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by: Jay Randy Gordon
http://www.busibuzz.com
info411@busibuzz.com
Randy Gordon of BusiBUZZ ™ (book) sits down with Barry Bonds'
former agent Dennis Gilbert. Information about the book can be
found at http://www.busibuzz.com Inquiries should be directed
to info411@busibuzz.com
QUESTION:
Is there a certain language or protocol in which you, as an agent,
would engage General Managers or your negotiating
counterparts when you were working on your clients’ contract
deals?
ANSWER:
I would not say that there is a certain "code" that is used when
dealing with sophisticated and influential baseball men. I can tell
you that it’s not like the movies or shows like HBO’s former hit
series Arliss, because we simply did not slide numbers across a
table when we were negotiating on behalf of our clients. I like to
use the “Doctor Analogy” because I believe it best fits our unique
approach to each negotiation. When you go to a doctor for the
first time, he or she does not just give you a penicillin shot. The
doctor may take your temperature, test your blood pressure,
maybe do an X-Ray or an EKG test, but he or she also talks to
you about what is ailing you, asks you to fill out forms on your
past history, and looks to what can be done you to make you feel
better. It was and is the same way that we approach how we
represent our clients. Hard work, comparative research, and
historical data…we approached each negotiation as its own
separate medical visit or surgery…pouring many hours into our
own research and devil’s-advocate scenarios to prepare for the
discussions. This all went (and still does go) into complex
negotiations, and usually winds up in a "well-pieced-together
binder” or packet of pages with recommendations and
alternatives before we ever come near the negotiation table.
QUESTION:
Do you have your favorite expressions and phrases that you
would gravitate towards in order to persuade your client to sign
a deal or to leverage your position against a team (e.g., he has
filthy stuff and throws split-finger and cut fastballs; he hits
bombs; or, by doing this deal, you could be a hero for the
organization)?
ANSWER:
I may not be the best person or subject for your book. But I do
want to help you. What happened in each negotiation or
representation was spontaneous, and it was not a canned
speech. In fact, I do not really have lines that I say in situations.
Every single negotiation has its own merit, its own life, and I did
not script out what happened next nor did I pull strings or tricks
to make things happen. Preparation was always the key. No two
situations are exactly alike, so I would amass all of the
information that I could in order to prepare. I would try to look at
the negative issues that could be brought up about my client
from the General Manager’s or team’s point-of-view, as well as
from the coach’s point-of-view. The other important thing was,
and is, to be fair.
QUESTION:
Now that you work for your clients in a slightly different capacity,
that of doing deals in estate planning, life insurance, and other
types of insurance, do some of the same philosophies that you
used at the negotiating table still apply?
ANSWER:
For 35 years, I have been selling intangibles that you cannot
necessarily smell, feel, or hear. Maybe now the day-to-day is a bit
simpler and with less drama. But, like I said, we were not using
lines to begin with. My deals have been and still are about doing
what is right for our clients. These deals will impact a client’s life
and their family.
QUESTION:
Other than the obvious thinking on your feet, keeping your wits
about you while showing a calm demeanor, and effectively
communicating with your clients, what do you like about what
goes into closing a deal?
ANSWER:
You have to take the approach that the person you are dealing
with has done the same amount of homework that you have.
Whether a deal netted my client $3 million, $4 million, $5 million,
$20 million, $35 million, or $40 million, it was still about
empathizing with a General Manager or coach about what their
team needs to win, and then it would be, how my player may
best fit that situation…where will they have a fit in the
lineup…and how can we help improve the franchise’s win-loss
record, win some extra games, or take pressure off other veteran
or returning players (e.g., what is it worth to you to win five more
games or to have you use your other relievers less? Your team
may be lacking XYZ, and that’s where my guy fits). To be effective
with my style of contract negotiations, you would want to be as
thorough as you could, find out as many comparables as you
could, find out the rationale on which a number was based, and,
in dealing with the coach or General Manager, try to empathize
their situation in order to understand their needs. Hopefully,
everybody then gets what they want.
LOS ANGELES, CA – (April 10, 2006) – BusiBUZZ ™, a new book by
author Jay Randy Gordon recently published by Amazon.com’s
Booksurge Publishing, is a humorous look into the world of
serious business, whereby Gordon showcases over 5,000
buzzwords and catch phrases that are used by the mucky-mucks
in business (including that secret code language of high-end
negotiation sports agents). Gordon once worked for sports Super-
Agent Leigh Steinberg (back in the days of World Cup 1994), and
though none of his array of business speak can be attributed to
any person in business (words and phrases that are in the public
domain), BusiBUZZ does contain a Foreword by Leigh Steinberg
himself, and a “Q&A” with Gilbert-Krupin’s founder Dennis Gilbert,
who since his agent days (with the Beverly Hills Sports Council)
has migrated into the insurance business (and also consults for
the defending World Champion Chicago White Sox). The book
was unveiled at the Anderson School of Business at UCLA
(Gordon is a 1993 Alum of the MBA Program). He has worked for
some blue-chip companies like The Coca-Cola Company, Sony
Computer Entertainment America, and Ubisoft Entertainment.
“This book will hopefully level the playing field for many people in
business, as well as for those just getting started in the business
world. Boardroom chatter and backroom dealings is not
necessarily a secret code, and knowing some of the mucky-muck
phrases and key marketing buzzwords across different fields can
undoubtedly offer you some social currency in the right circles –
and they can help you get ahead of the game more quickly,” said
Gordon.
Other Book Contributors:
Other influential business men and marketing mavens that have
written their unique takes on the landscape of buzzwords and
catch phrases in our business environs include: (the late) Craig
Tartasky (Former Chariman and Executive Director – International
SPORT SUMMIT), Peter Moore (Microsoft Corporation’ s VP of
Worldwide Marketing and Publishing for Xbox 360 / Xbox, formerly
of Reebok), Jeffrey Fox (VP of National Marketing, Taco Bell
Corporation), Tony Seiniger (The Critics’ Collection and former
Founder and President of Seiniger Advertising), and Scott M.
Kaufman (CEO – Young & Successful Media Corp. and Author of:
SECRETS OF THE YOUNG AND SUCCESSFUL™ How to Get
Everything You Want Without Waiting a Lifetime).
About The Author
Author Jay “Randy” Gordon is what those in the marketing,
entertainment, and sports business call “a-Doer.” For 15 years,
Randy has read and authored marketing documents, attended
many conferences, led meetings, and conversed with many
people in person and over-the-phone to record business
buzzwords and catchphrases during his B-school days and while
working at some of America’s top companies, including The Coca-
Cola Company, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Universal
McCann, and Ubisoft Entertainment. He brings to the table a
unique and humorous look at the world of business jargon,
catchphrases in the workplace, and general mucky-muck speak.
He is from Birmingham, AL and resides in Marin County, CA just
outside of San Francisco.
Information about the book can be found at http://www.busibuzz.
com Inquiries should be directed to info411@busibuzz.com
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