by Brooks Byers – April 2015
S3 Board Member Spotlight: Eric Sudol, Dallas Cowboys
Eric Sudol, the Dallas Cowboys’ Senior Director of Corporate Partnership Sales & Service, has worked for the Cowboys organization for eight seasons. Mr. Sudol completed his undergraduate work at Cornell College, before earning joint masters degrees from Ohio University in Business Administration (MBA) and Sports Administration. After starting his career in corporate partnership sales for the Memphis Grizzlies, Mr. Sudol came to Dallas intrigued by the opportunity to sell suites for the new AT&T Stadium in 2007. Since joining the Cowboys, he has been promoted five times, moving from suite sales to Manager of Premium Sales, Director of Sales, Director of Sponsorship Sales, to his current position as Senior Director. As a member of the Baylor S3 Advisory Board, he enjoys sharing his experience and advice with students. Some of his key takeaways from his years in Memphis and Dallas include:
1. Discipline is the key to sales.
“The job is daunting. If you bat .300, then you’re in the Sales Hall of Fame,” says Mr. Sudol. “It’s tough to do this job if you’re not very disciplined in your approach.”
2. Sales and business acumen go hand-in-hand.
“You can’t go wrong with a first job in sales; if you want to be a leader in your company, then you have to understand what it takes to make money.” Mr. Sudol came to Dallas to learn a different aspect of his industry. He believes that his experience selling suites made him a better leader and manager because all areas of revenue generation are important and related.
3. Selling sponsorships lends itself to creativity.
“You can allow your entrepreneurial spirit to run in sponsorship. We’re always looking to innovate and create new ways to generate revenue. We want to be at the forefront and look to invent the next sponsorship category,” says Mr. Sudol.
Mr. Sudol is proud to be a part of the S3 program because its curriculum recognizes the importance of sales as an entry point to the sports industry and gives students hands-on experience in call centers to prepare them to excel in their careers.
