Perfectly Mentored with Jason Portnoy EP75: Chris Cabott: $500M Negotiating Tactics from NFL Super Agent
The worlds of sports and entertainment are incredibly lucrative. But have you ever wondered who makes the power moves that shape the landscape behind the scenes? People like Chris Cabott, that’s who.
Chris Cabott is the president and COO of the Steinberg Sports & Entertainment Agency. He oversees all aspects of the company’s finances and internal operations and is also a certified NFL agent on all of their athlete’s contracts. Chris is an attorney and a certified NFL league player-agent with extensive experience in the entertainment industry, being involved in everything from hit records to feature films.
On this episode of the Perfectly Mentored Podcast, Chris and Jason talk about what it takes to succeed in the hyper-competitive sports and entertainment industries. They also discuss topics like effective negotiation tactics, dealing with failure and the Patrick Mahomes deal.
Topics Covered:
- Who is Chris Cabott? [00:18]
- What led you to become the next super-agent and did you always want to be a sports agent? [01:42]
- How much of your success is attributed to luck and how much of it is because of your ability to network? [04:22]
- Any networking tips you’d like to share? What’s the right approach to networking? [05:37]
- What’s your history with Leigh Steinberg and how much does he mean to you? [10:32]
- How did you handle the negotiations for the Patrick Mahomes deal? [14:26]
- What are your top tips on how to effectively negotiate? [19:33]
- When negotiating, how do you calculate risk and when do you say it’s time to walk away from a deal? [23:39]
- What happens when the agent and player disagree? [26:30]
- Why was it such a good opportunity for both you and Patrick to start talks on the deal so early on in 2016? [30:23]
- When it comes to signing clients for SSE, what’s the pitch like? Can you offer some effective pitching techniques for agents? [31:17]
- How do you handle losing, e.g. a client that doesn’t want to sign with you or a deal that falls through? [33:58]
- Which is harder to negotiate for athletes—brand endorsement deals or player contracts? [37:10]
- Has being a sports agent made you less of a fan of specific teams? [38:21]
- Do you play fantasy football? Have you helped out any friends or family members with their picks? Do athletes care about fantasy stats? [41:32]
Connect with Chris Cabott
Connect with Jason Portnoy
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