Pro Team Jobs – Sponsorship / Partnership Account Manager
The Business Development Account Manager is responsible for managing the relationships with corporate sponsorship partners, and implementation of all contractual elements, including and not limited to radio, signage, publications, in-arena and retail promotions, community programs, events, and hospitality. He/she is also responsible for creating proposals and sales tools to aid in the renewal process. Some of the inventory that the manager will use to create a personalized partnership includes: game tickets and hospitality, merchandise, player appearances, media, stadium signage, special events (e.g., sponsorship summits), direct/database marketing opportunities and business conversion.
On a day-to-day basis the account manager works with sponsor clients to develop activation platforms and in-market promotions to help drive the sponsors’ business and align with current property initiatives. Some key goals of many teams include increasing fan involvement and excitement and reaching new untapped consumer segments.
Sponsorship managers allow a corporation to drive appropriate brand images to its target audience in a meaningful way. It is critical that the account manager provide partnership expertise in the comprehension of contractual elements as well as an understanding of the partner’s marketing and business objectives.
Those interested in becoming a business development account manager must be excellent communicators and good at managing relationships. Account managers are the key liaisons between the property and the sponsor company, and are therefore the key to creating either a positive or negative experience for the partner company. Handling disputes over contract elements or differences of opinion in a calm and positive way is critical to the success of an individual in one of these positions.
Compensation:
The following ranges of salaries were gathered by surveying team personnel within the different professional leagues. These salaries are not static and vary dependent upon many factors such as years of practice, education level, geographic region and team reputation.
Major League Baseball: $40,000 – $70,000
National Football League: $48,000 – $75,000
National Basketball Association: $40,000 – $68,000
National Hockey League: $35,000 – $62,000
Those who are successful in this position may find their way up the sports careers job ladder.