Esports Job Spotlight: Sales / Partnerships
Money makes the world go round, as the saying goes, and it’s sales executives and partnership/sponsorship managers who have a big part to play in striking deals and generating revenues within esports.
Traditionally, in business, sales people are responsible for – yep, you guessed it – sales of a particular product, service, event or initiative.
For example, this could involve selling website advertising space or esports tournament sponsorship packages to brands, as well as event ticket sales, PC hardware sales or even selling esports team shirt space for a company that wants to get closer to the esports audience.
Sales executives may be responsible for customer acquisition, building contacts with key customers and partners, hitting targets and negotiating costs.
Some would describe this job as more of a partnerships or relations role, as this executive may be responsible for striking deals with partners and sponsors.
Sales and partnership managers are good negotiators and relationship builders, they will often be the ones at a company engaging with outside parties the most, and regularly talking to customers about opportunities and developments. They also may have to resolve customer disputes, chase up invoices, create reports, deliver presentations and work with other departments to make a particular project successful.
What skills do you need?
There may not be set requirements, depending on the specific role, but a sales or marketing degree can help. There are many different sales courses and techniques out there, each with varying degrees of success.
Many sales people will say that relationships are key to success in this space. Because of this, having enthusiasm for a particular product or service, being polite and striking a rapport with key customers can go a long way.
As mentioned, account/partnership managers will need good negotiation and customer service skills, and will need a hunger and determination to hit targets.
They may be required to travel frequently and meet in person with customers. Creative thinking can also help to set a product, service, team or tournament apart, to make it more attractive to sponsors or partners.
Salary and hours
A starting salary can range from £15,000 to £20,000, while more experienced sales people could command salaries of £30,000 to £40,000 and beyond.
However, sales works a little differently to other positions. Partnership managers will usually receive a basic salary, with a commission offered depending on the number of sales or partnerships made in a particular time period or for a certain project, for example. If the sales person hits their target by a certain amount, they may receive more money via a percentage-based commission or bonus.
Sales people may also receive a company car as they will be out and about in meetings a lot of the time.
In terms of working hours, sales executives are expected to work a typical 9 to 5 week, and may be required to work some evenings, for example when attending events or meeting with clients.
Further reading: Esports funding guide: How to find sponsors and generate revenues
