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NASHVILLE - A man who could market ice to Eskimos could probably sell anything, and Jon Spoelstra has proven that by selling loads of tickets to the National Basketball Assn.'s New Jersey Nets games.
Spoelstra shared his marketing insight to attendees of the Arena Sales & Marketing Conference here, while promoting his latest book, "Ice to Eskimos: How to Market a Product Nobody Wants."
Among the accomplishments of Spoelstra, who now runs the SRO Partners marketing firm, is taking the New Jersey Nets from zero sellouts to 25, and local sponsorship sales from $400,000 to $7 million. Prior to his stint as president of the Nets, Spoelstra put in 11 years with the Portland Trail Blazers, helping create the front office model for all team sports.
His message in Nashville was simple. "I've got 3 1/2 tips on how to market on the cheap, and how to get it approved by your boss," he said.
Spoelstra said there are three ways to get to the top in this world. "The best is to be born to it," he said. "The second way to the top is to marry into it."
The third way is to "ride the right horse," Spoelstra said. "And you are the right horse. Take your ideas from different places, apply them to what you do for a living, and make them work."
MAKE THEM COME
Spoelstra...