Fundraising

0.00%

0

Operations

0.00%

0

Media Relations / Communications

0.00%

0

Sponsorship / Sponsorship Activation

10.87%

5

Client Services

6.52%

3

Facilities

0.00%

0

Other

4.35%

2

QUESTION 5: How many employees work in your department (including managers and interns)?

8 6 46

12 4 35

40 8 40

25 38 5

5 10 50

45 40 2

50 9 80

35 44 80

40 50 65

40 8 57

3 30 26

20 5 2

10 20 25

10 12 7

22 8 20

QUESTION 6: If you were given the opportunity to restructure your current department, how would you do it?

If you were given the opportunity to restructure your current department, how would you do it?

Combining the operations and outside sales departments under the same executive staff member so that the reporting person is seeing the full revenue picture from ticket sales.

N/A I would add more inside sales members and create more mid-level management opportunities within the organization to provide more opportunities for growth. bigger leadership team with more managers and directors N/A I wouldn’t n/a Create a full time sales team.

Add more staff or full-time ticket department interns Larger IS Staff

Page: 37 // 68

APPENDIX A

QUALTRICS RESEARCH RESULTS Question 6 continued: I would add more inside sales reps Add more inside sales and one additional ticket operations person Give better incentives to the sales staff I don’t believe that I would because we have added 2 more reps since I started here and it has been a huge help I would have the service, group sales, season sales, and inside sales departments be under the same leadership team Currently, there is no need. Inventory could change but for now the size we have works fine Current structure is working Actually a big fan of our current set up. If anything maybe add another team member to our CRM analytics team to help work directly with reps to mine and identify better prospects More reps in AE roles I just restructured bringing Analytics and Digital teams together I would eliminate the middle ground (account associate role) and have my inside sales reps directly promoted to Group/Season Account Executives giving them the more accountability with their new responsibilities. There is no need to lengthen the process by adding in a middle ground More activation reps Make lots of changes Younger, hungrier staff in ticket sales. More urgency We just restrucuted 3 months ago to group sales team of 12, fan development (season tickets) of 12, and sales academy/inside sales that flexs from 12 to 20 reps Focus everyone’s efforts in more defined roles Less employees, higher salaries to better sellers Keep same I can’t think of anything that I would change. We have been flexible enough to change the org chart as needed Increase the size of the staff Its ok the way it is I would add 3 more employees and specialize our team into specific new sales and service roles Better management Our department does too much sales. There isn’t enough time to do both so it needs to be separated more QUESTION 7: What is your preferred work environment?

Answer

%

Count

Laid-Back

6.52%

3

High Intensity

4.35%

2

Somewhere between Options 1 and 2

86.96%

40

Other

2.17%

1

Page: 38 // 68

APPENDIX A

QUALTRICS RESEARCH RESULTS QUESTION 8: In your current job, what is your biggest source of motivation? Rank the following reasons with 1 being your biggest source of motivation and 6 being your least. #

Question

1

2

3

4

5

6

Total

1

Responsibility to family and friends

19.57%

9

8.70%

4

15.22%

7

17.39%

8

34.78%

16

4.35%

2

46

2

Responsibility to coworkers and employer

13.04%

6

15.22%

7

21.74%

10

34.78%

16

15.22%

7

0.00%

0

46

3

Salary/Commission

17.39%

8

10.87%

5

28.26%

13

21.74%

10

17.39%

8

4.35%

2

46

4

To be the best in your respective field

30.43%

14

21.74%

10

21.74%

10

10.87%

5

15.22%

7

0.00%

0

46

5

To improve chances for a promotion

15.22%

7

41.30%

19

10.87%

5

15.22%

7

17.39%

8

0.00%

0

46

6

Other

4.35%

2

2.17%

1

2.17%

1

0.00%

0

0.00%

0

91.30%

42

46

QUESTION 9: Is the idea of a high-risk, high-reward sales job with a ‘Big 4’ professional sports league/ franchise enticing to you?

Field

Minimum

Drag the cursor to indicate your answer.

Maximum Mean Std Deviation

0

9

3.3

2.38

Variance

Count

5.65

43

QUESTION 10: In regards to the previous question (a high-risk, high-reward sales job with a ‘Big 4’ professional sports league/franchise), if you were interested in the job, what would be the most enticing aspect?

Answer

%

Count

The prestige of working with a Big 4 team

19.57%

9

The potential salary of six figures

19.57%

9

Your love of sales

6.52%

3

Opportunity to boost your career

45.65%

21

The networking aspect

4.35%

2

I would not be interested in the job

4.35%

2

Page: 39 // 68

APPENDIX A

QUALTRICS RESEARCH RESULTS QUESTION 11: How important is “company culture” to you when accepting a job?

Field Drag the cursor to indicate your answer.

Minimum

Maximum Mean Std Deviation

0

6

1.02

Variance

Count

1.67

46

1.29

QUESTION 12: Is your current job in the department where you wish to spend the rest of your career?

Field Drag the cursor to indicate your answer.

Minimum

Maximum Mean Std Deviation

0

10

5.55

Variance

Count

10.48

44

3.24

QUESTION 13: You are given the choice of which area of a sports organization you can be employed by.

Imagine each option receives the same salary. Rank the following positions based on your interest level with 1 being the area you’d be most interested in, 9 being the area you’d be least interested in. #

Question

1

2

3

4

5

1

Ticket Sales / Inside Sales

26.09% 12

15.22%

7

21.74%

10

10.87%

5

8.70%

4

2

Marketing & Promotions

13.04%

6

17.39%

8

26.09%

12

23.91%

11

13.04%

6

3

Development / Fundraising

2.17%

1

13.04%

6

13.04%

6

13.04%

6

13.04%

6

4

Operations

6.52%

3

8.70%

4

15.22%

7

6.52%

3

13.04%

6

5

Media Relations / Communications

4.35%

2

4.35%

2

2.17%

1

2.17%

1

21.74%

10

6

Sponsorship / Sponsorship Activation

30.43% 14

23.91%

11

10.87%

5

17.39%

8

6.52%

3

7

Client Services

13.04%

6

6.52%

3

6.52%

3

17.39%

8

10.87%

5

8

Facilities

0.00%

0

0.00%

0

0.00%

0

4.35%

2

0.00%

0

9

Analytics

2.44%

1

12.20%

5

4.88%

2

4.88%

2

14.63%

6

2.17%

1

0.00%

0

0.00%

0

0.00%

0

0.00%

0

10 Other

Page: 40 // 68

APPENDIX A

QUALTRICS RESEARCH RESULTS Question 13 continued: 6

7

8

9

10

Total

6.52%

3

6.52%

3

2.17%

1

2.17%

1

0.00%

0

46

4

6.52%

3

0.00%

0

0.00%

0

0.00%

0

0.00%

0

46

6

15.22%

7

13.04%

6

10.87%

5

6.52%

3

0.00%

0

46

6

19.57%

9

17.39%

8

6.52%

3

6.52%

3

0.00%

0

46

6

15.22%

7

28.26% 13

13.04%

6

6.52%

3

2.17%

1

46

10

6.52%

3

2.17%

1

0.00%

0

2.17%

1

0.00%

0

46

3

13.04%

6

19.57%

9

10.87%

5

2.17%

1

0.00%

0

46

5

8.70%

4

8.70%

4

50.00%

23

28.26%

13

0.00%

0

46

0

9.76%

4

4.88%

2

7.32%

3

39.02%

16

0.00%

0

41

6

0.00%

0

0.00%

0

0.00%

0

10.87%

5

86.96%

40

46

0

QUESTION 14: What is your preferred method of receiving income?

Answer

%

Count

Commission based

0.00%

0

Salary based

15.22%

7

Combination of the two

84.78%

39

QUESTION 15: Why did you choose the preferred method of receiving income - commission based, salary based, combination of the two - that you did?

Why did you choose the preferred method of receiving income - commission based, salary based, combination of the two - that you did?

I like knowing how much is—in making with the opportunity to increase based upon my quality or quantity of work.

Because you’re set for receiving a salary but can also grow your own income Commission serves as an incentive to work harder.

Commission is a good method of income as it is indicative of performance. Allowing me to earn more than the competition based on results.

It is nice to have a set salary then commission on top for maximum earning if you have success Page: 41 // 68

APPENDIX A

QUALTRICS RESEARCH RESULTS Question 15 continued: Salary is guaranteed money Sales oriented. security I prefer the business and operations side of ticketing. Therefore, i like to know what i will make.

To have a set salary at all times.

Combination gives your security while allowing you to earn as much as possible based on your work ethic I like being rewarded for what I bring in, but sometimes in Sales you can’t always make money just on commission.

Because I want the stability of a salary with the potential to add on top of that.

You can earn money based on how hard you work Because it’s nice knowing you’ll have a source of income in case you happen to have a bad month of sales with the commission plus salary.

So there’s some level of consistent income but still the drive to perform to the highest potential.

Always nice to have something guaranteed and something to bring extra money in as well.

Steady source of income and opportunity to earn more It provides a steady income through the year with the opportunity to be rewarded for your work Current status It is nice to have a solid base salary. With commission, comes a monetary reward every time I do something for the company—Is pocket, which is a great reward to have. like the comfort of a salary and the upside of commission Best method Live if your base, motivated to earn more through commission Commission rewards individual behavior Opportunity to control my earnings Higher ceiling, combination of both Upside with some stability Incentive to perform at a high level Because I like the guarantee of a salary and the opportunity to earn additional compensation based on sales and my performance because the comfort ability to have a salary but also use your skills to earn more money Salary is necessary. But i like being able to make my own money as well. Eat what you kill Salary will increase A blend of the two is best in my eyes so you can still have income throughout the off season as well.

Stability Salary because it is guaranteed.

I think it is important to be continually motivated by an opportunity to earn more money based on performance You have a cushion but you can also push yourself above co-workers with commission Salary based because then you’re at least getting income but commission based so you have motivation to work harder

Page: 42 // 68

APPENDIX A

QUALTRICS RESEARCH RESULTS QUESTION 16: Which option most accurately represents your current average annual income?

Answer

%

Count

$10,000 - $30,000

26.09%

12

$30,001 - $45,000

17.39%

8

$45,001 - $60,000

15.22%

7

$60,001 - $80,000

10.87%

5

$80,001 - $100,000

8.70%

4

$100,001 - $125,000

10.87%

5

$125,001 - $150,000

2.17%

1

> $150,001

8.70%

4

QUESTION 17: When you need to personally purchase tickets to attend a sports event, what is your preferred method of purchasing those tickets?

Answer

%

Count

Straight from the source (i.e. the organization holding the event)

67.39%

31

A secondary market (i.e. StubHub, Ticketmaster, etc.)

32.61%

15

Scalpers

0.00%

0

QUESTION 18: What is your gender?

Answer

%

Count

Male

80.43%

37

Female

19.57%

9

Page: 43 // 68

APPENDIX A

QUALTRICS RESEARCH RESULTS QUESTION 19: What is your age?

Answer

%

Count

18 - 24 years old

34.78%

16

25 - 34 years old

54.35%

25

35 - 44 years old

6.52%

3

45 - 54 years old

2.17%

1

55 - 64 years old

2.17%

1

65 - 74 years old

0.00%

0

75 years or older

0.00%

0

QUESTION 20: Education: What is the highest degree or level of school you have completed? If currently enrolled, highest degree received.

Answer

%

Count

Less than high school

0.00%

0

High school graduate

0.00%

0

Some college

0.00%

0

Associate degree

0.00%

0

Bachelor's degree

67.39%

31

Master's degree

32.61%

15

Doctorate

0.00%

0

Page: 44 // 68

APPENDIX B

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS QUESTIONS TO ASK DALLAS COWBOYS FORMER SALE TEAM: 1 - Tell us about where you were in your career immediately prior to joining the Cowboys.

2 - What was so enticing about joining the Cowboys? Any reservations before doing so?

3 - The hiring process was very unique. Can you go over some pros and cons of the “job fair” method?

4 - What was the overall atmosphere with the sales team when it all started?

5 - Do you think reaching $600 million would have been possible without that unique representative model?

6 - Do you think the Cowboys name/brand contributed to its success? Would another, not top-tier NFL team be as successful with the same model?

7 - Would you suggest other Big 4 pro teams follow this same model in the future?

8 - How has your time with the Cowboys impacted your career going forward?

9 - Would you do it again? Change anything or do differently?

10 - Do you think the ticket sales title deters individuals from pursuing the opportunities?

11 - Why do you think “ticket sales” has such a negative connotation around it?

12 - Looking back on your time there, what was the most rewarding about the job?

DOUG DAWSON Current VP of Ticket Sales & Service for the Dallas Cowboys Ohio University Undergraduate Sports Management Class of 1996 Interview held via phone on Friday, October 20, 2017 at 3pm EST

Present: Katharina Elberti, Cooper Gillogly, Jim Kahler (AECOM Director) Jim: My theory is that [you and Chad] accelerated their careers. Had they stayed at the Cavaliers, not taken that risk and said “No, I’m in line to be the next Director of Inside Sales,” well, they wouldn’t be where they are today if they didn’t take that risk and excel at the opportunity. If you did not produce -- and I’m sure some of those people are probably selling insurance today -- but most went on to some greatness.

Doug: Since we started the project we’re actually up to 70 people now and, in one form or fashion, they went on to bigger and better things than a sales job with us. That honestly ranks everywhere from a sales job with us to Senior Sales Reps all the way up to Manager to Director and, believe it or not, in this ten year period we even have some folks who are C level up to and including the guy that I hired who’s probably one of my favorite stories of this whole project -- we hired Al Guido as a Sales Manager reporting to me. He was a Director of Inside Sales out with the Phoenix Coyotes. They were about to promote him to VP of Ticket Sales and he came here to be a Sales Manager and today as we sit he’s the President of the San Francisco 49ers.

Jim: The other success story that I will brag to these guys about is the risk -- your Sponsorship Sales guru took a risk on leaving the Memphis Grizzlies -- Eric Sudol. Because Chad called me and said “I need a couple of names out of the OU family, who is a rock star.” I told him he has to get ahold of the Sudol guy and when Eric was looking at it he was like “Wait a minute, I’m selling sponsorships today but you want me to go down there and sell season tickets at this stadium down there.” And I told him “Eric, trust me when i tell you it’s going to be better for your career.” Because the ownership I liked some of the guys at the Grizzles You need to surround yourself around the Chad’s and the Doug’s and see where it takes you. What’s Eric’s position now? Is he the number one guy with you for sponsorships with you right now?

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APPENDIX B

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS Doug: He’s the number one for us; he’s the VP of Sales and Sponsorships, but in addition he’s not VP of Sponsorships and Sales for Legends as well, he’s basically running two jobs. Every year he breaks a brand new professional sports sponsorships sales record and he just broke it again. We’ve got a corporate sales headquarters that does more revenue than probably but a handle of NHL or NBA teams in terms of sponsorship dollars -- and that’s just our headquarters. But it’s funny when you really look at it, there are the names on here are absolutely endless. I see Jason McGuiness who they just made Director of Inside Sales with the Indiana Pacers. Now he came on a little later but still no different, he was the Director of Sales he came down here to sell. So he finally got himself off the phones came here anyway and now he’s the VP of Sales for the Houston Rockets.

Jim: Now Doug, on your chart to do you have a listing of where they came from before they came to you?

Doug: I didn’t’ but pretty much everyone on this list in some form or fashion . I mean I’m looking on here for Ohio U and I see Lindsey Eckhouse who came down here to do what she did and now she’s Director of Sponsorship Sales at the NFL doing great work. I mean the names are endless and continues to grow.

Jim: Let’s spend a minute going back to the thought process of the recruiting fairs. You and Chad say “Hey, if we’re going to do this let’s blow this out like it’s never been done before? Because there was a buzz in the industry like “Hey, did you hear what the Cowboys are doing? They’re flying the top 100 in for this career fair. Walk us through that.

Doug: Once we decided how many sales people we thought we needed and keep in mind Jim, nobody had ever done a stadium to this level, with a revenue projection to this level. So we honestly didn’t know what that number was but we decided on 36. And we knew that if we were going to hire 36 sellers that we had to dive deep, that there was no way we were going to just post on Teamwork normal deal because we were going to get just like any team, if you post a job you’re going to get a handful of really qualified people we wanted to set ourselves apart. Chad, I’ll never forget, I was on vacation, it was before we got here, he sent me a text and said “Hey, I want you to research who we need to hire.” Through my network obviously. So I’m sitting there on-line, and I’m just going team to team making this spreadsheet of anybody I ever worked with I thought might be good and I really honestly kept saying, because Chad kept telling me and we both knew it, I said you know what I’m going to throw their title out I don’t care what their title was, because my thought process is what you’ve said a couple of times was that this will be something bigger than they could possible do at their current team. So I was looking t people that I had met at NBA job fairs, that I really liked that went to other teams. I was looking at people I had managed over the years, I was looking at people Chad may have managed over the years.

This would have been really helpful if LinkedIn would have been around back then, but I literally made this big list and I looked at it and I was like “Man, there’s some really good people on here that are probably doing very well, and in order to get them we’re not going to be able to just ask them to come. We sat there and talked to Jerry Jones Jr. and I came in with a budget and -- I’ll never forget -- I came in there saying the average income, I think the base was $35,000 but our average projecting income was $108,000 a rep. And when I told Jerry that his exact words were “Do you think that’s enough?” And I said “Jerry, the average person on this list is making $65,000/$70,000 and i said so to answer your question absolutely. And he said “Well we want to make sure we’re getting the best people in the country, and in order to do that I know you guys need to pay them, so I just want you to be sure so I’ll ask you again; is this enough?” I kind of looked at Chad and said “Yes, it’s enough.’ So this is one of those things Jim that we did that I think was probably not done before and I don’t know if it’s been done since, but when we posted the job on the Teamwork website in the job description it said you will make an estimated income of over $100,000. As you can imagine, it really caught the attention of the industry. Then I took that list I had already made and i called people and I said I want you to still go to this job fair and for the most part we sent everyone to the job fair. But then what started happening was our contacts around the industry saying “Hey, this guy used to work with me in Milwaukee guy was a stud, he’s never been promoted there, I know you guys will take his career and make something of it. I’d much rather see this guy work for you guys and i know he’ll make more money, so it’s a win-win. So we started getting guys that were primed to be Directors of Sales, Directors of Inside Sales, people that weren’t even looking to leave but this opportunity i think really just opened up their eyes to “Hey, you know what? Maybe I should take a look at this thing.”

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APPENDIX B

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS

Jim: Let me ask you a quick question. What you just said is beautiful because when you think about it when somebody hires and Executive Recruiter they’re going about people who aren’t looking to leave. When Chad got the call from Jerry Jones Jr. he wasn’t necessarily looking to leave but that’s how you get the best; you go after them!

Doug: Chad actually turned him down two or three times. It just wasn’t even something he was thinking about. So i would say the same thing happened with people here.

Jim: Well it happened to you!

Doug: I mean I heard Dallas Cowboys. I tell people this story all the time. I walked into Quinn Butler’s office who had kind of become a mentor to me, and I said “Q what do you think? I’m happy -- it’s a Director of Sales, I’m a VP of Sales but it sounds like this new stadium is going to be unbelievable and I can’t imagine it’s going to be hard to sell Dallas Cowboys tickets and he kind of had this look on his face that on;y Quentin could have, and he let me finish and he’s like “What the hell are you asking me for? You have to look at this job. It’s that Dallas Cowboys.” When he said that it resonated with me because honestly I started thinking everybody we talked to would say the same thing. I gotta listen to these guys; it’s the Dallas Cowboys. And that was just our mentality it was like look, we’ve got a big brand, we’re going to pay these people, the stadiums never been done before like this. None of us know what the hell we’re doing because we’ve never done it before; not in this way at least. Let’s just roll the dice. But in order to roll the dice well we’ve got to have the right people. That was literally what we did. We brought 156 people, Buffy pre-screened them, we invited them down to Dallas, we did not fly them in. It was a two day affair; a Saturday and a Sunday, and the only reason we made it a Saturday and a Sunday quite frankly was because we couldn’t afford to give up a normal business day; we just couldn’t. On that Saturday Jerry Jones came in -- so imagine this, you’re 156 people, you’re coming in to interview at a job fair for the Dallas Cowboys, and in walks Jerry Jones. And Jerry Jones stands up in front of the room and tells them why we’re putting up the biggest, baddest pool of sales people ever and they’re’ going to be the highest paid, a lot of fun, and they’re going to learn -- he basically just regurgitated everything we had told him. Not to take all the credit for Chad and I, because those guys are the ones who gave us the resources to pull this off. We broke 156 people down into group interviews, and you had to go to two of us. So every group interview was probably six or eight people. The key to the group interview, we asked everybody questions but at the end of it they had to stand up in front and they had to pitch their university to us. They had to pitch to us why we should want to go to whatever University they went to school. And after that, we go in a room and we decided who do we want to come back. I think we brought 56 or 58 back the next day to have one-on-one interviews, and again we had them interview with two of us so we’d have separate opinions and then I’ll never forget it, we sat in my house on my living room floor with resumes scattered everywhere, and we kind of picked. And we picked our top -- now keep in mind, we didn’t actually hire 36 because we’d already had five on staff, so I think we hired 31. We put 31 resumes and we had out Plan B pile, although I was pretty confident that not many people would turn us down. I think three people turned us down for whatever reason, one guy turned me down in tears because he couldn’t financially get out of his current place. That guy still sends me a message every now and then about how much he regrets not making it work. So we went to the next three and within 36 hours after that job fair we had our entire staff hired. And it was a cornucopia of people from all different backgrounds. We didn’t just hire all sports industry folks; we on purpose wanted to test -- we figured if we’re hiring 36 we might as well test a few non-industry folks. And first week of training we had a girl who was late three days in a row that i let go. I figured if she can’t be on time for training she’s not going to be someone I want around so we had a couple people we hired as Service Coordinators and we thought you know maybe they’re sellers and, one of them is still selling for us today.

We did make a few twists and turns in those first couple of weeks and man it was a whirlwind but we got people mainly from the sports industry and I’d say of the five or six we hired that were technically non-industry folks, we had two very big success stories, and then three -- the percentages were definitely better on the industry people who had success.

Jim: Lets drill down just a little bit on the recruiting event. It was on them to fly, but did you guys pick up the hotels?

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INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS Doug: No, we did not. We fed them a couple of meals. We treated it -- I mean I’d love to say we took credit for having this great job fair, but what started it was the NBA. The NBA job fair we modeled this almost identical - there they have an expo because you’re going to all the teams, but we didn’t think an expo worked since we were only one team. Chad and I were like “Look, the NBA gets a couple hundred of the best candidates in the country in one place for the one weekend; can’t we do that?” And that was our mentality and it’s exactly what we did.

Jim: As I heard you tell that story a little bit of Charlie Chislaghi was coming back because i remember him recruiting for the Inside Sales team years ago in Cleveland and it was like group tryouts where you had to get up in front of a group and you had about 60 seconds to do your pitch and then after everybody did it they’d go “OK, we’re going to bring this guy back -- ” So was that Charlie, or where’d you get that?

Doug: No, it actually wasn’t Charlie. At the NBA meetings they didn’t do that. At the NBA meetings you’d walk around to the teams, give them your resume shake their hand, take 20 seconds make a first impression, move on to the next team. Our theory was look, Chad nor I are big proponents of group interviews but look, there’s Chad and I, three Sales Managers, and Buffy. We had six people to interview 156 people. We’re going to need something to differentiate these people because number one, if you were to come to me then your next interview might have been with Todd, the next person might had gone to Todd, then the next person was Al. And then we kind of just took the recommendations. Now what we did do is one day two when we were taking actual interviews, when people were super high on certain folks, those people either interviewed with Chad or I. We didn’t hire anyone that I didn’t interview. The other thing we did was if you did the group interview with [the interviewer], then you definitely didn’t do the one-on-one with them. I would say the 60 second pitch -- when you’re in a group interview and you ask tell me something that motivates you? You have seven people, the first says money, the second says the family, by the time you get to the third or fourth person they’re very hamstrung because all the answers have already been taken. They’re trying to be creative, they come up with something that’s not creative, so we wanted this to be the differentiator of everyone. So they stood up in front and, because rarely did they ever had two people in the same meeting that went to the same school, it was people all over the board.

Jim: Let’s assume for a second that Katharina is one of the top sales execs. Maybe she’s coming from the Boston Celtics and she hears that she can make $100,000. The base is $35,000, would she have the right to say “Doug, I’m in; but walk me through how I’m going to crack six figures. Did you guys already have your commission structure planned?

Doug: We did. I had a whole spreadsheet. We hadn’t finalized pricing yet, but -- the ironic thing about the whole thing, Jim, was that a year later I showed Chad the spreadsheet our average income was $107,500. So i missed it by $500. And that was over a two-year period. And we had people who made over $100,000, $180,00, a couple of people made over $200,000 but we rarely had people making under $90,000.

And quite frankly after 15 months we scaled the staff back from 36 to 24 so those people who would’ve been making in that range anyway would have been eliminated anyway because they weren’t selling enough. We would have went over that in more detail -- we had a two inch binder of training material. I mean, they trained for six weeks and a part of the reason we trained for as long as we did is we couldn’t get the family to agree on pricing. So here we have the sales staff on October 15th, our goal is to start selling by November 1st at the latest, we ended up not going on sale until November 27th. There was one day I sent [the sales staff] on a scavenger hunt; I was looking for ways to keep them entertained so that they would feel good about what they were doing. I didn’t have anyone really dig too deep on the compensation because -- you know how it goes, Jim -- typically at most teams you pay a percentage. Our pricing was so high we couldn’t justify a percentage because we would’ve had 36 millionaires. We literally had to do a dollar value per seat; so if you sell this price range you get this much. Based on the inventory we had and then you divide it up I had a spreadsheet that was a monster that is how we came up with the compensation and it just worked out.

Jim: Let me give you a hypothetical. Hypothetically -- the hockey team in Las Vegas. I go out and try to convince you “Hey, it’s time to leave Chad and go on and do the next thing in your career. I’m going to make it so worth your while. I’m going to give you the job of President of the Knights, a little equity in the team. But my question in the interview would be, how would you duplicate something like this

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INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS because the Las Vegas Golden Knights or whoever, isn’t going to have the brand of the Dallas Cowboys, may not have the excitement of the new stadium and maybe their own is at the recruiting fair but isn’t Jerry Jones. So could you duplicate something like that?

Doug: Not only can you I think we have. I think that’s what Legends has done. And now they’re playing off each other. For example, two of my guys that I hired here, i sent them to Atlanta to work on that project, the sellers, and they ended up closing it out, being two of the highest producers, and now they’re’ in Vegas as Managers. Those guys could’ve gone and been Directors of Inside Sales, Group Sales, Ticket Sales, and they’re taking a Sales Manager role because they know what’s next. They know that after they’re Sales Managers, their next job is to be Director at one of these things and then the next to be running it. When we talked at OU when I was up there about a month ago, one of the things that kind of stuck out to me is how, the only organization that I know that’s done anything remotely close and -- it’s a different mentality, but it’s kind of ground breaking -- is what Scott O’Neil and Jake Reynolds have done with Philadelphia and New Jersey. They have the biggest staff in the country and they’re whole thought is, they’re not quality as much --now they would argue they’ve got quality because they have great training and I guess if you keep rotating 70 reps through there’s a lot of pressure to succeed and you’ll figure out who’s not able to cut it very quickly -- but my point is that with what they’re doing in Philadelphia and New Jersey, I mean the Philadelphia 76ers, who haven’t won more than 20-some games in the last five years, are sold out for the entire season already. It blows my mind how many owners and team presidents are still out there sitting on ten sellers.

So Scott just did it differently. Percentage-wise he’s probably making a similar investment that we did. Just, instead of having 30-something, he’s having 70 to me I don’t get, if it were me i think it works anywhere. If i had it to do over again in Indiana, one of my challenges were when I go to that job fair I’d have my eye on five or six people that I loved, but I couldn’t get them to Indiana because we were always underpaid. And it’s not all about money. I’ve got a better store to tell than just money, but the money certainly helps.

It opens the conversation i think that this kind of mentality -- I don’t necessarily know that if there’s not something special going on how easy it is, for example Milwaukee is building a new arena. I think if you’re building a new arena, if you’re an expansion team, if you’re doing a huge renovation, if your team has been terrible for a few years and you’re finally starting to show some direction. I think those types of things generally help, but I don’t necessarily think it doesn’t work anywhere. How many people out there do what I do, or do what people in the ticket sales field do, get their staff of ten or 12 hired and are complacent and stop recruiting? Right now we have no inventory and no available spots, but over the next three weeks I’ll have four interviews. I, the VP of Ticket Sales, just went to Ohio University and hired four interns and one full-time salesperson. I’m looking around that job fair and seeing teams sending Inside Sales people. I said to Bob Civic from Cleveland, “Bob, there’s some of the best talent in the country in this school, and you’re sending a Sales Rep who’s about to go to the Buffalo Bills; he’s not even going to be working for you in three weeks! That’s who they sent. By being aggressive and constantly recruiting and trying to find the best people and paying these people more than the peanuts that a lot of us grew up on, is a huge deal.

Jim: The other thing you have done -- and I’ll take a little bit of the credit -- but it’s really you and Chad. You have instill a culture of “Look, if you come in and you do a great job, not only are we going to pay you well but we’re going to help you advance your career. So a lot of those guys knew that this high paying job with the Cowboys might not last forever because once you sold out of all the inventory you weren’t going to need all the staff -Doug: -- As a matter of fact we told them it was a two year deal. We were very honest with them -Jim: -- So how did you -- I mean some people might’ve been apprehensive. “Wow, I’m going to come down here and make great money for two years and then what? What was the pitch there?”

Doug: It was Chad and I both have a proven track record of career placement and career development and we need you to trust us. We know that this thing is at least a two-year deal; could be longer. And when the times up we’re going to invest our time in all of you to make sure you get the next move. And we did that. After people started to feel like “Man, this is starting to wind down,” we were having meetings and telling people - I’ll never forget walking into Chad’s office Troy Tutt was at the Yankees and called us and said “Hey, I need to hire

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INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS some people,” and he ended up coming down and interviewing four if our people for two spots and hired two. So what happened is the other reps started seeing this, and then the Legends thing was born and, quite frankly, it made it easy. With Legends we sent nine people to San Francisco and seven to Atlanta, so it just really started to snowball from there. We proved it. Matt Moman, I made a call to Brian Burns and Scott Loft up in Oklahoma city and they hired him as their Sales Manager and now to this day Matt’s the VP of Sales and Marketing for the Dallas Stars. It all started to take care of itself by us really hustling to get them meetings and interviews.

Jim: You also, before you got to Dallas, had a pretty impressive tree where you could -- I don’t know if you guys keep a track record of your tree where you guys could -Doug: -- We used to print it up and post it at the NBA job fair but now I only keep track of the one from Dallas. Now I think it’s more impressive to say we’ve been doing this for ten years and have 70 names of people who have moved on and up in our organization.

Cooper: So clearly you got 36 of the best there, and obviously it’s highly competitive, what were some of the things you looked for in a personality. We talked to Louie Iglesias and he mentioned that you guys very anti office-friction. So in the interview process what was something you looked for -- background, education, what have you -- in your conversation?

Doug: For the most part, we want people with sports management backgrounds. We wanted people who had internships, who had ticket sales jobs -- the best way to put it is commitment to the industry. We wanted experience people. We didn’t want people who really hadn’t accomplished much. We wanted people who had desires to be in Sales Management one day, who were motivated by money and success.

Probably where Louie was heading with this is we wanted people who were good culture fits, and our culture, the staple in it is work hard play hard. Were going to celebrate our successes, but we’re going to be good teammates and celebrate each other. A lot of sales organizations are cutthroat and backbiting and snakes and stuff like that and that was just not something we would tolerate. We wanted professionals who eventually wanted to be in Sales Management who had great passion and work ethic, who wanted to make money, who wanted to be good team players.

Now that said, I mentioned earlier we hired a handful of folks that had never done this before; maybe half a dozen or so with backgrounds all over the place. There was nothing specific we were looking for, we were literally just looking for people -- if nothing else, to test and see if this whole thing works, when you aren’t from the sports industry. So out of the five or six we had two really good success stories -- and again there were 36 of them so I’d have to really dig in to give you more feedback on each of them. That was something we really wanted to try out. If I had to do it over again I’d do it again that way because i thought it brought a good diversity of backgrounds.

Katharina: Once you had those 36 individuals how did you go about training them to make so big of an ask? When we were talking to Louie he said how you’re asking people for thousands of dollars for seats and that was a big ask back then especially because of the recession.

Doug: The first part of that training we really focused in on what Louie just mentioned, was you have to believe in the product and you have to believe in the ask because you are not going to be able to ask someone for this type of money if you don’t believe. So that was the first thing we did. We really just focused in on product, and believing in it, in this brand, in this stadium and this market. It was also a three million square foot stadium so we spent a lot of time making them familiar with the building and the model, and at that time you really couldn’t walk the building because it wasn’t ready for that, so you really just had to focus in on the model, which was part of the presentation. We spent a lot of time with the presentation. The reason we did all of this stuff upfront was we used two different sales trainers and when we did that, we wanted by the time the sales trainers got there we didn’t want them stumbling over the product. We really focused in on the product first and then we brought in Lance Tyson who does a bunch of training for us, lance we had him here for a couple of weeks, which is far more than you would ever had a ticket salesperson in for something like this, but we did it. We did a lot of roll playing because now that they were comfortable with the product they had to be able to walk their customers through the product and it was complicated. Keep in mind you’re selling expensive seats, there was a financing program so they had to understand interest

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INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS rates and how that worked. One of the things we decided to do that most relocation projects don’t do, is most teams moving into a new stadium give people a zone and then they pick the seats later. We felt like people weren’t going to pay our prices if they couldn’t actually pick their seat. So we had to have people pick their seats which is incredibly hard when there’s no building. We had to train them to be able to create that image and make people feel that this is what it’s going to be like when you’re in the building, and it wasn’t that easy.

GINA BELTRAMA Current Senior Manager, Global Partnerships at Topgolf Former Dallas Cowboys Ticket Sales Team Member Interview held via phone on Monday, November 6, 2017 at 2pm EST

Present: Cooper Gillogly 1 - Tell us about where you were in your career immediately prior to joining the Cowboys.

I was in Texas working for a company called Tickets Floyd. That job came from working for the Frisco RoughRiders in MLB. I thought I wanted to get out of sports, but then I saw the opening for the Cowboys and that’s how all of this came about for me.

2 - What was so enticing about joining the Cowboys? Any reservations before doing so?

The most enticing was working for the Cowboys and the brand and recognition that comes from that. The reservations that I had was growing up a 9ers fan. I was ready to roll with something as big as this Cowboys project.

3 - The hiring process was very unique. Can you go over some pros and cons of the “job fair” method?

The pros would be for them, it would be efficient, you’re casting out a wide net for candidates. The cons would be it wasn’t as personal.

If you’re not a person that shines in that environment, maybe you’re not the person for the job in the first place. You could easily get swallowed up in the process. You’re grasping for straws sometimes when you’re the fourth person asked a particular question and sometimes it falls flat.

4 - What was the overall atmosphere with the sales team when it all started?

It was ignorant bliss. We did not have an idea of the scope, price points, how big of an impact. We had a vision, but no real clue of what it would be like. I compare it to the first day of school. A bunch of different personalities, everyone was there for the same reason, but you’re all going on the same type of adventure.

5 - Do you think reaching $600 million would have been possible without that unique representative model?

Going into it, the ability for me wasn’t about the money, it was about the possibility of being a part of something so great. The money came along with it. The money-making ability was apparent halfway into it. Receiving 5 figure paychecks was something that kind of dawned on me a few months in, especially compared to the amount I was making coming from minor league baseball. Our base was relatively low. It was low in the grand sense of life, but not compared to other sports.

6 - Do you think the Cowboys name/brand contributed to its success? Would another, not top-tier NFL team be as successful with the same model?

It definitely had an impact. But that is because of the passionate fan-base with it. It could be accomplished in other markets. But at the time it was definitely. We modeled our sales staff in SF the same way the Cowboys did. At that particular time, the Cowboys was definitely the right team to have accomplish something like we did.

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INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS 6B - Would you suggest other Big 4 pro teams follow this same model in the future?

Yes, I think some are accommodating to that and the new standard. Especially with new renovations and updating infrastructure and up the ante with what their charging and trying to do.

7 - How has your time with the Cowboys impacted your career going forward?

Monumentally. The Cowboys is where I made a lot of my friends, best experiences, set a standard with what I want to achieve, it set a really high standard which is hard to achieve in other markets and that is what I strive for and I know what it exists to where my passion for what I’m doing day in and day out. Hands down it has changed the trajectory of my career.

8 - Would you do it again? Change anything or do differently?

I would go back in a millisecond for sure. Absolutely 100%. The only thing I would change was that it was difficult to see the people around me achieve success through the renewal process. I would have dialed that back a little bit. I have a better understanding to what it means to be successful on a project like that. It isn’t about converting the existing the few ticket holders, but it is also about taking the new business part. That would be the only change I would make would be my attitude and approach, But that is also a testament to how my career has grown in the meantime.

CJ WIATR Vice President, Fan Relationship Management at The Aspire Group Inc. Former Dallas Cowboys Ticket Sales Team Member Interview held via phone on Friday, October 27, 2017 at 2pm EST

Present: Cooper Gillogly 1 - Tell us about where you were in your career immediately prior to joining the Cowboys.

At that point in my career I was a senior account manager focusing in group sales with the Grizzlies, and I had been there for 4 years. It was my first place after college, I was a ticket rep for them and then got promoted to where I was when I left for the Cowboys.

2 - What was so enticing about joining the Cowboys? Any reservations before doing so?

Well yes, I had a lot of success with the Grizzlies, and had just purchased my first home. Started to seriously date my wife during my the last few months in Memphis. So everything on the personal side told me to stay with the Grizzlies. But there’s only so many Dallas Cowboys stadium projects that you have the opportunity to work on. It was encouraging enough on the professional side that I had to jump at the chance of working there. It was a perfect storm for me to go to Dallas. The opportunity to work for the most powerful brand in the NFL and a state of the art stadium put me over the edge. That was the driving the force of it all. It could have been anywhere within that scenario.

3 - The hiring process was very unique. Can you go over some pros and cons of the “job fair” method?

I would say I have all pros to it. As a prospective sales consultant it was incredibly stressful, you were put into a high pressure situation.

By invitation to start, over the 1000 resumes, they only selected 200. It was initially a group interview. The one con would be for those who really shine in 1-on-1 interviews. You have to get by the group side first, so I think there might have been some that fell through the cracks during that piece of it. One thing that had me concerned initially, every person in that group were offered a job, and only one or two eventually turned it down. I thought to myself that they were so good that there was no chance I would have been offered the job.

But you got to see how everyone could handle the pressure, and moving onto the one on one gave everyone the chance to perform in a smaller setting. It made an effective approach to assembling the team.

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4 - What was the overall atmosphere with the sales team when it all started?

It kind of felt like college all over again. People from all over, people with sports and without sports in their backgrounds. Everyone was eager to perform well. Because they were all from everywhere, it had the sense that we only knew each other which contributed to a more close knit team that was around each other all the time, inside the office as well as out.

5 - Do you think reaching $600 million would have been possible without that unique representative model?

It is tough to say. I think that it had a lot to do with it. With such a large sales team that checked all the right boxes. Part of it was the well planned out process that we all went through as a team. We can only go as far as the players can go, I think assembling the right talent, yes it was more well paid, but if you sold at a high level you would make a lot of money. But adding more personnel certainly helped.

That initial group that I was a part of was responsible for the first 500 million in seat revenue. That initial group was the reason why we hit the 600 mil mark. I would endorse that method for sure with a project that would justify such a momentous task.

6 - Would you suggest other Big 4 pro teams follow this same model in the future?

The Cowboys name got your foot in the door. We were hitting people with numbers they had never seen before. In my time since being with the Cowboys, I’ve noticed that either perusing other opportunities with conversations with other folks that think it was the only reason for our success, but I don’t agree with that. The Yankees also went through a similar process and asking similar commitments from people, and they’re in NY and they flopped. Especially in the premier seating. To say that the brand would be the driving reason wouldn’t be the full reason for sure. It certainly opened doors, but the way it was planned out. But the talent of the sales team, get the right people, train them right, compensate right, translated regardless of the brand, Maybe somewhere else wouldn’t get such a great number since it was like a perfect storm in Dallas. But I would recommend any place trying a similar method regardless of their market size and reach.

7 - How has your time with the Cowboys impacted your career going forward?

No question that my time in Dallas has propelled my career. When my time in Dallas came to an end, it lead me to where I am now with The Aspire Group. And lead a totally new venture of outsource ticket sales primarily in college athletics. Because of my success in Dallas, it lead to me building a whole new sales team that took leadership sales. I had to build a sales team for the Browns and then the same thing with Aspire with Rutgers. With it being such a massive project, it helped me speak to building something from scratch and know how to plan, and lead from that standpoint.

8 - Would you do it again? Change anything or do differently?

I would absolutely do it again. It was a unique opportunity that made me better. It enhanced my future career options for sure. I don’t know that I would change anything, maybe push a couple more customers, push a few more opportunities of big sales but for the most part I wouldn’t change a thing.

MICHAEL DAMMEN Current Account Executive at Cumulus Media (Dallas/Fort Worth area) Former Dallas Cowboys Ticket Sales Team Member Interview held via phone on Monday, October 30, 2017 at 2:30pm EST

Present: Katharina Elberti 1 - Tell us a little bit about where you were in your career immediately prior to joining the Cowboys.

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INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS I was a senior rep/manager of a new program with the Milwaukee Bucks.

2 - What was so enticing about joining the Cowboys? Any reservations before doing so?

Well first off it is a good, big market. I had visited Dallas three times and knew it would be a good place to be. It was an organization I already knew and what the Jones’ were all about. It was a no-brainer to go to the situation. They were some big number for sure, but when I did get to Dallas there was negative media on the prices we were after and the economy of course wasn’t ideal.

3 - Do you think the Cowboys name helped to the contribute to the brand? Would it translate to another team?

We had a very good market, it didn’t hit as hard and we had a national reach that is unique to some places. None of those will be as successful as we were, I image. I think they’ll struggle with that. We were in a good situation compared to a lot of places across the nation, especially in smaller markets.

4 - Would you do it again? Change anything or do differently?

Absolutely. The only thing it was it was good group, the only thing was I would have spent more time working and not partying, but you could say that about a good part of my life.

5 - How has your time with the Cowboys impacted your career going forward?

Well I was a few to stay on, and was a sales manager to start a new team. I handled the new team after. Another run with Legends, so it was good for sure. My family situation changed so I was ready to get out after a few years. But a good job came about in a good sector and it ended up not being a right fit. But now looking back I am now currently in a position that fits and that is selling.

MATT BOWMAN Vice President, Sales & Marketing at the Dallas Stars Former Dallas Cowboys Ticket Sales Team Member Interview held via phone on Thursday, November 2, 2017 at 11am EST

Present: Cooper Gillogly 1 - Tell us a little bit about where you were in your career immediately prior to joining the Cowboys.

I got hired into an entry-level ticket sales position with the Indiana Pacers in 2006. Doug Dawson was the Vice President, I worked there for a full season. After that season Doug left for Dallas for that position. I left two months later. My first real job out of college.

2 - What was so enticing about joining the Cowboys? Any reservations before doing so?

The brand is the biggest sports brand in the world. So it is an iconic brand to work for. That’s more now what I appreciate. At the time it was 6 figures. We were struggling in Indiana, it tripled my paycheck going to Dallas. I don’t know about reservations, there’s some anxiety of course any time you move. I was one of 8 or 10 in Indy, I was nervous knowing how competitive and intense it would be.

3 - What was the overall atmosphere with the sales team on the Cowboys when it all started?

I was only there for two years. Two of the most memorable years of my life. Chad and Doug and Todd and Al, they really built from the beginning most of us came from all parts of the country. No one knew each other or anyone else, automatically friends. We were not afraid to go out and have a good time after grinding sales all week. There could have been a reality show with so many personalities and backgrounds.

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INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS 4 - Most challenging part of the job? Most unforeseen difficulty?

If I’m speaking on behalf on the team, selling the most expensive seats in sports during the most economically difficult time since the Great Depression was of course a challenge. But for me it was also I was a young guy, one of the least experienced. Some of it was just luck of the draw. The first part of the project was taking people from the old building and converting them into the new stadium. That first phase was out of your hands. I started out in the middle to the bottom half in performance. I didn’t get the hand that others were dealt.

Of course, you could say I just wasn’t as good and that could also be true too (laughs). Sometimes you were at the mercy of the draw.

5 - Looking back on your time there, what was the most rewarding about the job?

I think it taught me how to run a meeting when the topic of discussion was big dollars. I didn’t have the confidence to do that until I learned from our management group. How to present, how to close a deal that was 6 figures. That was a totally kind of different sale I was used to compared to the NBA mini-plans I was used to.

6 - Would you do it again? Change anything or do differently?

100% do it again, I might even do it again right now. Yeah I think my mindset would be different. I went in there not knowing if I could do it. A lot of my teammates had been in the sports industry for a while and they had swagger that I simply didn’t have. You must go through the fire to get that confidence, there was just enough doubt in my mind at the time since I was learning on the fly that it hurt me a bit, especially in the beginning.

7 - Do you see your tenure with the Cowboys as a complete success? Why or why not?

I always wish I had better numbers, but that job propelled me to a job as a Director of Ticket Sales w the Thunder and got me a job as VP of Sales and Marketing with the Dallas Stars. My colleagues back then would say Bowman was a hard worker, not the most talented salesman, but he was intelligent, worked hard and got the job done. Now a lot of them would say I’ve done well for myself and I can credit my career from my time with the Cowboys. So yes, I would consider it a success.

8 - The hiring process the Cowboys did was very unique. Can you go over some pros and cons of that particular method?

There sales were premium sales seats. So, you had to have individuals who understood premium seats, We hire entry level because we want to use them and mold them into the sales positions hire up through our own company. If I had to start all over today with the Stars, I don’t know if we could do that with the Stars, and that’s just with the difference of the product. With the Stars, it’s not nearly the brand recognition that the Cowboys would pull.

GREG KISH Vice President of Sales & Service - L.A. Stadium @ Hollywood Park Project at Legends Former Dallas Cowboys Ticket Sales Team Member Interview held via phone on Thursday, November 2, 2017 at 10:45am EST

Present: Katharina Elberti 1 - Can you talk a bit about the assembling of the sales team and what went into it?

The model and the way that something like that is attractive to folks that are normally premium sales -- so let’s call it trying to attract high level premium sales versus growing someone through a traditional path. Is that really what you’re looking for? Does it make sense to hire a bunch of high-end premium people, or to grow them through the organization.

Right off the bat I will just tell you this. There’s a huge difference between project opportunity and year over year sales. If I am someone whose got a campaign or someone in an organization who has one specific thing I have to generate high levels of revenue from in a short

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INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS term or in a deadline type opportunity, where you say by X date we need to generate X amount off of this campaign or this project. To me that’s really the most tantalizing opportunity for someone in a premium sales role, and it affords people a better opportunity to go after and attract higher level sellers. If there’s a project -- and when I say project I hope you understand I don’t just mean a new stadium.

Great example, Miami Dolphins when they went through this renovation they went after very high level talent - they kept maybe two or three people internally - but they knew they needed to go out and reach and recruit 6 or 7 more people and get more levels of management.

When that opportunity arose to do something like that, not just a new stadium, what you typically get is this -- you typically get someone who’s done it a little bit, has that skill, feels comfortable in those environments, and also isn’t someone who’s really looking to stay longterm, year over year with the team environment, or grow necessarily within that structure. These are people that want to come in, sell at a high level, make money, learn a ton of these folks, learn from the experience, grow their career, and take a next step. So when you look at it in that context, I think OK, it’s a team and all I want to do is a year over year sales staff, I don’t have anything crazy or over the top that I need to recruit sales people for, I’d rather bring people up from underneath and have a funnel continuous pipeline of people coming through and handling a lot of the day-to-day, because you can grow people within your organization the way you want to, and you can mold people through that pipeline as opposed to if I’m just comfortable -- and this is the fear of someone in our position, you’re going to constantly have to redo major hires, and redo training -- brand affinity is the wrong thing to say, but it’s the right idea, where identifying with the culture, with the team, how they operate, if you are continuously searching for higher level premium and make it more project oriented you have the ability to really use your own identity as a company. So that would be kind of scary to me, if I was head of a team that was doing year over year experience.

2 - What was your background prior to joining the Cowboys?

I was the youngest hired. I’m more of an anomaly in this sense I believe than most of the folks that were a part of it. When I was hired I was a college baseball coach for a year at the University of Hawaii, and I had gotten the opportunity to work in minor league baseball, my first job really. I realized I didn’t want to coach and I had a lot more to offer. I ended up as a 23-year old sending an email to the Frisco Rough Riders. I was referred by the COO of the Rough Riders then who said ‘Hey, you need to look into this opportunity’. It’s a big opportunity you’re young, I’ll put a word in for the interview but the rest is up to you. So I went to the job fair and got that position.

I was either the youngest or the second youngest person hired. Because when you’re hiring a team that large -- if you’re hiring 6 to 10 people you need to be very finite on what you’re going after. When you’re hiring 36 - and we just hired 62 in LA, 61 - you have to take some chances. I don’t know if there’s 62 real, top quality sellers in this entire industry if you really think about it. When I came on board i really only had 1.5 years of true sales experience. But playing off my background growing up - my dad owned his own business and dom was in sales - sometimes that works to your benefit, how much you can absorb from the people around you and in your environment.

I think the reason why - going back to why I was brought on - I wasn’t scared in that moment, I had such a good time going through the interview process, people get nervous during those type of interviews but I had so much fun, to me it was just a blast to be there.

3 - Do you think the job fair interview process was effective and allowed them to get the correct type of personalities for this job?

You’re not going to do a group interview process when you’re hiring just a few people, if you had to hire 10+ people for a position, there’s no doubt you need to get a bunch of people in there. And so much can be said - and we do this every time, we did this in Santa Clara, we just did it in LA, very similar format, big groups, day one and day two individual interview, and the interesting this is you’re just looking at how individuals act in a group setting. Because that is like a salesperson, that is like you walking into a boardroom, having to present, and or be at an event, and your booths are next to people and they’re asking questions, how do you react when other people talk? Are you paying attention, are you enjoying the moment or freaked out by it, are you smiling while you talk, are you making eye contact, are you listening to others around you look for these little nuances of things that are so intangible that most likely the candidate is not even thinking about. They go into it thinking “OK, i have to think of what I’m going to say next, you keep people on their toes by firing questions around, you check if people are listening, you create the environment of being a good conversation, but you have to be on your toes. Again, you find out who can thrive in that environment, that’s all you’re doing. You’re not going to get a lot of substantive answers out of that, because frankly you can’t ask that many questions in 1.5 hours to that many people. So you’re looking for little things, then you want to bring as many people back as necessary for the one-on-one interview opportunity. That’s when you really starting diving in. That’s when you really want to take the 45 minutes to an hour and make sure you really know who you’re hiring.

4 - In that smaller, one-on-interview, were they asking you about points on your resume or were they asking you situational questions: are you comfortable doing X, Y, Z? More background or situational?

If it was a background question it was how the background tied into a situation. You’re looking for everything to be relational to the position, the question you ask has a purpose based off what you know the position to be, I’d say more situational type, digging in questions. And it’s individualized. My interview was with Chad and I’ll never forget it to this day, he was pushing me to see if I could handle it, because I was young. Could I hold my own against people who have been in this industry and around this before, would I be

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INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS comfortable asking for the type of money they were going to be asking for, and asking a series of questions just seeing how I would react to those situations, and frankly his biggest thing was, you have less experience than literally all of these other people, why would I event think about hiring you? Again, just to see how a person reacts. If you picked up something in the interview you really wanted to press on.

References are also key to whether you understand them well enough. So we’ll check people’s references before one-on-one interviews.

We call them the night before. You know them, they worked for you, what should I push on? What do you think of them?

5 - Do you think it was beneficial to have people of diverse ages and backgrounds as part of that team?

1000%. Oh yes. Our team here, same thing, very diverse. We’ve got 24 year old kids that each only have 1 year or 2 years of sales experience, that have just come into this wide-eye. We have a couple 40 year old veterans who’ve done it for awhile. I fully believe, it brings those folks down a little bit, more veteran-types to feel more youthful and energized, a little more into the culture, and it also has the younger folks to remember to rely on experience. We also take some different demographic backgrounds too. Very diverse team overall and I do believe that plays in because life experience in these type of situations also holds a key in sales, how can you relate your life experience to the experience that you’re going to go through in the sales process - if you’ve got good stories to tell in life, diverse background, it’s very interesting to people - sales is somewhat storytelling with a purpose.

6 - Was there a competitive environment amongst you all?

Dallas was set up in a way that became very competitive. You can’t necessarily sit there and say “we’re going to be a team” and then “oh yeah, everything you do is based on how you sell, how you and your team sell - your one group of management”. The environment in Dallas at the start was a bit overly competitive. There was an adjustment made by Chad.

It’s really all about how you incentivize and the message you’re sending to people with your incentivisation and your structure. And that’s super important. Have a good balance of total project inclusion and individual achievement, and you’ve got to be very fair especially in these projects - with how you dole out leads. Your research into the leads and the demographic profile Super important to know everything you can before you dole them out to the reps. If you can show accurately to everyone that hey, we have done everything in our power to do all the research to make this equal in how we set this out then there’s no real stress and politics in that matter. When it comes to an open business format where now you’re in the market, what that relies on is gonna be a really good database or CRM system to where you don’t restrict people to territories or areas, you just have very good governing rules around how you operate in the open market. There can be no suspicion about it.

People get tempted by certain things, and if you have good rules in place and a good system that governs it then you avoid a lot of those issues.

7 - How has this opportunity affected your career?

Doing this experience changed the course of my life. I won’t say positively or negatively, because it all depends on the person, this experience - what we’re generating, and what we’re creating in this environment is life changing, it’s not just career changing. You’re so close with all these people and you’re in this grind together and you all come in at the same time - it’s a very crazy . you make a ton of new friends, you see a different way to do business. People who have been in the industry for awhile who go through one of these are like ‘holy shit this is so different from what i expected’.

8 - If you could go back, would you have the experience again?

I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. It was the greatest thing that I’ll ever do - I’ll look back and say that what propelled my professional side of my life, I’d do it 100x over.

9 - Can you talk a bit on the environment and atmosphere within the staff?

Its very difficult to create that environment in year over year business. Its organic when you come to a situation like this, when everyone comes in at the same time, you’re almost forced to be family, no one is above anyone everyone comes in at the same level everyone has the same thing to prove, and that certainly has its downfalls in some ways, but you grow into everything together. You see when you have to start transitioning this group to year over year business and get new people, there’s a protective level of what you’ve been through.

When you get teams with year over year business it is tougher to achieve that [family]. You can achieve it in small groups . but gosh, to embrace people every 6 months that come that you don’t know is hard. It’s hard to create that environment and that culture very quickly.

It takes awhile and it takes a level of impact.

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10 - Do you have any other comments on your experience within the project or information to me that would be helpful?

The major takeaway that i think i say differently than some folks do would just be the absolute difference between a project or campaign style sales effort and a year over year team. It’s a different sales world. I can’t explain that enough. It feels different, you act different, you compensate different, super important when you’re thinking through how you structure the findings of this and you’re separating out the difference between the two. I say it like this, when I talk to people, when I interview folks for these positions on projects, I make sure they understand the difference in pace, mentality, effort - and I don’t mean effort like you work harder - people just have to understand there’s no off season. On a project, every day you lose is a day you’re behind the deadline. Taking a week off of sales when you have an ultimate deadline on a project with a campaign, that screws you up bad - you can’t do it. It’s the mentality that there’s no real off season, you’re just going as hard as you can. You’re sprinting a marathon - that’s the difference.

There are really good sales people in our industry that just can’t sell on a project - it’s not the way they do business. It’s a different mentality.

LOUIE IGLESIAS Director of Adult Programs at Southlake Tennis Center Former Dallas Cowboys Ticket Sales Team Member Interview held via phone on Thursday, October 2, 2017 at 2:00pm EST

Present: Katharina Elberti & Cooper Gillogly 1 - Tell us about where you were in your career immediately prior to joining the Cowboys.

I was in a position similar to where I am now. I was a director at a Junior Tennis Academy in South Lake, a suburb of Fort Worth. I was coaching high-level kids tennis 28 days a month and getting them ready for college scholarships. So I was on the court a lot, going to a lot of tournaments all over the state, and basically directing a program of over 120 students.

2 - Were you interested in getting into sales from then? Were you approached by the Cowboys, or how did that come up?

I had previous sales experience. To best answer that I need to provide the greater context of it all. Back in my day – I’m an MSA grad of ’95 – there was no dual degree; it was just the MSA one-year and that was it. I was ahead of my time and I kind of created my own dual degree. I went on to Michigan and did a second graduate degree in Sports Facility Management and from that experience I was hired by the Dallas Stars to manage their practice facility. Len Perna, who now has Turnkey...back then he was the VP of Business Operations and Legal Counsel for the Dallas Stars...he brought me on board and that’s when the Stars had just moved down from Minnesota. They were looking to build the main practice facility but also ice rinks around town to help grow the interest of the Dallas Stars in what was not a traditional hockey market. I was there for two years and then the opportunity to work for the Texas Rangers opened up. Len went on to Turnkey and after he left I was like, ‘let me see what I’m gonna do next’. And the opportunity to work for the Texas Rangers selling Corporate Marketing Packages on the Corporate Sales side opened up. Did that for a year so had that previous sales experience there and then I went into tennis. I did my undergrad at Toledo on a tennis scholarship, so I was a big-time tennis guy. Basically that led me to the South Lake Tennis Academy. I just saw through one of the alumni emails that Chad Estis was named VP of the Dallas Cowboys and that they were looking to put together a sales staff to sell the new stadium. And back then, seat licenses had been around for couple of years not a lot, but what had been around was what you had seen in Chicago, Denver, where you have a 3 year seat The Cowboys were looking to roll out – the length of the term of Cowboy’s stadium was from 2009 to 2039. The calendar year now is 2007. Back when LeBron’s first duty with the Cavs before he left of Miami it was 2007 when he took the Cavs to the Finals and lost to San Antonio. It was during that NBA final - I’m going to give you the cliffs notes version – Chad Estis has to say this story because he kind of puts the twist on it that makes it fun to hear. Long story short, during that NBA final, Jerry first reached out to Chad to talk to him about the open position. Leading up to that Jerry knew he needed someone special for this project, because what they were going to charge for seat licenses and tickets had never been done before. And he need the right guy to head up that sales project. He just kept asking around, asking around, asking around – Jerry, he’s very deliberate – takes his time with the very important decisions, just kept picking the brains of people, not just NFL teams but pro teams in general - let’s take a look at who’s doing the best in sales and who would be a good person that we could pick off this project. It didn’t take him very long. Every Time he’d ask someone they’d say “Oh, I learned from Chad Estis,” “I learned everything I know from Chad Estis” – he was getting sick and tired of hearing Chad’s name. So

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INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS he was like “We’ve gotta go get Chad. We’re the Dallas Cowboys, we need Chad.” And now Chad, hometown Cleveland guy, in his dream job, NBA finals...you think you’re gonna get Chad out of that? There’s only one person who could, and that’s Jerry. So I think the first phone call went something to the effect of “Yeah, this is a prank call” and I think he hung up on Jerry. All of a sudden Chad’s like ‘oh, this IS Jerry’. But he goes look, I’m flattered but I’m from Cleveland I’m in my dream job, you know in the very smooth style only Chad Estis can deliver he was like there’s a handful of guys I can refer to you for that opportunity and I wish you the best of luck. That wasn’t enough for Jerry. Jerry just kept hounding him and hounding him. He went “Hey, listen. I just want you to come on in and pick your brain and what have you. Chad goes well is has to be on the NBA off day because they’re in the NBA Finals, between games two and three. So Chad finally agrees to meeting with Jerry. So Jerry goes alright, go ahead and meet at the airport and my personal plane will bet there to pick you up. To Jerry, when he wants to go all out to impress he leaves no stone unturned, so that already impressed Chad. They bring him down to Dallas and they do the full court press. It didn’t take very long; Jerry closed the deal, Chad is now the VP of Sales for the Dallas Cowboys, heading up the new stadium sales project. And in order for him to agree to Jerry asked him “what do you need.” You know, please asked me all the time when they find out I work for Jerry Jones man what was it like working for him.

And I’ll tell you this, what you hear in the media they understand marketing and they understand how to grow the brand, and those two together when they formed Legends there was some great stuff that came out of that relationship. Every time the camera is on they have a key awareness that they have an opportunity to grow that brand.

It’s not uncommon with the Cowboys organization to see people working there for years and years and years. You produce, and you fit that company culture, you’ll be there as along as you want to be there.

I’d still be [at the Cowboys] had the opportunity to be a Professor at OU and Jim courting me to come back had not arose. I don’t regret it and it was four wonderful years of my life.

At the end of the Jerry is very loyal to his employees and he loves his employees values their input. I’d run through a brick wall for them and the family.

So Chad basically told Jerry “Hey look. For this project to really work I need two things: I need first and foremost a CRM system which, at the time, was going to run about half a million dollars. And I need a large sales staff with a very aggressive commission structure.

Lower base, higher commission. And the best sales staffs, that’s the structure. If you go too high on the base, it reads complacency. “Eh you know, I didn’t have that good of a month, I have a comfortable base I’ll be alright. And with this I’m like “Oh, if I don’t produce this month I might not make rent; but if I produce this month, I’m going to have some money to put away here. The average -- during the first two years -- the average of the 35 sales reps was about $108,000 a year. The CRM was perhaps one of the key components to it because what Jerry nor Chad knew at the time -- this was mid 2007 -- no one could have foreseen what was about to happen in September 2008; the recession. The worst recession has seen since the depression. What the CRM system allowed Jerry to do -- this is a $1.2 billion dollar stadium where what we were doing no one else had ever attempted to do before. We were offering 30 year seat licenses. All the seats in the stadium with the exception or maybe 8,000 non-licensing (so $59 a game) carried a seat license. 15,000 club seats where the cheapest club seat was a $16,000 seat license. The highest at the time we started selling was $150,00 and that was the Founder’s Club, basically 1% of the stadium. That was smack dab in the 50 yard line at the 200 level. But $150,000 seat license got you the bells and whistles. Jerry was always of the philosophy that nothing was ever too expensive; I just haven’t had the opportunity to show you the value yet. If you see the value, it won’t be too expensive. And with that was born our sales philosophy, that we were going to give you value that you’ve never seen before. So using the higher price point, and later on a higher price point would come, and that would be in the form of $250,000 seats that also came with even more bells and whistles. If you purchased one of those Founder’s seats that included the tickets, it included a separate reception dining area, where it was all-inclusive food and beverage and alcohol, and you had parking under the stadium, once every five years you had the opportunity to travel to an away game with the team, and meet the owner Jerry and company, it was serious bells and whistles that the world had never seen. So that’s the high price point within the club area, so it went from $150,000 to $50,000, to $35,000 to $16,000 the further you got away from the 50 closer to the goal line, the clubs went from goal line to goal line the 100, 200, and 300 level. So that was 15,000 seats.

The way the sales project was set up was there was too phases. First phase was the club seat area and the second phase area was everything outside the club area, which we called the general area. After we were done with phase two then the waiting list then it was new business. You went out there and cold called, you tried to have the conversation with anybody and everybody to sell the rest of the inventory. So that was essentially the approach. Going back to why the CRM was so significant; with 35 people, we needed to track down every activity level. Chad and the 3 managers that he had under him. So basically you had Chad, then you had Al Guido, who was my manger. And Todd Flemming. So those are the two key managers. Everybody was kind of broken off into one of the two teams; one managed by each of them. Today Al Guido is now the COO of the San Francisco 49ers. Todd Fleming heads up all the sales at the Race Track of the Americas in Austin, the Formula One track. And that’s a Legends property. Doug was in charge of all the ticket operations and managed the ticket inventory; Doug, who’s not the Senior Operations Manager of Ticket Sales and Operations for the Cowboys.

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INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS

With the CRM system, every time we came in contact, whether it phase one, phase two, wait-list or what have you, we had to enter that content into CRM, we have to note what the conversation or action item was, do we have a contact out? Did we book an appointment?

Do we have an appointment? Is the person going buy? If if they’re gonna buy when they’re gonna buy. Tracking every activity that came out of that building became paramount once that recession hit. The best way to explain how that recession impacted a business like ours, prior to the recession as a big-name you could go to a bank with a big project and they’d give it to you because they know you’re good.

What Jerry was able to do -- it was a $1.2 billion dollar stadium, the city of Arlington put up $325,000,000 upfront. It was up to Jerry to get the rest of the $700,000,000 plus. He needed to instill some confidence into the banks that Jerry was going to be good for this money.

A key component was the data that he was able to share with the banks about the CRM. Basically every Friday Chad would be on the phone with Jerry and be like “OK, last month this is what came in. This month, here’s how many phone calls went out, here’s how many appointments were booked, here’s how many appointments were completed, here’s how many contracts were out, here’s how many have come back signed, here’s how many seats were sold, here’s what we project in the next week, in the next ten days. When you up to the minute data such as that, even though the media was having a field day “Nobody’s going to be buying this stuff; we’re going to wait until the prices come down.” They’re saying that, we’re providing actual real time data up to the contrary. So the banks loaned Jerry the money, and because Chad was able to instill that confidence to Jerry and subsequently to the bank, we got the money going. And I’m not going to say there weren’t some slower patches but Jerry will be the first one to tell you, the sales staff - we determined what the market was going to be. We didn’t let the market determine what the financial situation was going to be for us. Some people couldn’t buy at that time, and we’d go “Hey look, we understand that the time for you is not right, but we’re just checking in to make sure that when the time is right, we’d love to work with you. And those phone calls kept going out, we kept booking those appointments, and we kept pounding the pavement on that. And by the time that stadium was open for the first regular season game we had already had -- when you include the suites, the suites were not part which was 20 year leases as opposed to 30 year leases for the seats -- but we had already secured more than $1.2 billion to build the stadium.

Why don’t you just charge a little bit more instead of charging $350 a ticket then $150,000 seat license on top of that, why don’t you just charge $750 a game and be done with it….The way the NFL is set up and the collective bargain agreement, all the ticket revenues are split amongst 32 teams. Let’s say I pay $100 for my ticket. That’s not $100 that goes to the Cowboys; that’s $100 that goes into the NFL ticket pot and the Cowboys get 1/32 of that. Very difficult to build a new stadium when all your revenues are split 32 ways. Hence whole seat license being born. It provides revenues generated 100% has to go to the construction and or maintenance of the stadium; it can’t go into Jerry’s pocket. That’s why the seat license is so important. It’s the only way you’re going to get funding for a lavish stadium such as AT&T Stadium. Now you’ve got yourself a product that’s really sophisticated. So I’m going to go in front of a customer and pitch them a product that, until the stadium is complete, I can’t even show you your seat. I have to show you some virtual view and I have to walk you through what 30 year financing looks like for football tickets, during the most financially trying times in our lifetimes. We ended up selling the whole thing out. Two years ago we had the $600,000,000 celebration where the first team to have put$ 600,000,000 in seat license revenue of any professional sports team in the world. The next closest team is the Carolina Panthers and not even sure they’ve reached $300,000 yet. The stadium is essentially sold out and, to show you how good the Jones’ are, they had a party where they brought back the original sales reps. It was a three day fest where we had a black tie party in the stadium and each of the sales rep got a crystal football from Tiffany’s with their names engraved on it and said “History Made; $600,000,000, Dallas Cowboys.” And if that wasn’t enough I come home one day and there’s a huge package at the front door and I open it up and it is a 3.5 foot frame with a color picture of AT&T stadium, the picture that we all took with the Jones’ family, Jerry’s autograph on it, and the inscription “History Made; $600,000,000” with my name on it. That’s when it kind of grips you what we did. I got asked the other day “Louie, what’s your dream job?” Man, I already had my dream job. We did something that I don’t know will ever be done again but if it is, we did it first. Truly something special. But it really came down to Chad’s leadership, Jerry’s faith in Chad, and trusting him -- because you know, Jerry took a risk. A large sales staff of 35 people, do we need that many? And that aggressive commission structure and it goes back to I’ll say about Jerry. Jerry’s basic philosophy is this -- whatever you need, whatever resources you need to get the job done he will give it to you; but you better get it done. That’s the key. Jim and I did the sales training for the Cincinnati Bengals about two years ago and we were kind of dumbfounded because Chad expected us to spend a certain amount of time a week out of the office taking out of the office appointments.

If we couldn’t get people to the stadium we were expected to go to their office, and sometimes to just do the preliminary meeting at their office on their comfortable turf just to began the dialogue and hopefully lead to and in stadium appointment and ultimately the sale.

The Bengals were philosophically against that. If they couldn’t get them down to the stadium that sale wasn’t going to happen. I’d be scratching my head and saying why are you handcuffing your sales staff like that? But that came from ownership. And there you have the most valued sports franchise in the world according to Forbes Magazine the only sports franchise valued at over $4 billion; that’s more than Barcelona, more than Real Madrid. Then you have Cincinnati which is the last in the NFL. At least is was; they go back and forth between the Bills and the Bengals. Either you’re committed to it or you’re not. Either you’re committed to it or you’re not. I challenged anyone to find an owner who is more committed to the bottom line than Jerry Jones. His track record speaks for itself right there. He hires good people, and he puts them in a position to be successful. It’s a true model business.

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INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS

So I talked about the CRM part and explained how that worked. But what about the 35 people? Very important piece of the equation, obviously. Jerry trusted Chad in coming up with the best 35. You’d have to ask Chad, or maybe Doug; why was it 35 why not 30, not 40. What was the significance of the number 35? I never asked and never knew. What they did was as the Marriott by the Dallas Fort Worth airport they put together a job fair where they announced this job posting to come work for the Dallas Cowboys. You had to fly your own way in there. You had to make the first cut, so you had to send in your resume to get selected to be in the final 200. Once you’re in the final 200, it was a two-day interview. What they did was they threw you into a room and one was you had to -- you’d be in a room with 8 to10 other people -- and they’d go around and you had to do an impromptu presentation, they wanted to see what your presentation skills were. The other one would be a one-on-one interview. After day one they narrowed it down from 200 to 70 and then after Day 2 they went from 70 down to 35 and it was very extensive. It was very comprehensive as well. They knew what they were looking for and what was interesting was the resume that you put in was only part of the story. They wanted two things. Number one was obviously outgoing, a gregarious personality that would function well in a regional sales position, then number two -- and this part was very interesting -- they were looking for a certain type of personality that would fit into the culture that they were trying to create.

They wanted people that would get along and work well together. Build a team consciousness; so there was a personality. If you were an outcast, loner, what have you, didn’t matter how productive you’d been in your resume; if you couldn’t interact and gel with the rest of the they weren’t going to select you. If you were that overbearing personality that’s “me me me me,” which, again, could result in good sales, it could mean friction in the office. Chad hated office friction. Absolutely could not stand it, and I completely understand it.

And what that does is put people in foul moods. If you’re in a foul mood, the next conversation you’re in, how do you keep your mood OK and not spilling over into that conversation that, you know, could result in a $200,000 sale if it’s handled properly. He couldn’t mess around with that. When I look back now, I see the genius in the whole thing. Because when you’re going through it you’re like ‘wow, there are some very qualified people here, just because of a little personality a little difference what have you, you’re going to pass on that person for someone else?’ Now it makes all the sense in the world! And when you have a project that’s this successful definitely can’t criticize it. It was all part of the overall genius of Chad. That was all Chad. Every accolade in his direction is well deserved. Putting that team together was absolutely critical. I would also take it another step further and say Chad did a wonderful job identifying two really good mangers to fit the personality of that staff in Al Guido and Tom Fleming. They were most helpful in getting us to see the vision, prep us for the product, make the pitch, because I’ll be honest with you, the first day of training when they rolled out what we were charging, you could hear the collective gulp in everyone. I wish they had on video somewhere the initial role play training we did with those prices, so we could capture how many times we stuttered on those prices. I mean, everyone was looking at each other like “Yeah…” especially those who weren’t from Texas. The Texans in the room were like “I can see some yahoos spending this money. I don’t know how many but you know” but those who came from across the country -- and we had a coast to coast lineup we had people from California, Florida, New York, everywhere in between. Literally, by the time that training was done and Lance Tyson who was based out of Columbus did a phenomenal sales training. He really got us on the right track. By the time we were rocking and rolling, we’d be like “Yeah those two seats are $35,000 and it’s OK, if you don’t buy them I’ve got someone else who in ten minutes that wants those seats, so I dare you not to buy them. The confidence that we had in ourselves instilled by Chad and instilled by Lance in his training and Jerry, now I get it. Culture matters. It’s not just hyperbole, it’s not just words, where you go work and the attitude shared by others you work with goes a long way to determining not only whether the team’s going to be successful but whether you’re going to be successful. And that’s probably the biggest thing I took from that project was wow, attitude really matters around here and the 35 initial sales reps didn’t make it all the way through to opening game. We started in October of 2007 and then it was a little over a year later they cut it down to 17 or 18. And the ones that were gone their attitudes were kind of eroded over that time.

3 - So those 17 or 18 were cut from the Cowboys?

Yes, the Cowboys cut them out. So fast forward from October 2007 to about a year later. It wasn’t during the football season that they did that, I think it was early 2009, late January. It was well before the opening day, the first event in the stadium. Essentially you could look at the board, and the board was very simple. There were 35 people, and it had your number one all the way down to 35. I think they cut it after 18. If you were 19 to 35 you were gone. You came in one day and it was Black Thursday.

TODD FLEMING Vice President & GM, Legends Global Sales Former Dallas Cowboys Manager, Ticket Sales Team Members Interview held via phone on Friday, November 9, 2017 at 10:00am EST

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APPENDIX B

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS

1 - Can you talk a little bit about what went into assembling the sales staff and the philosophy behind it?

I’ve always believed you get what you pay for and you want to show people that you value them; sales people are driven obviously first and foremost by compensation and the potential to make more than what they even expected. People want to be recognized in general for what they are providing and organization. If you look at a ticket sales department it’s the most visible. Do i believe that it’s scalable across other leagues? Yes because I’ve done it in multiple leagues, and I’m doing it internationally right now too, which is even more of a beast than what you would imagine would happen stateside. But what it does is it takes a manager a really fine balance between getting this approved and at what levels. The art to it becomes, from a managerial standpoint, when you look at the composite of a sales staff, would somebody be willing to take a couple less bodies to get more quality, skilled individuals at a higher price? And I think that’s where the balance comes in at with some of these leagues can you get more from less headcount. And i think that’s where the stigma is right now is most people feel like i need more bodies, i need more people calling, i need more meetings, where as I’ve always looked at it as i want quality over quantity and to me i think that just provides more efficiency in business.

2 - What was so enticing about joining the Cowboys? Any reservations about doing so?

When Chad called, it wasn’t necessarily financial although the package he was providing from a managerial standpoint was way more competitive than even i had in the New York marketplace, it was more of an opportunity to get back with an individual who you respected, viewed as a mentor, but once I really sat down and listened to the opportunity the Cowboys provided, then with Chad’s involvement, it was just a game changer. Oh my god i can’t believe what that Dallas Cowboys are going to create and you had the chance to be a part of it from a managerial standpoint. Then the compensation package that not only got the Jones’ to buy into but it is a Jones quality too is they believe in paying for talent and results.

3 - Can you talk a little bit about the hiring process of the sales staff?

Developed the job description, developed the compensation package, developed the commission plans, the job fair and how that would be implemented really discussed heavily over the course of a few months what did the individuals need to look like from a skillset standpoint that came into the project. I would suggest that it’s a good way to do it if you want to be efficient in hiring mass quantity of people in one setting. Nowadays you don’t necessarily need to do a full fledged job fair.

The pros of it are it provided an atmosphere of competition, very friendly competition but it’s really unique in these group settings to see how these people react in front of 8 to 12 people that they do not know. Not that you’re jockeying for air time but it really gives the manager or the person conducting the interview a real insight into how succinct somebody can be. Because there’s a time limit on when they’re there, and in the sales process that’s really critical. You can’t go on these long winded pitches, you have to be succinct in your messages and in your questioning so the group process provides this atmosphere of who rises to the top, and then it allows you to look into the sales process of who can be succinct in their messaging, who’s going to get there quick enough, who understands the person on the other side of the table.

I’d say the cons are it’s kind of a split thing. You may miss out on some really talented people that just don’t react well to that type of setting. Id say we’ve been pretty fortunate in this regard to find really quality people, but I’ve often wondered who just has never been used to a situation like that, kind of participates but really takes a back seat, and it just doesn’t work out for them in that setting. In the long run i think it’s more beneficial because you get more highly assertive people that come to the forefront which is what you want from a sales perspective. The other cons of it is just perception. I think as a manager you always want to be perceived as everyone has equal footing or a shot, and i wonder sometimes if people walk away from a session like that and say “i didn’t really have an opportunity to showcase what i can do”. Obviously there’s more pros than cons but i often wonder how people feel when they walk away from it. But i do believe the most beneficial thing, if you are trying to hire 10 plus people in a most efficient manner, that is the best way to do it. You can’t sit there and go through 10, 20, 30, 40 different one on one sessions for interviews then try to cobble it down to the 10 people you want to bring in. If you go through an afternoon of group settings, you’ll be able to identify within that group 2 to 3 people that at least warrant the 1 on 1 interview, so it’s must more efficient manner to hire bulk quantity of sales reps.

4 - What kind of people, in terms of background and personality, etc., were you looking for?

It boiled down to understanding what we were going to ask people to go out and do. What we were going to be asking people to do was not only deal with - call it the 4th or 5th largest marketplace in the country with a historic franchise - the project will never be surpassed in scope or size and the price points we were going to be asking for people to participate in were unheard of at the time. Had somebody had a background in pitching a similar type of price point or product. The skillset had to be who can present themselves in the right fashion, who has a presence in the room, who has confidence in their answers, who has confidence in asking questions but

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APPENDIX B

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS with the overwhelming background of they were listening and were able to tie their answer to my question back to the actual question and not take it off in a different direction. I got less fixated on sports vs non sports, i got more fixated on the individual and did they have a presence in the room, which would then showed me they’re not going to cower in front of a really high level president or CEO from the Dallas marketplace or just buckle over, they were going to be assertive and try to push that individual in the right way into the opportunity and how they should listen. The other part of it was too, if they were able to answer my question with and answer that actually addressed what I was asking them to do then to me that showed a unique skill that all salespeople better have which is you better be a damn good listener. Those were the things that I was trying to identify the most in those sessions, and that was kind of the baseline criteria for me of saying who would i then move to the next pile or next day saying they should have a 1 on 1 interview. We were going to teach them the behavioral modification type of sales training where you put yourself on the other end. We could teach them what types of questions -- obviously we’re going to teach them to work through the sales center and the call flow type of scenario that every sales staff goes through, but there’s some unique things, listening and comfortable in your own skin that not everybody has.

5- Can you talk about the culture of the sales staff and how that was created and molded?

We tried to develop a sales culture that was based upon clearly defining expectations, with an understanding of you’re going to be accountable -- and if not we’re going to have an open and frank discussion about it. This was such an educational sale on the front end, because it was so astronomically different what we were doing compared to any other project, that we had to have clearly defined results, and that result may be “I’m scheduling another phone call” “i couldn’t get you across the line today, i got to set up another meeting” or it could have been “this [job] isn’t for you, and I need to clearly walk you through why it isn’t and need to get you to agree to it.

The atmosphere that we tried to create was really centered around those 3 things. Then it expanded. Once you got people to understand what was going to be expected of them and how they should go about their day, we utilized competition as a driver for the sales staff.

You have 36 really hungry sales people, who are on the world’s greatest project with the most expensive price points and realize that they are being compensated well if they put in the work. We utilized the competition in that we created competition that would result in recognition. We had a scheduled once a month, get off site for an hour or so and run through the state of the business, handle any obstacles that were coming up, bring everyone together, but then also at the end of that we would recognize the top 10 people on the board. At the end of each phase -- we took a phased approach to how we sold this into the market -- there was a recognition dinner where the top 10 individuals that were on the revenue board at that time were invited to a dinner with the Jones’ family. All of the family would show, it would be a great steak dinner. It was not only an atmosphere of “yeah hey look I want to make as much money as i potentially can and I want to make more money than you”, but it was more about I want to be recognized and sit at the table with Jerry Jones.

There was competition, but i don’t think it ever seeped into jealousy or envy. I think people genuinely felt like “OK they got it this time but I’m going to come after them and I’m going to get it next time. But really, if that person succeeds I’m succeeding because we’re creating something here, were creating history every single day. I have a culture of expectations, accountability, and results, I have a culture of “I will be recognized one way or the other for the work that I’m doing”, but i have a culture of team and yes i want to be number 1 but overall I’m going to be looked at much differently in this industry just by being part of this historic project 6 - Do you think the name and brand of the Dallas Cowboys helped contribute to the success?

The culture and recognition part is the part that’s scalable to other industries or other teams. Its sculpting the culture to what you want it to be, then it’s recognizing people for the work that they’re doing. Making a $50 season ticket minor league hockey sale is just as impactful to that business as selling a $150,000 seat for the Cowboys.

How do they advance their people? What is their career development plan that theses staffs have. They can really truly define what their culture is and then live and breathe it every single day. Hey, stand up in front of your peers and let’s talk about what you just did because it’s so impactful to our business. Hey I’ve set up a 1-on-1 meeting with the president of the organization. The managers have to be maniacal about growing somebody’s career which is hard for a manager to do, because you’re going how Do I replace this talent, or why do I want to lose this talent, but that’s part of a manager’s job to not only make sure that person is dedicating a tremendous amount of time for you, that you are helping them achieve their career goals, but you have to almost expect that you’re going to lose your best talent and it’s a benefit for you to lose your talent if you are helping to promote them. That’s the one part where some of these organizations, it becomes a tricky moment for them because how do i really get comfortable with losing talent. It’s the secret sauce to signify what a really good manager is; they develop people.

7 - How has your time with the Cowboys impacted your career?

We’ve gone into some areas that aren’t necessarily organic to my background or who i am as a manager, but to have the ability to feel comfortable in saying “we can handle that” really drives back from what we did in Dallas because the sales process, the strategies, the execution, the recruitment - all of the things that we had to do there were earth shattering at the time and it gives you the confidence of

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APPENDIX B

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS saying, for me, to go open up an international division for Legends and do business internationally and feel comfortable doing it, poised that your process and the company is scalable around the world it…..It’s not like we go plug and play everywhere that we go, right?

There’s certain things that we’ve done in Dallas that wouldn’t be applicable to what we’re doing in LA right now ...but there’s a core components of things that are but we have really -- and again, I keep going back to the people; the people who actually implement and do the heavy lifting on the ground, they’re fluid, they’re a lot like water they adjust to the new environments in such and efficient manner and they quickly define what is work in one place doesn’t necessarily work in another, and that’s OK but lets go figure out how we can tweak it here or there to meet what this client wants or what this market demands or what we believe to just be the proper approach and they have the freedom to go do that. There truly is a family atmosphere amongst Legends, and so you may not be around ….there’s just this open lines of communication consistently among the managers in the management team that we’re always figuring out…we always have a line open for someone to call for and we’re not too proud to pick up the phone and do that.

JAIMA SCHIFFER Business Partnerships Coordinator at Ticket Galaxy Former Dallas Cowboys Ticket Sales Team Member Interview held via phone on Wednesday, November 1, 2017 at 9:00am EST

Present: Katharina Elberti 1 - Can you talk a little bit about the atmosphere within the sales team?

There were 15 units of reps in same apartment complex. Had this group of people who were not only working together, but were carpooling together, or bouncing off ideas. I had Sunday dinner at my house every Sunday we watched football, everyone came over, they created something that was more than just a paycheck. I almost think about it daily when I’m coming into work about how that’s definitely how this industry should be treating their employees. We were killing it. You wanted to be there, you wanted to be part of that atmosphere, so I don’t know if it was necessarily the pay. The pay might have been the icing on the cake for what THEY created as a place that you wanted to be and wanted to be a part of it.

We were definitely working as a team. IN TRAILERS so you were constantly hearing what was working what wasn’t, if somebody got hung up on, if somebody had to go toe-to-toe with someone and pitch them, overcome objections, and do all that, we were sitting right on top of each other. It was contagious what was going on. If somebody was selling in a room, it was almost like why isn’t everyone else selling because it just started happening. CRM was something that became very big, and that’s honestly how we started creating the Legends side of things.

It was almost as if in this trailer we were in our own little bubble. We were chugging the kool-aid. Every time the media would say something negative, THE MANAGERS would bring us together and say what are you guys here for, how are we gonna get through this, it wasn’t like “OK have you pity party” it was no, we’re going to face this head on. You don’t see that anywhere in the industry.

2 - You took a title downgrade to be a part of this, so what was so enticing about this opportunity?

Perception is also reality in the industry when it comes to quote on quote title downgrades, i don’t know if those people would be candid enough to tell you, but they were going to make taking a title downgrade is more than what they would’ve made sitting and be babysitters at whatever MLB or NBA them they were working for. It may have hurt their pride for a second, but I’m pretty sure that at the time - I’m pretty sure this whole crew minus people who weren’t from the industry. These guys and girls are like my brothers and sisters at this point. If they need anything people run through walls for each other. I’ve never seen anything like this before.

The paychecks were great because we had this new venue to sell and everyone got to sell so again, your cream rise to the crop. I wonder what the correlations were psychologically behind the comradery that was created and the money was just the bonus.

I’m seeing this a lot with millennials, the stories of them wanting to be part of something - the majority of us who were on these projects are either the youngest Gen-Xers or right at the beginning of the beginning of the millennials, did we want to make a name for ourselves and be part of something that nobody else could say they were a part of.

3 - What do you think matters more nowadays?

We would call ourselves consultants. Our business cards said account executive. I work with a lot of students who do not want to go into

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APPENDIX B

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS ticket sales because they have some preconceived notion of what it is and i feel as an industry we need to call it something else because it’s not the smile and dial turnover in 3 weeks like it used to be. Learning about data and CRM and all that I’ve done a complete 180, if you’re going to make 100 calls, who are you actually calling. A database manager gave you a list and it’s oh, you got A through C. I want people to make solid phone calls, so if you have the energy to make those 100 phone calls, there’s a smarter way to do this. One of the things the managers empowered us to do is this is YOUR book of business; you come to me and tell me how you’re going to run your business. What industry are you going after, why are you going after it, what size companies. He really challenged us to look at this position as a manager would look at their leads to distribute to employees, so at the end of the day they really empowered us to be way more skilled and ready to go to battle when it came to it. At the end of the day we weren’t really going there to sell, we were there to educate and get our name out there.

4 - How has this impacted your career?

They set the bar pretty high. I’m honestly looking for that next opportunity. All these people who are jumping on the Raiders or Rams, - they’re all special in their own way, but nothings like what we created.

5 - Can you talk about the decline in age of attendees where people don’t want to buy season tickets anymore?

For training we were role playing probably until our brains were about to explode, but in the long run that practice makes perfect it was very like what you describe with football, basketball, the preseason - we were honing our craft, that’s never been done in any other teams I’ve worked with. Nobody took the time to do that. If you sit down and do the math we were making less than 1% commission on everything we were selling. Keep in mind the average sale was $74k so it added up quickly buy psychologically you’re looking at this like oh, you’re only making less than 1%, I’ve been making 8% - but hey dumb-dumb, do you 8% of $5 or less than 1% of $34k.

How do you present it to us too? It was a $ amount per seat I give them a lot of credit for the amount of time they all put in making sure they delivered it right. Did they get it right all the time? No. If they failed to deliver on something, we always got it back 10x more than what anybody anticipated. At the end of the process it’s going to come down to who are you working with Chad for, what is that management process. The trend is the wolf packing that happens around the industry.

NICK GEBRU Senior Sales Manager at Legends Global Sales, Mercedes-Benz Stadium Director of Collegiate Partnerships at Legends Former Dallas Cowboys Ticket Sales Team Member Interview held via phone on Tuesday, October 31, 2017 at 10:30am EST

Present: Katharina Elberti 1 - Can you talk a little bit about your background prior to joining the Cowboys?

One of the three that they hired outside of sports; I was a loan officer. I was local in Dallas. Had been trying to break into sports, but I was always in sales. Saw teamwork add for cowboys job fair and got invited to the job fair. Overcame some of his hesitations about my background, not knowing anything about the project itself was brand new, no one had ever really done anything like this, so it didn’t really matter if you were in sports or not. As long as you had the ability to sell high dollar products which is what I did, I was used to those big numbers, used to those long numbers of this PSL agreements. The bulk of the hires they brought from other teams all over the country.

2 - Was the Cowboys brand and name one of the reasons why you looked at position?

I applied to every team locally. I was at a point where I was 7 years removed from college, working making decent money, every other position I applied to with other teams they kept trying to defer me to an inside sales position - i was like guys, I’m a high level seller already, I’m not going to start at an inside sales level position.

3 - What you did get in the atmosphere amongst all sellers of a big ask for a PSL?

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APPENDIX B

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS Painting the picture of a new experience is always fun. The difficult challenge was showing value in why someone should pay 10x what they pay at Texas Stadium - you’re selling the future, but they’re currently experiencing the now at Texas Stadium. It was the face to face approach, the sales center they created, and really taking the time to find out what each person values independently, then focus in on that message the whole time. Focus in on the aspects of the stadium that would get them motivated enough to sign.

With the staff, it was very competitive. It was very fast paced, competitive environment - not necessarily cut throat but people competed.

You bring in 36 different personalities from all over the country into one room and it was fun but it was challenging at the same time.

4 - Obviously it worked, but was it a good environment, a good set up to be in?

I think it was a great set up, although people came from all over - different teams, different industries - it provided a platform that you wouldn’t normally get to learn from each other. It was not the typical team environment. In the NBA everyone is very separate - suites guys in one room, sponsorships in another, etc. - here everyone had equal footing. Everyone was a premium sales rep, regardless of where you came from, we all sold the same products, we all went through the same sale process, you got to learn from one another on the fly. I learned a lot from people - i knew nothing about ticketing systems etc, all that was foreign to me.

5 - How has your time with the Cowboys impacted your career?

It changed the direction of my career. This gave me the opportunity to really get into an industry that i was passionate about. I developed all this management and leadership skills that got me to where i am and leadership opportunities in the future. The process they created made it easier for everyone to be successful, but the biggest takeaway from that type of large scale sales process is the business to business side of selling, where most teams really don’t focus on that, we had to do that because of the price increases we did in Dallas, because of the PSL, shocked a lot of people we were asking for that much money, so you didn’t renew as high as you usually would, so then you have to go out and find new people who’d never thought about season tickets and those were companies, and that’s why we were successful, that’s why Chad and them put together that plan.

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THANK YOU

SPECIAL THANKS TO...

Jim Kahler, Doug Dawson, Chad Estis, Todd Fleming, Louie Iglesias, Greg Kish, Jaima Schiffer, Nick Gebru, Matt Bowman, CJ Wiatr, Michael Dammen, Gina Beltrama, and Evan Ostrasky