SPRING 2017OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS INSIDE SALES TEAM

MESSAGE FROM LEADERSHIP

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

IMPORTANT DATES

MARCH 3Geno Fata attends Mt. Union Sport Sales Workshop in Denver, CO

MARCH 11D-backs Sales Team hosts prospect event at Salt River Fields

APRIL 2D-backs Opening Day v. San Francisco Giants on ESPN2

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

THE PROGRAM

D-backs Inside Sales has produced 12 current sports sales managers at

8 different organizations

DID YOU KNOW?

“A key to being great is surrounding yourself with the right people. Look for those who will challenge you, it will make you better”

-Bob Hamer

It is an exciting time for all of us here in the D-backs offices as our players have recently reported to Salt River Fields here in AZ, the weather is perfect, and Opening Day is just around the corner!

As the new Inside Sales Manager, I wanted to introduce myself to you all and give you some insight into my background. I hope that my story may inspire some of you who are unsure about a

career in sports sales to reach out and learn more. I look forward to connecting with you soon!

I applied, interviewed, and accepted the position all within a few weeks. Over the past 5 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to grow within the organization from Sales Consultant, to Account Executive, to Team Lead, and now to managing the department I started in. But as a newly graduated college student with zero sales experience, how did I know sports sales was the path for me? Well I couldn’t be sure, but through my research I found I had many of the traits that make a successful salesperson. I enjoy connecting with people – learning about their lives and what makes them tick. As a former athlete, I have a competitive spirit; I am excited by a challenge and know that nothing great is achieved without tons of hard work. My athletics career also taught me how to manage time, and even more importantly how to juggle successes and failures by staying positive, level headed, and even keel. I’m an ambitious person, I’ve always wanted to be the best at whatever I’m doing, and I place great importance in seeing a path for advancement.

My time in Inside Sales taught me how to translate all of those natural traits into success as a business professional, and I take great pride in being able to have that impact on our current and future Inside Sales reps. Advancement is the name of the game in Inside Sales – and we aim to provide an environment where you can grow and get better every single day. This includes constant work on sales technique, technology, soft skills, and much more. You have the opportunity to learn from our innovative management team, but also from our Account Executives, most of whom are Inside Sales alumni. As a department our most basic goal, of course, is generating revenue and hitting our sales numbers, but even more important in Inside Sales is promoting our Sales Consultants to Account Executives, and producing the next generation of sports sales leaders.

If you share the traits described above with me, and are excited about the prospect of launching a sales career with one of the most well-respected organizations in sports, we would love to get to know you. Don’t make the mistake that I almost made, reach out and learn more about a career in sports sales today!

Geno FataInside Sales Manager

After a job search during my last semester, I accepted a position as a financial advisor with a national firm in the Bay Area. This was December, but my start date wasn't until June 2011, so I found a job at a local restaurant to pay the bills and was excited to enjoy a few months of freedom before joining the workforce and becoming an adult.

It was about two weeks later that the panic set in. Am I really passionate about financial markets, stocks, bonds, retirement accounts? Is this what I see myself doing as a career? I liked some aspects of the job description, there was an intensive training program, it fit my degree, and there was potential for making a great living. But when it came down to it, my answer was a resounding no, I couldn't see myself really enjoying and being passionate about a career in financial advising. So I thought about this for a few days, talked with my parents, and came up with what I thought was a reasonable compromise. I would spend the next few months soul searching and hopefully find a path that I was really passionate about. If I found something that would be great, but if not I would head north for my start date in June.

Well, as I'm sure you've figured out by now, this story has a happy ending, because a few weeks after that initial panic set in I stumbled upon a website called Teamwork Online and saw the Arizona Diamondbacks were hiring for their Sales Consultant position. I was immediately intrigued by the prospect of working for an MLB team, and after more research about the D-backs organization & their sales department, I knew I had found the perfect fit.

Let me take you back to 2010. I had just finished my baseball career and graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in Economics. It was time to face the scary prospect of jumping into the real world and starting a career. Throughout college I had not given much thought to what I wanted for my next step after graduation; I was more concerned with keeping my roster spot on the baseball team – which was difficult because I was not a very good player! I had kept up a respectable GPA above a 3.0, but I certainly did not have corporate recruiters beating down my apartment door.

SPRING 2017PAGE 2

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

ALEXIS ESPINOSA - Sr. Account Executive, Group Events and Hospitality, Arizona Diamondbacks

OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS INSIDE SALES TEAM

THE PROGRAM

What’s your best piece of advice for anyone interested in starting a career in sports business?

My advice for anyone interested in starting a career in sports is to get hands on experience. Getting into sports business is very competitive and you have to do anything you can to separate yourself from the rest of the competition. You can do this by joining your school’s sports marketing or management clubs, volunteering to work in your school’s athletics department or participating

in a sports related internship. If you do not have the opportunity to do one of these traditional methods or your school does not offer any of these opportunities, another method is to talk to and network with people currently in the industry. You can use LinkedIn to connect with sports business executives and most sports organizations will list their front office staff on their website. Connect with people from different leagues, different departments and with different titles. Learn and ask questions, because another piece of advice I have is to make sure you understand what you are getting yourself into. Working in sports is not just a

job, it is a lifestyle. You might realize it is not for you, which is completely okay. But I will say, once you’re in it, it's the time of your life. I am so grateful for the experiences and people I have met so far.

What do you enjoy most about your current role on the Group Events & Hospitality staff?

As a member on the D-backs Group Events & Hospitality staff, I get to sell, plan and execute events and outings for companies, organizations and groups at a D-backs game. One event I might be working with a CEO of a large company to bring their employees or clients out to a game for appreciation, and another event I might be working with a teacher to bring their students to a game for a school field trip. What I enjoy most about the role is that I get to work with a lot of different people, all with different objectives and goals. No client and event is the same. I love being able to be creative and seeing all the hard work and planning come to fruition come event day. It is exciting and I love it!

What is your best memory from your time in D-backs Inside Sales?

My best memory in Inside Sales was my making my first sale on my own. The first few sales appointments an Inside Sales rep goes on are led by our Account Executives. They will lead the whole appointment and gradually you have enough practice to lead them on your own. While that first appointment on my own was scary, the feeling of that first sale is something I will never forget. It was a feeling of "Wow, I can do this!" The hours of training, the role

playing, all the questions and practice worked. The high of making that sale outweighed the countless calls, no’s and hang ups to get to that appointment. I still love that thrill and feeling of making a sale and it is why I'm still doing this seven years later.

What did you do specifically to make yourself stand out amongst your peers?

One thing I learned very quickly in Inside Sales is that it is hard work. You have to commit to the process and have a genuine desire to learn. That wanting to get better is what separates the good from the great. I had a desire to learn every day. I asked questions and I had a mentor I would lean on. I was not afraid to get out of my comfort zone and ask for help when I needed it and I embraced any training opportunity that we received. To this day, I love to learn from my co-workers, read business and sales books and find ways to get better.

Alexis graduated from Inside Sales in July of 2011.

SPRING 2017PAGE 3

AROUND THE HORN

As an employee of the Atlanta Falcons, Dan Boswell not only

got to experience the thrill of a playoff run, but he and the

entire front office staff were flown to Houston to attend the

big game and cheer on their team.

“Postseason play leading into a Super Bowl appearance is

one of those experiences where words don’t do justice. The

amount of time and energy that goes into selling a brand

new facility like Mercedes-Benz Stadium ramps up to an

even higher level. The payoff was worth the effort though;

Legends and the Atlanta Falcons gave me a sports

experience I’ll never forget. An all-inclusive trip to Super

Bowl 51 with my wife and colleagues was a great opportunity

to reflect and appreciate the incredibly unique opportunities

this industry provides.”

OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS INSIDE SALES TEAM

THE PROGRAM

D-BACKS INSIDE SALES ALUM MAKES IT TO THE BIG GAME

The D-backs have recently hired their college-level Sales Development Staff (SDS) for the 2017 season. The SDS program will

run from April – September, with participating students getting an inside glimpse into the day-to-day duties of an Inside Sales

rep, including hands-on sales, customer service, & event operations experience. The current staff will have students from

Arizona State University, Grand Canyon University, University of Arizona, Arizona Christian University, & Baylor University. To

learn more about this exciting opportunity, contact Geno Fata at gfata@dbacks.com or 602-462-4231.

SALES DEVELOPMENT STAFF UPDATE

Dan Boswell, a 2012 D-backs Inside Sales alum, is currently a Premium Sales Consultant for Mercedes-Benz Stadium - the future home

of the Atlanta Falcons.

Although the end-result was not as he hoped, the

experience was clearly a huge thrill. Dan was quick to

attribute his current opportunity to his time spent here

in D-backs Inside Sales, “Learning my craft with the

D-backs gave me a first-hand look at how an

organization prepares it’s reps to be successful.

I started my career in August of 2011, right in the

midst of the 2011 playoff run. Beyond sales skills,

building blocks like consistently giving max effort and

maintaining positive attitude allowed me to capitalize

on the momentum that a trip to postseason provides”.

JEFF HAGERCollege: Illinois State University

Favorite Quote: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t

take.” - Wayne Gretzky

Outside Interests: Traveling to different cities, seeing new

Major League Baseball parks, fantasy football/baseball,

rating craft beer, following the weather, cooking various

dishes

Interesting Fact: Been to over 25 different MLB stadiums

(including old stadiums that have been replaced).

SPRING 2017PAGE 4

RECENT PROMOTIONS

RECENT HIRES

ZACH PEREZ

Promoted to Account Executive,

Group Events and Hospitality

with the Arizona Diamondbacks

NICK KLOOS

College: Arizona State University

Favorite Quote: "Do not let what you cannot

do interfere with what you can do." - Wooden

Outside Interests: Golf, Snowboarding,

Basketball, any sports

Interesting Fact: Went scuba diving in

Hawaii, in a cave with a 6 foot shark.

KYLIE MCCHESNEYCollege: Miami University

Favorite Quote: “In the end we will only regret the chances

we didn’t take.”

Outside Interests: Playing softball, backpacking, bowling,

fishing, and traveling to new places whenever I can

Interesting Fact: I have swam with sharks.

MATT MARBLECollege: Arizona State University

Favorite Quote: “Never let the fear of striking

out get in your way” – Babe Ruth

Outside Interests: movies, TV shows, pro-

wrestling, traveling with my wife, attending live

sporting events

Interesting Fact: I once met Muhammad Ali in

the Pittsburgh airport when I was 11 years old,

took a photo with him and got his autograph,

but ended up losing both of them.

OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS INSIDE SALES TEAM

THE PROGRAM

MICHAEL MOZERCollege: West Virginia University

Favorite Quote: "All our dreams can come true, if we have

the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

Outside Interests: Spending time outdoors, lacrosse, and

the beach

Interesting Fact: I was born with a trigger finger that

made me look like spiderman.

RUBEN RINCONCollege: Grand Canyon University

Favorite Quote: “Failure to prepare is

preparing to fail.”

Outside Interests: Fishing, Golfing, and

traveling

Interesting Fact: GCU Baseball- won the

WAC Conference in 2015.

CHASE BLACKWELL

Promoted to Account Executive,

Business Development with the

Arizona Diamondbacks