dusky256fc said

Local Owl said

Let me give a different scenario.Our football team finishes the season 8-4. We win a bowl game. South Florida is excited about FAU football. Our sales staff bumps up season tickets by 10,000. They will receive more money. I can assure you that it is very difficult to sell tickets when I can't give them away. My sales people get salary + commission. Some do great . Others not so great. There isn't a harder job then trying to sell a crap product with zero reputation to people  who have either no knowledge, no need, or no interest in that product. If FAU can ever get to the point where FAU stadium is the cool place to be on Saturday,we can sell tickets. We need to win. It really is that simple. You can't replace the "$11 an hour sales person" when the big shots up stairs are not doing their jobs.

Posted On: Sep 22nd 2016, 6:18 AM #359595

Well said, without the product it really doesn't matter who is selling especially when it's just gimmicky stuff.

We have to improve the product…WIN!

Posted On: Sep 22nd 2016, 8:31 AM #359598

That is why the game day experience has to be better than gimmicky stuff.  I suggested things they should have to make going to games enjoyable and memorable for every day people that dont have ties to FAU.  "Iron Skillet and craft beers" do sell tickets at a lot of places.

This is college football and we are a mid-major.  We are going to have up's and down's in the program.  

We need to make coming to the games an experience everybody can enjoy.  The Chicago Cubs have sucked for decades, yet they sell a ton of tickets due to the game day experience…not based on wins.

Yes, it's easier to sell when you the tickets are high in demand and winning a ton of football games.  At that point they are $11/hr order takers.  We need to put a plan in place that creates a game day experience people want to be a part of win or lose and a sales/marketing team that can sell to it.  We also need to schedule teams at home that people want to come see.  Our attendence would double if we were playing USF, UCF, Big 10,  ACC, etc this Saturday as opposed to Ball State.  

dusky256fc said

Owl2Doc said

walty12 said

From my experience, FAU looks to hire for positions which demand a skill set that commands much more $ then offered.  They dont pay competitively.

This.

Posted On: Sep 21st 2016, 10:26 PM #359593

Explain to me how you know this to be true, have you applied or worked for the university in an entry level position?

Posted On: Sep 22nd 2016, 8:26 AM #359597

I'm looking at his statement in the broader context.

I know people at FAU who feel they're not getting a competitive salary, I've read about brain drain from FAU to other universities, I was in the office when one of my favorite professors threatened to quit because he had been there a decade and a new hire was going to make more money, and IIRC Jarvis complained that he couldn't get enough money to pay his assistants properly.

I last worked at FAU as a graduate TA and received less income and benefits than my friends who did the same thing at UF. I remember reading a report from the graduate college to the BOT saying it was difficult sometimes to recruit because they weren't able to offer these things, that bright people wanted to come but got better offers.

So this isn't just a problem at the level of marketing/ticket sales.

Owl2Doc said

dusky256fc said

Owl2Doc said

walty12 said

From my experience, FAU looks to hire for positions which demand a skill set that commands much more $ then offered.  They dont pay competitively.

This.

Posted On: Sep 21st 2016, 10:26 PM #359593

Explain to me how you know this to be true, have you applied or worked for the university in an entry level position?

Posted On: Sep 22nd 2016, 8:26 AM #359597

I'm looking at his statement in the broader context.

I know people at FAU who feel they're not getting a competitive salary, I've read about brain drain from FAU to other universities, I was in the office when one of my favorite professors threatened to quit because he had been there a decade and a new hire was going to make more money, and IIRC Jarvis complained that he couldn't get enough money to pay his assistants properly.

I last worked at FAU as a graduate TA and received fewer income and benefits than my friends who did the same thing at UF. I remember reading a report from the graduate college to the BOT saying it waa difficult sometimes to recruit because they weren't able to offer these things, that bright people wanted to come but got better offers.

So this isn't just a problem at the level of marketing.

Posted On: Sep 22nd 2016, 10:56 AM #359602

This is actually completely true. I went to grad school at Bama because they offered me full tuition plus $1,300 a month stipend plus health insurance. FAU offered me 80% tuition, $900 a month, no health. If FAU had been on the same level as Bama, I would have stayed in Boca.

David Slavic said

Owl2Doc said

dusky256fc said

Owl2Doc said

walty12 said

From my experience, FAU looks to hire for positions which demand a skill set that commands much more $ then offered.  They dont pay competitively.

This.

Posted On: Sep 21st 2016, 10:26 PM #359593

Explain to me how you know this to be true, have you applied or worked for the university in an entry level position?

Posted On: Sep 22nd 2016, 8:26 AM #359597

I'm looking at his statement in the broader context.

I know people at FAU who feel they're not getting a competitive salary, I've read about brain drain from FAU to other universities, I was in the office when one of my favorite professors threatened to quit because he had been there a decade and a new hire was going to make more money, and IIRC Jarvis complained that he couldn't get enough money to pay his assistants properly.

I last worked at FAU as a graduate TA and received fewer income and benefits than my friends who did the same thing at UF. I remember reading a report from the graduate college to the BOT saying it waa difficult sometimes to recruit because they weren't able to offer these things, that bright people wanted to come but got better offers.

So this isn't just a problem at the level of marketing.

Posted On: Sep 22nd 2016, 10:56 AM #359602

This is actually completely true. I went to grad school at Bama because they offered me full tuition plus $1,300 a month stipend plus health insurance. FAU offered me 80% tuition, $900 a month, no health. If FAU had been on the same level as Bama, I would have stayed in Boca.

Posted On: Sep 22nd 2016, 11:00 AM #359603

It all, as always, comes down to money.  Alabama has a lot more money to throw around than FAU does, UF has a significant more amount of money.  I have lived in this town my entire life and have quite a few connections to FAU and there have been unbelievable improvements to this school over the last 20 years.  The money to increase payroll, higher better athletic staff etc. doesn't happen overnight.  It is a slow grinding process that has been moving in the right direction for quite some time now.

dusky256fc said

Owl2Doc said

walty12 said

From my experience, FAU looks to hire for positions which demand a skill set that commands much more $ then offered.  They dont pay competitively.

This.

Posted On: Sep 21st 2016, 10:26 PM #359593

Explain to me how you know this to be true, have you applied or worked for the university in an entry level position?

Posted On: Sep 22nd 2016, 8:26 AM #359597

Have had discussions about a position at FAU in the past which would command a $100k+ salary in the market due to experience and abilities….FAU wanted to pay $42,500.  

If you need to hire somebody with the ability to generate and handle the pressures of bringing in revenue…you should probably look to pay more than a 4th grade teachers salary to find the necessary talent.  I cant live at home, drive a 15 year old car and eat ramen noodles while generating revenue for the University (which is the toughest thing to do in business).

Love FAU, would love to be part of the success in that way.  Guess I will have to make enough money to semi-retire first...which is unfortunate.

Dusky, "Don't like the pay, don't take the job?" yet you want top salesman at FAU? Find us all an established, dedicated ticket salesman who is willing to work for $11 an hour, we will wait.  In my opinion, you should apply to be president of FAU, maybe even the United States with the ideas you have!

FAUBASKETBALLFAN (Guest) said

Dusky, "Don't like the pay, don't take the job?" yet you want top salesman at FAU? Find us all an established, dedicated ticket salesman who is willing to work for $11 an hour, we will wait.  In my opinion, you should apply to be president of FAU, maybe even the United States with the ideas you have!

Posted On: Sep 22nd 2016, 1:49 PM #359613

This doesn't make any sense.  Don't hurt yourself.

walty12 said

dusky256fc said

Owl2Doc said

walty12 said

From my experience, FAU looks to hire for positions which demand a skill set that commands much more $ then offered.  They dont pay competitively.

This.

Posted On: Sep 21st 2016, 10:26 PM #359593

Explain to me how you know this to be true, have you applied or worked for the university in an entry level position?

Posted On: Sep 22nd 2016, 8:26 AM #359597

Have had discussions about a position at FAU in the past which would command a $100k+ salary in the market due to experience and abilities….FAU wanted to pay $42,500.  

If you need to hire somebody with the ability to generate and handle the pressures of bringing in revenue…you should probably look to pay more than a 4th grade teachers salary to find the necessary talent.  I cant live at home, drive a 15 year old car and eat ramen noodles while generating revenue for the University (which is the toughest thing to do in business).

Love FAU, would love to be part of the success in that way.  Guess I will have to make enough money to semi-retire first...which is unfortunate.

Posted On: Sep 22nd 2016, 12:25 PM #359607

I am not saying it wasn't true, I was just wondering who had first hand knowledge.  As I stated in an earlier post it's all about money and it will take time.  

Again, bottom line is the sales are generated mainly by a decent product to sell which we don't currently have.  I don't care how much you pay sales associates with the product they have had to sell for the last x amount of years in this areas especially it's just not going to happen outside the core group to any big success.

Im not talking first hand about a sales associate position for athletics.  I am talking about a much higher position…

I apprecaited being approached and considered, but the pay is so far off it just doesn't make sense.