If you are someone that has athletic talent, then you may be looking for a representative. Being an athlete can actually be very demanding, as you need to be able to find a team that will best support your athletic talent, along with all of the financial decisions that you may not be able to make. There are also a lot of legal factors that play a big part in your relationship with your sports agent, we previously did a review on 4 legal leadsthat sporting agents must have, but now we are looking at the process of signing with a sports agent.
It is important to pick a sports agent that has your best interest in mind, but what else should you look for when signing with a sports agent?
Their player list
One of the first things that you should look at when considering a potential agent is their current player list. It is not unheard of for a sportsman to have a competitor and there is every chance that your own competitor may be under the management of whoever you are looking at potentially joining. If this is the case, then you may not want to join the same management due to a conflict of interest.
How long they have been in the business
Though someone may be new to the game and still be successful, something that you should look for when finding an agent is experience. If they have been around for a long time then it is likely that they have
much more expertise and have more connections in the industry, which will be beneficial for you in the long run.
See if they have interest in your sport
There are a lot of agents out there that are very money orientated and don’t really care about the sport that you do. If you have a representative, you should really check whether or not they care about the sport that you love. If they don’t share the same passion that you do, then your relationship may not work out as they may not have the same enthusiasm as you.
Their pricing
All agents take a cut of any of the profits that you make and if you are new to the world of finding an agent, then you may fall victim to an agent taking
advantage of your naivety. If an agent asks for anything more than 20% of the money that you make, then you should avoid them. Yes agents do a lot of the work, but you are the one that is playing the sport and ultimately earning any money that you may receive. For this reason, you should make sure that the agent that you choose isn’t trying to get more money than they deserve.
Ask them for a success story
During the interview process with your agent, they may ask you if you have any questions. The best question that you can ask them is whether or not they have had a success story. If they can give you an example of them taking one of their clients to the very top, then there is hope that you could potentially reach the same greatness.
They are open to questions and discussion
Sometimes agents can be a little shifty and secretive, which is a bad sign. If you find an agent, you must make sure that they are open to discussion about their career and do not feel the need to hide anything about the steps that they are taking to your success, as sometimes events take place that are not completely above board.
