Mobile Wallets
Discount Bundle Pricing Also Available!
• Sports Participation in the U.S. & Cross Participation: Member $445, Non Member $695
• Sports Participation in the U.S., Cross Participation, & State by State: Member $545, Non Member $795
• Sports Participation in the U.S., Cross Participation, & Lifecycle Demographics: Member $545, Non Member $795
• Sports Participation in the U.S., Cross Participation, State by State, & Lifecycle Demographics: Member $645, Non Member $995
Generate the Following Key Insights & More!
• Participation Reach: Are more or less people participating in a sport / recreational activity?
Historical participation figures are provided back to the 1980’s when available!
• Participation Frequency: Are people participating in a sport / recreational activity more or less frequently?
• Demographics/Geographic/Socioeconomics: Who and what parts of the U.S. are driving participation in a sport / recreational activity?
• Cross Participation: Which sports / recreational activities tend to be participated in by the same person?
Can be used to identify category adjacency and cross promotional opportunities!
*
Only
Sporting Goods Market 2013 Edition
Member: $295
Non Member: $395
Sporting Goods Market Historical Consumer Purchases Member: $395* Non Member: $595*
2013 Cost of Doing Business Survey
Member:
- Retailer: Free
- Team Dealer: Free
- Other Member: $295
Non Member: $395
2013 Team Dealer Outside Sales Compensation Survey
Member:
- Retailer: Free
- Team Dealer: Free
- Other Member: $95
Non Member: $195
• Consumer-reported retail sales of 40+ types of equipment and 25+ styles of athletic footwear; also includes demographics
• Consumer-reported retail sales back to the 1980s (when available); figures provided in an Excel file
• Most up to date comparative financial benchmarks within the industry for use by sporting goods stores and financial firms
For additional details, please visit www.nsga.org/research, call (847) 296-6742, ext. 1170, or email
Read about the highlights of the 2013 event in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
ceo corner
Matt Carlson shares his thoughts on the 2013 Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit
AdvocAcy noW
Update on the Marketplace Fairness Act
InsIghts noW
Information on the new NSGA Outside Sales Compensation Study
nsgA MAnAgeMent conference & teAM deAler suMMIt recAp
Highlights from a Conversation Between Two Speakers – John Gerzema & Sally Hogshead
Reflections on Listening to Duke University Men’s Basketball Coach
Mike Krzyzewski from Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Famer Ted Stahl
Bringing Conference Education to You: Mobile Wallets by speakers
Richard Crone and Heidi Liebenguth
Spotlight on Recognition: A Conversation with the 2013 Class of the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame and Update on All-Star Award-Winning Companies
Team Dealer Summit Recap
the locker rooM
Q&A with Don Bates and Updates for Team Dealers on Recent Rules Changes
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
Ken Meehan
Dunham’s Sports, Waterford, MI
TREASURER/CHAIRMAN-ELECT
Randy Nill
Nill Bros. Sports, Kansas City, KS
PAST CHAIRMAN
Jeff Rosenthal
Hibbett Sports, Birmingham, AL
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jeff Brusati
T&B Sports, San Rafael, CA
Salvador Colom
Deportes Salvador Colom, San Juan, PR
Dale Donaldson
Mallard’s Source for Sports, Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada
Robert Frennea
Academy Sports + Outdoors, Katy, TX
Rhett Johnson Johnson-Lambe Co., Raleigh, NC
David Labbe
Kittery Trading Post, Kittery, ME
Cathy Pryor
Hibbett Sports, Birmingham, AL
Pete Schneider
Athletic Dealers of America, Melbourne, FL
STAFF
Matt Carlson
President & CEO
Dustin Dobrin
Director, Research & Information
Erin Goodchild
Special Projects Coordinator
Bruce Hammond
Director, Marketing & Communications
Marty Maciaszek
Assistant to the Team Dealer Director
Katie Nemec
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Darlene Plunkett
Director, Membership & Sales
Chuck Suritz
Director, Education & Strategic Planning
Larry Weindruch
Director, Team Dealer Division
Dan Wiersma
Chief Financial Officer
For the last 49 years, the NSGA Management Conference has taken place to bring together the sporting goods industry in one place for education, networking and recognition. And 15 years ago, the Team Dealer Summit was added to ensure that important segment of the industry was well represented with educational and networking opportunities.
We’ve now finished this year’s event, and I wanted to share some reflections heard from attendees both during and after the Conference & Summit. (You can read all about the event throughout the pages of this issue).
“The speakers were outstanding.” This was mentioned more than anything else throughout the entire event. And while Duke Men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski was certainly a highlight, many other speakers really shined as well. From Sally Hogshead talking about fascination, to Andy Mantis discussing Big Data, to Mark Tudi discussing hiring and retaining team dealer talent, the speakers were very highly rated. That’s something we take great pride in – bringing in a wide variety of speakers who address issues faced by our members.
“What a venue!” Attendees raved about PGA National Resort & Spa. The location was outstanding. The golf was incredible. The weather cooperated throughout our stay. Overall, the location and the venue were talked about very positively during and after the event.
“The added use of technology has been great.” At this year’s event, the association added a mobile app that helped attendees navigate to the correct room for their sessions, see who else was attending, and better connect with the event’s sponsors. In addition, free wifi was offered to attendees in the Conference area, and mobile charging stations were available for those who needed to charge their device during the day.
“I wish more retailers and team dealers were here.” We often hear from attendees who would like to see more retailers and/or team dealers in attendance, whether they want to connect for business purposes or to learn best practices from similar businesses to theirs. While we had more retail and team dealer companies represented this year than we have in the last four, there is always room for more. If you’re a retailer or team dealer with ideas on what would interest you, please let me know. We’d love to hear your suggestions
Overall, the 2013 event was an outstanding opportunity for the industry to come together to learn, network, and recognize the leaders who have made it great for years. Please mark your calendars now for the 50th Annual Management Conference & 16th Team Dealer Summit, to be held April 27-30, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort in Indian Wells, California. I hope to see you there to celebrate the 50th year of our industry event!
Best regards,
Matt Carlson
President & CEO
Bruce Hammond
Editor/Publisher
Matt Carlson
President & CEO
NSGA NOW (ISSN 1045-2087) is published bi-monthly for members of the National Sporting Goods Association, 1601 Feehanville Dr., Suite 300, Mount Prospect, IL 60056-6035; Phone: (847) 296-6742; Fax: (847) 391-9827. Subscription price of $50 per year is included in membership fee. Non-member subscription information available from publisher. Periodical postage paid at Mount Prospect, IL 60056 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NSGA NOW, 1601 Feehanville Dr., Suite 300, Mount Prospect, IL 60056-6035. © by NSGA 2013. Printed in the USA.
June/July 2013 NSga NOW
So how can you help? As it stands, NSGA and its fellow members of the Marketplace Fairness Coalition are working to push members of the House Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing on the issue of marketplace fairness to help with the education process of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. As the issue gets further along in the House process, NSGA will be asking members to reach out to their Congressmen and women to urge the passage of this important legislation. Since the best way to move these members of the House to favorable action is to hear from constituents, this will be an important step in moving the issue forward.
In a win for brick-and-mortar retailers, the Marketplace Fairness Act passed the U.S. Senate by a wide, bipartisan 69-27 vote on Monday, May 5. The vote and its wide margin were significant, as it showed that the usually very partisan Senate could come together to pass something as beneficial as fairness for all sellers.
The next fight for fairness for brick-andmortar retailers comes in the U.S. House of Representatives, which is currently reviewing the issue. There are a variety of different factors in the House that make its path to passage a little more difficult, but with the overwhelming Senate vote, there is still momentum to getting something passed this session.
The Association will provide members with talking points and information that will aid in those calls. Please be on the lookout in your email for correspondence letting you know more about the issue, and how to connect with your member of Congress.
By Dustin Dobrin, Director, Research & Information
Team dealers often face the difficult task of determining whether or not their compensation for Outside Sales associates is fair and competitive. To make comparisons even more difficult, compensation can take many forms including salary, bonuses, commissions, and benefits. The National Sporting Goods Association recently conducted a Team Dealer Outside Sales Compensation Survey to aid team dealers in this assessment. Almost 90 team dealers participated in this year’s survey and topics covered included:
• Composition of the Outside Sales team (gender, age, and tenure at current organization)
• Compensation practices (general compensation structure, method of payment, timing of payment, and the ratio of annual compensation to annual revenue generated)
• Benefits provided (paid time off, retirement plans, company bonus, profit sharing, insurance)
• Miscellaneous aids such as vehicle benefits and electronic tools (computers/laptops, mobile phones, and tablets)
By benchmarking the results to a similar study from NSGA in 2003, several evolving trends over the past decade were identified.
Pertaining to the composition of the Outside Sales team, the results point toward an aging sales force. In 2003, almost two-thirds of the Outside Sales associates were 45 years of age or younger, while in 2013 those in this age group have now dropped to less than one-half of associates. Conversely, the percentage of Outside Sales associates 56 years of age or older has increased from 11% in 2003 to 26% in 2013 (Exhibit 1).
The aging Outside Sales team has key implications for the team dealer. First, it means that dealers likely have greater numbers of Outside Sales associates that are increasingly focused on key issues such as health and retirement. Second, succession planning becomes increasingly important to the team dealer to ensure the
organization continues to operate effectively and without any disruptions. Third, it stresses the importance of continuing to attract new talent to the sporting goods industry.
With an aging Outside Sales team, the assumption would be that tenure at current organizations might be increasing. However, survey results indicate otherwise. In fact, organizational tenure is decreasing. Almost one-half of the Outside Sales associates have been at their current organization 5 years or less. In 2003, this figure was less than one-third (Exhibit 2). There are likely a variety of influencing factors, with industry consolidation at the forefront. However, the environment also appears ripe for potential Outside Sales associate dissatisfaction. A trend towards a reduction of team dealer risks/costs and a subsequent increased burden being placed on Outside Sales associates has emerged. This may be resulting in these associates looking outside their current organizations with the belief that there are potentially better opportunities (whether warranted or not).
Among compensation practices, an increasing percentage of team dealers are now providing commission-based
payment structures (Exhibit 3). In addition, the overall level of compensation being provided has remained relatively flat (Exhibit 4). Among the benefits being offered, fewer team dealers are providing medical insurance, life insurance, company bonuses, and profit sharing (Exhibit 5). Associates are also being required to contribute more to medical premiums (Exhibit 6).
The implication for the team dealer is to assess whether or not these reductions in risks/costs are controllable. Are these shifts necessitated by the changing environment? The benchmarks are intended for the team dealer 1) To view how it measures up against others within the industry and 2) To determine whether or not everything possible is being done to remain competitive in the area of Outside Sales compensation and benefits.
The study results are available to NSGA retailer and team dealer members at no cost and to other NSGA members for $95. Please contact Dustin Dobrin, NSGA Director of Research and Information, at (847) 296-6742, ext. 1170 or ddobrin@ nsga.org for more information.
Q. I have a school that wants to order the Mark V scorebook? Do you know if this product is manufactured by an independent company or if the name is leased out to a variety of companies? The manufacturer of the product would be preferable.
A. The Mark V scorebook is manufactured by Scoremaster Company. In addition to the series of Scoremaster scorebooks that the company produces, it also has the Mark V scorebook as part of its portfolio. Please visit Scoremaster Company’s website (www.scoremasterco.com) for more information.
Q. A customer came into our store for something called the Hurricane for practicing baseball swings. I am unfamiliar with this product. Can you provide more information on what this is and who makes it?
A. Designed for baseball or fastpitch swing training, the Hurricane batting trainer allows batters to develop swing power, technique and speed with a stationary or moving target. The trainer is provided by SKLZ. They can be reached at (877)225-7275.
Q. My company is looking for the Mark Smart Field Lining System. Can you direct me to the source of this product?
A. The owner of the patent to this product is Marker’s Inc., and this company provides a variety of athletic field and golf course equipment. They can be reached at (866)617-6275.
Q. I am looking to add customized clothing labels to the apparel that I sell. Do you know of any companies that will make customized labels?
A. There are a variety of companies that will make the labels/tags that you are looking for. Some examples of these companies include the following:
1) It’s Mine at (866)695-2235, 2) Namemaker at (800)241-2890, 3) Charm Woven Labels at (800)843-1111, 4) High Tech Printing and Labeling at (213)228-0001.
If you’re looking for a hard-to-find product, please call the NSGA Information Center at (847) 296-6742, ext. 1170, or email Dustin Dobrin at ddobrin@nsga.org.
In early May, the 2013 NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit brought together a large crowd of industry leaders from retailers, team dealers, manufacturers, sales agents and industry vendors for education, networking, recognition, and fun at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
With more than 39 speakers and 23 educational sessions spanning all day Monday and Tuesday, plus on Wednesday morning, the 2013 event featured more educational content than in any previous year. Topics ranged from nuts and bolts operational discussions to more general leadership and management lectures meant to help attendees drive growth in these personal areas.
According to Luke Ott, Vice President, Sales at Ripon Athletic, the speakers brought a lot to the table, “The speakers for bettering yourself as a manager and leader in general were great and made you think about improving yourself and your business.”
Throughout the next few pages, you’ll read about a few of the topics that were discussed at the event, hear from an attendee about his experience at the session presented by Duke University men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, and read a story written by two of the speakers on the emerging topic of mobile payment and mobile wallets. You’ll also read a full recap of the Team Dealer Summit sessions that were held throughout the event.
In addition to the education, three industry leaders, innovators and icons were inducted into the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame. You’ll read more about Randy Hooper, John Parish Sr., and Rusty Saunders in the coming pages, as well as learn about the four companies that walked away with NSGA All-Star Awards during the event.
And there was some fun and networking mixed in with the Official NSGA Golf Tournament, the Inaugural Mr. Newsome’s Neighborhood Walk, and the numerous receptions and breaks offered throughout
the event. Photos of many of these events are also found in the coming pages.
Overall, the 2013 NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit continued to build on its outstanding legacy and reputation as the premier event in the sporting goods industry. Mark your calendars today for the 50th Anniversary NSGA Management Conference & 16th Annual Team Dealer Summit, to be held April 27-30, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, Calif., and continue reading for the recap of this year’s outstanding event.
“This is still the best networking event of the industry. Nowhere else can you meet all the best people in the industry and learn what is new or what is coming down the pike. It’s a chance for people to be always learning.“
Throughout the 2013 NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit, attendees took part in opportunities to network and connect with one another in both formal and informal ways. Whether it was through a more formal opportunity represented by the Official NSGA Golf Tournament, or through informal networking opportunities like talking between educational sessions, you’ll see a few photos below of attendees taking advantage of the event to connect with their peers in the industry.
“The 2013 NSGA Management Conference was my first and it truly was a great experience. The speakers were very informative and Coach K was awesome! I enjoyed meeting and talking with peers in the sporting goods industry who have a similar passion for sports and an active life style. I am looking forward to next year’s conference“
By Katie Backode
At the 2013 NSGA Management Conference in May, former coworkers and friends, John Gerzema from Young & Rubicam, and Sally Hogshead of Fascinate, Inc. reunited for the first time in more than 10 years to discuss how to achieve success within the sporting goods industry through effective marketing. Immediately and effortlessly diving back into their friendship, during their conversation the two revealed eight key marketing players or roles needed to create a thriving business in the active market, and below each role description are some highlights from their conversation.
The role of determining the size of the
budget. While a larger budget can buy the awareness of the customer, a smaller budget relies on creativity, and can then result in gaining loyal customers by luring them through interest and curiosity through marketing.
“Success doesn’t correlate the size of the budget,” Hogshead
“You can either have the biggest budget, or you can be the most fascinating,” Hogshead
“Being the most fascinating is different than being known. It means people love you, people are being evangelists for you, they are passionate about you, they are advocates for you. They want to talk about you, think about you, re-
spect you, buy from you,” Hogshead
The role of harnessing the emotions of the customer, and marketing in ways that address those emotions. Customers are people who feel. Marketing in a way that addresses this array of emotions, and being able to draw positive feelings from the customer and onto your product outsteps the boundaries of a basic advertising plea. Exploring emotional connections in your marketing allows the customer to identify with more than his or her individual feelings, but a larger cause, to your communal product.
“We are sort of mentally hardwired to use certain mechanisms to com-
municate, but if you can identify that then you can accelerate it, amplify it, and the more successful your results,”
HogsheadThe role of finding new ways to escape the known and overused marketing strategies of a category on a macro scale, and creatively breaking into a new and unique marketing territory. Using an uncharted approach in your marketing creates consumer curiosity; they will look at your product, pick it up, and test it out. They won’t be able to resist passing it in the aisle.
“The brand, the product, doesn’t have to change. You don’t have to change the product. You have to change the relationship, and how people identify with your product,” Hogshead
“We track a lot of brands in our database…and one of the most explosive brands over the last seven years has been Dove off the Real Women Beauty Campaign. It was an idea…you put an idea in the mind of the consumer, and it’s a relationship. What could be more ordinary than a bar of soap, right? The brand has taken off in a huge way,”
Gerzema
The role of discovering a niche of unknown territory on the micro scale of a specific area within the marketing of the business, and effectively implementing a small change, resulting in macro results. A whole new marketing plan is not the only way to intrigue the consumer. Find something small, something normally overlooked, and morph it into something unforgettable.
“You don’t have to do a reinvention. You can do a tweak. You can do something subtle,” Hogshead
“If you can find one thing that sticks out in their mind, and makes them want to talk about it, it can become an incredibly effective way to stand out,” Hogshead
The role of harnessing technology, specifically social media, and understanding the implications it can have on the company. Social media is free, and incredibly effective. Doing it right can increase the customers’ interaction and awareness with the product, serve as a customer service
outlet, and further enforce the brand.
“If you don’t jump in with both feet, and commitment to it, you are basically looking like you are trying to be manipulative with your customers,” Gerzema
“There was a fascinating survey that was done by Social Bakers…they said that 90% of customer inquiries that come up on Facebook fan pages went unanswered last year,” Gerzema
“The person reading this doesn’t have to be the one to do it, but somebody has to do it. It’s kind of like brushing your teeth. It’s not necessarily sexy and fun to do it day in and day out, but the reward is pretty great,” Hogshead
The role of understanding the concept of crowd-sourcing and “friendsurance” and then being able to apply them accurately to both one’s business model and customers. These concepts are a new spin on old ideas. We have always loved our friends and family, and now that love is reaching the way business is conducted.
“So many companies are being built on crowd-sourced barter. [Friendsurance is an insurance company]. What they learn is when people fraud an insurance company they do it at a higher rate than they would if they knew the people. So, they created these circles of trust, of friends, so what you do is you go in on car insurance with six or seven of your friends…All the friends pay the claim if there is an accident,” Gerzema
“People feel more accountable to their friends and their group than some nameless, faceless institution. And, that’s what social is doing,” Gerzema “It seems like there could be an interesting parallel with sporting goods. You think of crowd-sourced barter in a way that teams, families, kids, or neighborhoods could go in on sporting goods in the same way,” Hogshead
The role of effectively leading a company using specific traits that highlight a servant-leader attitude. These traits have generally and traditionally been viewed as feminine, but are vital to successful leadership in the changing world.
“You need new skills to kind of combine and attack; the new economy, the social economy, and the interdependent economy,” Gerzema
“We did this research around the world, and asked half of our sample to gender 125 traits as masculine or feminine, or neither. We asked the other half, without any gendering, what skills we need most as people, what do we need in modern leaders, what do we need to be successful. We modeled the data to start seeing this decendency in traditionally feminine traits: collaboration, empathy, selflessness,” Gerzema
“We are looking for our leaders to be more relatable, to connect with ordinary people, and their points of view,” Gerzema
The role of experimentation in order to find successful results. None of the above roles can simply occur. They need to be tried, tested, and critiqued in your own marketing strategy. You need to try in order to see results.
“It’s a do, learn, fix world. That’s how all these start-ups are going out there. They’re intuitively feeling their way around, and trying new things,” Gerzema
“Whether or not that’s what you are, to try to bring some of that into the business on a micro level could have macro results,” Hogshead
Sally Hogshead and John Gerzema met while working at Fallon McElligott early in their careers. Since then, Sally has worked with brands such as Nike, MINI Cooper, Coca-Cola, Aflac, and Godiva at her own ad agency that she opened at the age of 27. She is the author of FASCINATE: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation. John Gerzema has written several books, the most recent of which is The Athena Doctrine: How Women (and Men Who Think Like Them) Will Rule the World. In early 2011, Gerzema became executive chairman of BAV Consulting. His work has been praised in The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Forbes, the Huffington Post, and many more.
Listen to their entire conversation by visiting www.nsga.org/speakerconvo
The following is a blog post that Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame member, Ted Stahl, posted the day following the 2013 NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit. It talks about what he took away from the educational session led by Duke University men’s basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski.
As Mike Krzyzewski, better known as “Coach K”, told the audience during his keynote speech at the 2013 NSGA
Management Conference and Team Dealer Summit, “Whatever team you’re on, you can still learn.” And he should know. As the Head Coach for the USA Men’s National Basketball Team, since 2005, he came home with gold medals from Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012. In 2011, the Duke Blue Devils coach became Division I’s coach with the most wins in history, when a win over Michigan State gave him his 903rd win, breaking the tie with Bobby Knight. Knight was Krzyzewski’s coach at
Army and his professional mentor.
What’s Coach K’s secret? Well, he only spoke for about an hour, but during his speech, he explained some of his proven philosophies with the crowd. For example, instead of wondering why we are not successful, he told us to ponder ”What do we need to do more of in order to adapt?” And, he encourages buy-in from his players by asking them to submit their ideas on how to win. “How do you
get better unless you share ideas?” He reminded us we need to hear, see and FEEL. He is a big believer in the power of a fight song and united the Olympic team players by making them understand who they were really playing for through the power of the team’s “fight song,” The Star Spangled Banner. Music can evoke strong feelings. But he did admit that “trust is the cornerstone on which everything is built.” He also shared his “no excuses” sentiment and admitted that ultimately, “You’re responsible for doing the best job in whatever environment you’re in.” Coach K also expressed his thanks to all the sporting goods store owners, team dealers and manufacturers in the audience for playing a very important role in inspiring kids to play sports, by designing innovative products and stores where you can “imagine” your athletic dreams coming true. He strongly believes that our country and business people need to be more involved in the athletic development of our youth and that playing sports is one of the best places to learn about teamwork, trust and leadership.
The best advice anyone ever gave him?
When an audience member tossed him that question, Coach K told a story about his mother, harking back to the time when he was about to enter high school in Chicago. His mother sat him down and told him, “Make sure you get on the right bus.” A savvy inner city kid with lots of street smarts, Coach K said he was almost insulted that his mom thought he didn’t know the right buses to ride to get to his new school. But she corrected him, “Not that kind of bus son.” She explained that he was about to start a new chapter in his life, a very important chapter and she told him that he should get on the “right bus.” And whether he was driving the bus or whether he chose to get on someone else’s bus, he should make sure to have only good people on that bus. In short, get on the right bus, with the right people. Based on all his successes and many that are obviously still yet to come, it seems like Coach K did an excellent job following his mother’s advice over the years. And I know everyone in that audience wished they were on Coach K’s bus!
Big kudos to the NSGA staff for arranging to have this very inspirational, educational and entertaining speaker at the conference. I can’t wait to see who they bring in next year. I can heartily recommend you plan to attend the 50th Annual NSGA Management Conference at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells in Indian Wells, California, scheduled to be held April 27-30th, 2014. Save the date. It’s on my calendar.
Attendees at the event had the opportunity to meet and get a photo taken with Coach K after his educational session took place. And two lucky winners received signed, Nike basketballs with the Duke University logo from Coach K as door prizes for attending the event.
The winners, who are pictured below with Coach K and their basketballs, were Nancy Russo (The NPD Group) and Dowe Tillema (Eastbay).
By Richard Crone and Heidi Liebenguth, Crone Consulting, LLC
Enrolling customers for payment in their own mobile shopping app is the key for sporting goods retailers to build the core customer relationship, and also provides new revenue opportunities beyond traditional product and services sales.
Consumers love their mobile phones…and
the apps on them that help them shop. Because the mobile app experience is so much richer than the mobile browser (the Internet accessed by smart phone), consumers are spending 82% of their mobile minutes in apps compared to 18% in the mobile browser. They are showing loyalty to their favorite retailers. Studies indicate
that consumer time spent in retailer apps has skyrocketed by 525% from December 2011 to December 2012 and exceeds total shopping app growth of 274%, as well as overall app growth of 132%.
Retailers are responding to this demand with apps that locate stores, feature the
week’s special or sale items, product information, and reviews. But, sophisticated retailers are aware of the strategic importance of including mobile payment as a key function of their shopping app.
Mobile payment is more than just payment. The right mobile payment platform enables the retailer to increase its overall franchise value through a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database where customers are known and contactable before, during, and after each payment. Armed with this, mobile payment can be further leveraged to:
• Collect the “big data” that will help retailers serve customers in a more personalized way, responding to their history, preferences, location, and more;
• Steer sales to the lowest cost/preferred payment tenders: private label credit, prepaid gift, PIN debit, etc.
• Develop new sources of revenues from actionable offers and advertising from sourcing brands and complementary businesses;
• Reduce the impact of card interchange fees by negotiating new direct clearing relationships with partnering banks;
• Consummate prepaid promotional sales from traditional advertisements displaying QR codes such as television, print, outdoor, etc., and closing prepaid sales without the need for prepaid accounts;
• Incent customers to purchase One More Item (OMI) for a larger average basket size;
• Entice customers to make One More Visit (OMV) boosting store sales volumes;
• Implement card-less loyalty programs without disruptions to the point of sale;
• Protect proprietary customer and sales data from third party intermediaries seeking to comandeer the customer relationship.
As a result of being the cross-channel enabler, present and used in every other channel, it offers retailers a unique opportunity to deepen the customer relationship and value across every interaction online and especially inside the store. Mobile already drives about one-third
of the traffic to Walmart.com, spiking to more than 40% during the holiday season late last year, according to Gibu Thomas, Wal-Mart’s global head of mobile, in a CTIA Wireless keynote on May 22, 2013. More importantly, Thomas said, the store’s smartphone app also boosts in-store buying. Customers who have the app make more trips to Wal-Mart and spend as much as 40% more there, he said.
The strategic issue is whether the retailer wants this new customer touchpoint under its control, or under the control of unauthorized third party intermediaries and free-riders whose business models are based on customer churn and competitive advertising, not on building the retailer’s brand.
When a retailer enrolls customers for mobile payment incorporated into their own shopping app, it provides the consumer with the ability to not just make payments, but also access personalized shopping lists and history, loyalty information, actionable digital coupons, and other functionality all in a single, convenient location. There are studies showing that consumers are more apt to leave their wallet at home than their mobile phone. The mobile device provides a handy, easy to use, and compelling real time link to their favorite stores, eliminating the need to carry multiple cards. Consumers are demanding mobile payments, with the advanced functionality and other benefits they bring.
The most dramatic cases of the quick uptake of mobile payments are not the specific phone-based solutions offered by search engines or wireless carriers, but at Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts.
Since rolling out mobile payments in 2011, Starbucks has enrolled more than six million customers in its mobile payments program. It is the most successful launch of a new payment type in history. By March 2013, Starbucks was doing three million mobile payment transactions per week.
By creating its mobile payment app, Starbucks was able to transform a seasonal, one-time use gift card into a reloadable, ongoing spending account. It moved 25% of its sales onto prepaid accounts, which saves interchange costs on each transac-
tion. It implemented a compelling loyalty program without having to distribute special loyalty cards, issue statements, emails with points balances, or updates. It actually sells advertising space inside its app to complementary businesses – an entirely new revenue stream.
Much like a traditional giftcard, the Starbucks app displays a bar code on the phone screen that represents the customer’s account. It does not require Near Field Communications (NFC) on the phone or at the POS, but it does require special scanners at the POS. Newer payment technologies eliminate the need not just for NFC, but for any new hardware, using the phone’s unique “fingerprint” and camera to scan a dynamic code displayed at the POS. Now the retailer can implement payment through its own shopping app with complete security, and only a software upgrade at the POS.
Retailers have only begun to explore the possibilities offered by integrating payments focused first on their private label tenders in their own shopping apps. Using the “big data” collected by customer preferences and shopping behavior, truly personalized messaging and promotions are possible. Loyal customers can gain benefits more valuable than price discounts, and instantly share their enthusiasm through social media. Savvy retailers are realizing that this deep customer relationship is a brand asset to cultivate and protect; something too valuable to outsource to third party mobile wallet providers.
Richard Crone and Heidi Liebenguth lead Crone Consulting, LLC, an independent advisory firm specializing in mobile strategy and payments. Crone Consulting LLC has helped define the mobile commerce and payments strategy for all types of large merchants and specialty retailers, restaurants, financial institutions, recurring billers, core processors, payment networks, telcos, consortiums and investors. The Firm’s payments optimization services have achieved 10 – 30% cost reductions through innovative self-service, alternative and mobile payment strategies. Richard can be reached at rcrone@croneconsulting.com and Heidi at heidi@croneconsulting.com.
Randy HoopeR: Watching small independent business owners survive and thrive by working together in an ever increasingly competitive market.
JoHn paRISH: Witnessing a fourth generation team lead a fourth generation company to new successes. Few family owned businesses reach this pinnacle.
RUSTy SaUndeRS: It’s hard to pick one. I think my experience across the three areas of our business; manufacturing, retail, and sales agency has been exciting. Founding “Get in the Game Careers,” and now being ready to launch “The Golden Years in Sports,” has also been rewarding.
RH: I was a young banker on a ski vacation in Austria when I met the late Jim Quarles, formerly of the Canada Ski Team and owner/partner of Streeter & Quarles, a retailer with a number of snow sports oriented shops in eastern Canada and New England. An interest developed in retailing I thought would be more fun than banking, so I joined them in 1968.
Jp: When one grows up in an industry where the talk at the dinner table is all
about succeeding in a dynamic industry, one cannot help to see the opportunities. The old cliché; it ‘gets in your blood’.
RS: I left Wall Street (my family business), and was advised by the Dean of Business at Fordham University, where my wife worked, to get into sales. The sporting goods industry was a natural area to pursue. Thanks Father Boyle!
RH: I met and listened to many people over a long career. A few made a huge impact on me. Jim Quarles, of Montreal, spiked my interest in the sporting goods business. Kirk Henry, a co-worker, taught me an invaluable lesson nurturing my need to succeed. Some taught me what not to be like. My friend, my wife, Beverley tended the home front so I could spend the time at work. Ken Brown of Corbett Sports, Oakville, Ontario was a friend and mentor who challenged me to administer a small buying group, and encouraged and supported me throughout my career. Don Pfau, a Hall of Famer and former CEO of Sports Inc. was a speaker at my first NSGA Management Conference held in Montreal during the 1976 Olympics. Lessons learned from Don influenced my career, and contributed hugely to our group’s success in Canada. Ronald E. Moore,
former President of Spalding Canada, Adidas Canada, and Adidas North America. Denis Cote, founder of Sport Maska Inc. (now CCM). Geoff Sadowy, Easton Sports Canada. Cliff Gabel, Cooper Canada and Mizuno NA. Jim Rennie, Jim Rennie’s Sports Letter. Robin Burns, founder Itech Sports.
All the above had a tremendous influence on my career and whom I am proud to call friends.
Jp: My grandfather was an astute businessman and entrepreneur, and my father a “super salesman.”
The sales and management team at Worth were talented, dedicated, loyal and hard working and I learned from them. My partner, Jess Heald, an aerospace engineer and an Annapolis Naval graduate, whose talent, innovation, and creativity contributed significantly to our company’s success. He realized that success in this industry was performance based. And, Pete Rubins, who for 42 years was the epitome of a loyal sales force.
RS: Once again, there were many. Gerry O’Keefe, the president of MacGregor at the time, was a key. A key team dealer and friend, Dave Krauss, of Wolf’s Sporting Goods on Long Island was another. My wife, Chris, was always a supporter and always was a great adapter.
Why is the industry such an important one?
RH: Our Sporting Goods Industry promotes physical activity and healthy living.
Jp: Our industry sells fun: Products that contribute to physical fitness and wholesome competition. Our country has excelled in many endeavors but none more so than those on the athletic field. My grandfather hired athletes. He believed competitive sports prepared one for the challenges in business and in life. The second, third, and fourth generations in our company did the same: hired athletes.
RS: The industry has great growth, wonderful people, and is important to the nation’s health and fitness.
RH: I hope to see major brands support the community based brick and mortar retailers that are the grass roots promoters of our industry. I hope to see the return of manufacturing to North America so the big brands are manufacturing companies and not just marketing companies.
Jp: That our industry will be entrepreneurial, innovative and creative enough to bring products and jobs back to our country. And we are beginning to see this shift back to “American made,” I hope.
RS: We need to continue to recruit the highest caliber candidates and have them consider our industry. “Get in the Game Careers” will help with that. In addition, I hope that both associations (NSGA and SFIA) will continue to work on issues that benefit the industry.
What is your favorite thing about the sporting goods industry and why?
RH: Meeting hardworking, focused, fun people.
Jp: I like athletes and we have a lot of athletes in our industry. Most athletes are “good guys,” performers, and success driven.
RS: Friendships. In addition, there are always exciting new products and retail concepts being created. Our industry is able to adjust to a fast changing business climate and adapt to new technology, which I also think is great.
RH: Promotion of the benefits of physical activity and enjoyment of sport. I hope to see public growth in sports participation due to industry-wide promotion of the necessity of fitness and fun. Keep the people playing and we will have an industry to serve them.
Jp: Sports participation has been and will continue to be our challenge. As everyone in the industry recognizes this has to be a priority. My good friend, Howard Bruns past president of SGMA, recognized this and one of his successes was channeling Super Show profits in the millions to organizations that promoted sports participation. Jess Heald is doing the same as a volunteer leader of “Play Ball USA.” Our industry associations need to continue this focus on expanding sports participation.
RS: Share ideas and get involved. You’re not giving away your five-year plans! The leaders of our industry need to remember that we compete with many other industries as well.
We value being a trusted partner to the industry and look forward to many years of collaboration.
The Second Annual NSGA All-Star Awards were presented to four companies during the Awards Luncheon of the NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit. The categories, winning companies and photos of acceptance are below.
charles River apparel for its support of Wellness Warriors, a Boston-based dragon boat racing team for cancer survivors and caregivers.
Universal athletic for its reputation for being a reliable business partner, a company that prides itself on business ethics, having outstanding employee relations, and being a community leader.
alleson athletic for its efforts to understand that the company is successful only when its customer is successful, and for its forward-thinking efforts to aid its customers in being the best they can be through modern marketing efforts, custom catalogs and innovative new products.
Hibbett Sports for its Operation Sports Renovation program, which provides aid to schools in need due to a natural disaster or difficult economic conditions.
Athletic)
More information on the NSGA All-Star Awards program can be found by visiting www.nsga.org/allstarawards. Nomination opportunities for 2014 recipients in the Community Collaboration and Industry Catalyst categories will begin in early August.
For the second year, NSGA provided college scholarships to eight deserving current or former employees of its member retailers or team dealers. The 2013 recipients come from across the country, large and small. One recipient, Jamal Jones (George Washington University), said, “This scholarship is important to me on a number of levels. As a part-time student and a full-time employee in the sporting goods industry, this scholarship is a testament to my hard work, dedication and passion for both.”
The 2013 recipients are:
charles Bailey (University of Arkansas at Little Rock)
Jeremy Barrett (Oakland Community College)
gabriel gonzalez (Navarro College)
Rachel Hubbard (Saginaw Valley State University)
Bradley Jones (Grand Canyon University)
Jamal Jones (George Washington University)
Sarah Turner (University of South Carolina)
alexandra yancy (Kennesaw State University)
More information on the NSGA College Scholarship program can be found by visiting www.nsga.org/collegescholarship, and the application period for 2014 scholarships will begin in early December 2013.
1ST place Team: Bob Webster, BSN Sports; Jeff Mueller, Mueller Sports Medicine; Tim Marsho, DeLong Sportswear; Jeff Wheeler, Implus Sof Sole
2nd place Team: Dale Donaldson, Mallard’s Source for Sports; Colin Hopper, London Source for Sports; Brad Hause, Sports Distributors of Canada Limited; John McTaggart, TAGG’s Source for Sports
cloSeST To THe pIn: Eric Flowers, Gared Sports longeST dRIve: Peter Walters, The NPD Group
One of the hottest topics in the team dealer community produced one of the liveliest sessions of the 49th Annual NSGA Management Conference and 15th Annual Team Dealer Summit.
“Recruiting Top Talent for Team Dealers” sparked a great deal of discussion, debate, and sharing of ideas between moderator Mark Tudi (President, SportSearch, LLC), panelists Louis Talamantes (President, Buddy’s All-Stars) and Jerry Williams (President, Schuylkill Valley Sports) and those in attendance.
Retention of top salespeople was a big part of the session. Talamantes said losing salespeople could be a sign it’s time for an owner to evaluate his or her approach instead of worrying about what the competition is doing.
“I don’t think people can take your salespeople, I think you give them up…If somebody takes someone from you, you’re better off. If you hire people who like you and you have a good rapport with them and they understand what you do, they’ll stick with you,” said Talamantes, who has two stores in the Los Angeles area and another in Phoenix.
“Sometimes as owners, we become our own worst enemies by distancing ourselves from the people who bring the money to the table.”
Tudi added, “You have to always challenge people. If there is no connection [to the owner], sooner or later things are going to go awry.”
Williams said one of the keys to longer retention rates at Schuylkill, which has 19 locations in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey, is hiring from within. He continued, salespeople will work up to four years on the inside before going to the team side of the business.
“Minimizing mistakes is critical for us. We hire within the retail side […] and we understand if they have the capability or not to sell to teams,” Williams stated.
Talamantes compared recruiting salespeople to a team trying to find the best players to fit its needs, and Williams added that Schuylkill is always on the lookout for quality people to join its organization.
Talamantes and Williams also talked about some of the creative ways they set up their interviews to determine the best potential salespeople. At Schuylkill, a candidate might be asked to “sell” a pen to determine sales skills and the ability to react on the fly. Buddy’s All Stars will use a group interview style, with emergency situations unrelated to the job, to determine leadership and teamwork skills.
And that’s just the beginning. Talamantes said he wants his team sales candidates
to spend a few months involved in the various processes, such as working in the warehouse and watching uniform screening and embroidering, to have a better knowledge of the entire team business.
“It takes a lot of effort […] but you can see their work ability, retention, and how committed they are,” Talamantes said. “We try to make it simple to be successful; otherwise you create too many hurdles for them.”
Recruiting, evaluating and retaining top talent are crucial for success in a challenging and demanding environment.
“It’s not for everybody,” Williams said. “Some people are not made for working in the team business. As a company we view our people as our core asset.”
That session was a perfect lead-in to the “Team Dealer Road Sales Compensation Study Results,” which was conducted by NSGA Director of Research & Information Dustin Dobrin. Nearly 90 team dealers participated in a survey earlier this year and the results were presented along with trends which occurred since the last time the NSGA conducted a similar survey in 2003.
Some of the interesting comparisons of the surveys were minimal changes in compensation amounts for road salespeople but decreases in the amount of insur-
ance, and other benefits provided. The percentages of road salespeople in four age categories was more evenly distributed this time compared to 10 years ago, but the breakdown of males comprising most of the road sales force was virtually unchanged at 92 percent.
Declining youth sports participation is a major concern because of its effect on the sporting goods industry and team dealers. Addressing that topic was “Increasing Team Sports Participation” with NSGA Team Dealer Director Larry Weindruch as the moderator, Dr. Jim Tenopir (Chief Operating Officer, National Federation of State High School Associations) and Denise Anderson (President, Schaumburg, IL Athletic Association) as panelists.
Tenopir showed the increases in the last 10 years in overall high school sports participants to nearly eight million studentathletes, but the football numbers dropped for the first time during the last reporting period. Anderson discussed some of the reasons for the decline in SAA’s overall numbers in recent years, but also showed some of the marketing initiatives the organization uses to get participation on the rise again.
“[The decline in youth participation] is a trend, if allowed to continue, that could impact your business down the road,” Weindruch said.
Keeping up with today’s constantly changing technology was discussed in “Transforming the Team Dealer Through Advanced Inventory Management,” which was moderated by Scott Gaspar (ERP Sales Consultant, Advanced Systems Group) with panelists John Lassiter (owner, Midwest Sporting Goods) and Korie Wilson (Implementation Specialist, ASG).
Wilson said the most difficult situation to overcome is a culture where employees may not be as committed as management to a new process.
“Inventory control is a business process that requires extra labor, and requires people to change the way they do things,” Gaspar said. “Ownership needs to be invested in every aspect of sales training. You need an owner to put his foot down about resistance to change.”
Lassiter said he is getting more accurate data on inventory, which helps him make better forecasting decisions for purchases.
“Nobody likes change and it’s not a natural thing,” said Lassiter, who has been in business since 1976. “People have to understand you’re committed to the process. You tell them it’s not an option and we’re going to do that.”
The NSGA Team Dealer Outside Sales Compensation Survey is now available for free to all NSGA retail and/or team dealer members and the results will be available to anyone who attended the 2013 Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit. The cost for other members is $95 and for non-members it is $195. For more information on receiving this study, which provides important benchmarks and data to use toward your success, contact Dustin Dobrin, NSGA Director of Research & Information, at (847) 296-6742, ext. 1170, or at ddobrin@nsga.org.
APRIL 27-30, 2014
50TH ANNUAL NSGA MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE 16TH ANNUAL TEAM DEALER SUMMIT
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The NCAA and NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations) held its annual meeting April 24 in Indianapolis to give sporting goods dealers and manufacturers the chance to learn more about potential rule changes which could affect uniforms and equipment. NSGA staff members Larry Weindruch and Marty Maciaszek were in attendance and here are some of the highlights:
Gloves, unless made of unaltered plain cloth, must have a NOCSAE seal which is visible and appears legibly on the exterior wrist opening. Player towels can be a solid color, but not ball- or penalty-flag colored, and there can be no more than one visible manufacturer’s logo or trademark which doesn’t exceed 2¼ inches in any dimension. Teammates must wear the same color towel.
Electronic communication devices can be used on the sideline, in the press box, or locker room but, they cannot be used to communicate with players inside the 9-yard marks (hashmarks) of the field.
Jerseys must cover the shoulder pads and visiting jerseys have to be white. Numbers have to be of continuous colors that contrast with the jersey color or, if they are the same color as the jersey, must have a minimum of one border of at least ¼-inch width of a single contrasting color. Football pants will continue to be worn to the knee, and players will need to wear a knee pad.
Concerns about metal buckles on the helmet chin straps and the potential damage to jerseys, other equipment and a player’s skin were also addressed. The NFHS wants to get the steel portion of the buckle covered but doesn’t want to do away with the snap.
Use of leg-compression sleeves has been added to the requirements of armcompression sleeves in Rule 3-5-3. Legcompression sleeves shall be white, black, beige or a single solid school color, shall be the same color for each team member,
must be worn only for medical reasons, and can have only one visible manufacturer’s logo or trademark or school logo or mascot which doesn’t exceed 2¼ inches in any dimension.
A single, visible manufacturer’s logo or trademark on the team jersey is permitted but cannot exceed 2¼ inches in any dimension. The logo may be located no more than 5 inches below the shoulder seam on the front of the jersey or 2 inches from the neckline on the back or in either side insert.
Officials must wear half-face shields meeting the HECC (Hockey Equipment Certification Council) certification attached to their helmets, starting with the 2013-14 season.
The rules committee also approved changes to minimize injury risks by eliminating checking from behind into the boards or goal frame, checking an unsuspecting or vulnerable player, immediately stopping play if a goalkeeper’s glove is displaced and prohibiting the embellishment of an act through exaggerated or deceitful actions (flopping) in order to draw a penalty or worsen an already called penalty.
NFHS rules editor Elliot Hopkins said the rules committee isn’t considering a facemask standard but NOCSAE will begin testing goalkeepers’ helmets and facemasks. If a standard was adopted there would be a two-year notice.
Hopkins also said there is a concern regarding eyewear, which meets the current standard, but doesn’t protect against facial injuries. He added that if hand and finger injuries increase and the NFHS sports medicine committee recommends action, the rules committee might look at allowing or requiring gloves.
The NOCSAE lacrosse ball standard will become the rule starting in 2014. The NOCSAE seal and NFHS authenticating mark must be on every game ball, and the
allowable text on the ball is “Meets NOCSAE Standard. NFHS.” It was suggested a possible “expiration date” for balls be considered, and a reduced-impact ball is being tested.
An end cap is required on all sticks but it can’t make the stick longer than legal limits. Rules editor, Kent Summers, said NFHS may consider using the same size crosse as in NCAA rules, but no proposals have been made.
US Lacrosse is working with ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) to draft a women’s headgear standard.
Beginning July 1, 2016, the libero must wear a uniform top immediately recognized from all angles as being in clear contrast to and distinct from other team members. The libero and his/her teammates must wear a solid-colored uniform top.
Padding for pole vault planting boxes that meets the new ASTM specification standard is now permitted for use in high school track and field competitions.
Track style starting platforms with wedges are now allowed.
The home team must wear solid white jerseys and solid white socks, starting in the 2013-14 season.
By July 1, 2015, only school logos, mascots, etc., can be placed on the players’ caps with a number in the middle portion of the cap.
No neon yellow markings are allowed on gloves since the softball used is now neon yellow.
Use of the NFHS logo in catalogs is not permitted on any piece of equipment. If there is any question about this, contact the NFHS rules editor in that specific sport.
Ty Halpin of the NCAA said to look for a statement soon on the use of soft helmets. Halpin said in non-helmeted sports, no waivers will be issued for soft helmet use in games since there is no proof wearing one protects against a concussion. He also said the NCAA believes wearing a soft helmet in a sport such as basketball would make the sport even more physical.
Some of the newer uniform designs worn during this year’s NCAA basketball tournament prompted discussion about the ability of fans, broadcasters and news media to distinguish the numbers and names. Halpin said there will probably be a loosening of the rules regarding names on the back of the jersey and cited the example of the Providence men’s basketball team putting “Sandy Hook” on the back of its jerseys to honor the Newtown, Conn., shooting victims. That was technically against the rules but Providence was not punished by the NCAA.
NOCSAE Executive Director Mike Oliver discussed potential issues with protective
Don Bates and his wife Kathy spent a year as schoolteachers in Fort Lauderdale when they shuffled further north in Florida to Tampa and into a different career. And their family’s connections to shuffleboard led to their foray into the sporting goods industry when they opened Allen Sports Center, Inc. in 1975.
They transitioned into the team business and are still going strong, as Allen’s Sports Center has locations in Tampa and Seminole and serves 175 schools with eight salesmen working on Florida’s west coast. Bates, who played basketball and ran cross country at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga and served on the NSGA Board of Directors for six years, took some time during a lunch with his wife at this year’s Management Conference and Team Dealer Summit to talk for a profile for NSGA Now.
NN: How did you get into the team business?
DB: It was gradual. As retail changed, we changed. We were doing a good team business that kept growing bigger and
bigger, so it was just a natural route to take. Now we’re 75 percent in the team business, and anything for a team sport is what we retail now.
NN: What do you like about the team business?
DB: Team sports are more relationshiporiented than retail, and I really, really like that. Our sales people have been with us a long, long time, and the first salesperson we hired is still with us. One of the guys put it this way – he’s never sold to anyone who wasn’t a friend. We’ve worked really hard at the relationship side of it.
NN: How has the Internet affected your business?
DB: The Internet has really affected the retail business, but in the team business, it hasn’t affected us much. Teams still want to touch, feel and taste the products. We’ve always been pretty adamant that we don’t want to sell to someone we don’t call on.
helmets and add-on products claiming to give data providing protection against concussions. Oliver said add-on products, as well as adding liners or bumpers, could negatively affect helmet performance and certification standards. When helmets are reconditioned, add-on products are removed and not replaced. In addition, NOCSAE doesn’t believe many of the helmet sensors or monitors do what they advertise and they can lead to a false sense of security when an athlete absorbs a hard hit, according to Oliver.
Chest protectors are also on NOCSAE’s agenda, and different sports may have different parameters for safety standards.
NN: What are some of the biggest changes and biggest concerns you have with the team business?
DB: The biggest thing is (high school) coaches more and more want to follow the college lead and think they deserve something. They want to know what’s in it for them. One of the concerns is getting leagues, and smaller high school teams to pay for what they want. You see bigger high schools using factory-direct programs, and I see that continuing, especially if they have successful programs.
NN: What is it about Allen Sports that makes it a great place to work and makes you enjoy the sporting goods business?
DB: We haven’t had a salesman leave us, and they’ve all been interviewed by the powers that be. We’re a family. We play golf together on Saturdays, and my salesmen say, ‘You’ve always treated us like family.’ We’ve been around the same people all these years, and it’s been a good time.
