China Watch Blog

China Watch Blog has learnt that an entrepreneur Steve Tebon has published a book Game On: The Power of the Sports Marketing Deal (Tebon Publishing) which claims to offer winning strategies For Business, Sports And The Business Of Sports, and he is targetting entrepreneurs, business executives, athletes and those who practice or study the business of sports.

Yours truly has not read the book, but for those interested, it might have a tip or two, and for all you know, it might end up with you (the reader) making a financial gain from Tebon’s tips.

As Tebon points out, the first step for anyone is to find your target market and be creative. For example, ask somebody about sports marketing and they’ll tell you it’s all about the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and major college sports. But not Tebon. He quickly realized there was a niche out there that offered big opportunities for a young entrepreneur.

“Recreational sports, lifestyle sports. The grassroots, participant market is the fastest growing and potentially biggest market out there,” he says. At some point, virtually everybody will shoot hoops, spike a volleyball, hop on a bike or lace up a pair of running shoes. Tebon shows his clients how to pursue this virtually untapped revenue stream, and now he’s sharing it with his readers.

You may not have given it much thought, but just how did that race to benefit a local charity happen? Who’s behind last month’s hugely popular beach volleyball tournament? There’s a good chance it’s Exclusive Sports Marketing or a company like it. It takes a specific skill set to create, promote and run successful events, and Tebon knows those skills inside and out.

A diehard recreational athlete, and 7-time Ironman finisher, Tebon has studied the industry intensely. Like many other experts, he’s bullish on the growth of grassroots sports. “The U.S. is experiencing a serious health crisis, and events like running, biking, and competing in triathlons are playing a huge role in helping people get back into shape, and focusing on a healthy lifestyle for them and their families.”

The keys to making sporting events and business in general profitable are easily understood through the informal and helpful pages of Game On. One of these is strategic alliances. Before Tebon sold his multi-million dollar business, Exclusive Sports Marketing developed long standing sponsor partnerships with industry giants such as Anheuser-Busch, Nike, Coca-Cola, Pepsico, Gatorade, Nestle’s Brands, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and Club Med.

Tebon’s strategies for closing the deal are clearly laid out in Game On: The Power of the Sports Marketing Deal. Creating and maintaining relationships is one important aspect. Providing “5-Star” Customer Service is another. Using these techniques and more, Tebon connected influential businesses with the audiences they targeted at more than thirty events every year, such as The Publix Family Fitness Weekend/Sprint Triathlon Series, The Bud Light Beach Volleyball Series, The Toyota Tundra Adventure Racing Series, and the Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon and ½ Marathon, just to name a few.

After selling Exclusive Sports Marketing in 2006, Tebon has been working as a consultant to the growing business of recreational sports marketing. His consulting services also include event/ athlete management, development of strategic programming and the creation of print and electronic marketing strategies. He will also be teaching a Sports Management course using Game On as the text, at Lynn University, (Boca Raton, FL), beginning with the Spring 2012 semester.

For those interested, join in the crowd. You may have everything to gain, that is, if you are into sports and the sports business.