Agents are the middle men who bridge the gap between players and teams.  Nearly always in Europe an agent is paid 10% of the player's salary.  Like any industry where someone is being paid a lot of money for someone else's labor, the world or player representation can be confusing, dishonest, and controversial. 

There are good agents and there are bad agents, honest and dishonest, hard working and lazy.  In choosing an agent, find someone you are comfortable with, someone who seems well organized and well motivated, and most importantly find someone who fits your status as a player.   If you are a marquee player from a major college, choose a major agent with big time clients.  If you were not a superstar in college, or if you played at a mid-major, choose an agent who has had success in getting jobs for players like you. 

Don't be wowed by an impressive client list, because every name on that list is someone who may take priority over you when your agent goes to work. 

I have strong feeling about agents, and I'm going to lay out some fundamental rules that you should follow in your dealings with them.  These may be controversial but I sincerely believe in each one, and I apply each one in my own career.

DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE

Nearly every agent will tell you this distorted truth: "You don't pay me, the team does".  What your agent is saying is that if you sign a contract for $50,000, you don't have to pay your agent 10% out of that.  The agent will be paid an additional $5000 from the team. 

This means that you will get all of the money you signed for, but it does not mean that you are not paying the agent yourself.  The reality is that the team is paying you $55,000 to play for them and the agent is picking up his share before you even see it.  There is nothing wrong with this system, but it should be understood.  Your team is not paying the agent for his work, you are.

YOUR AGENT IS YOUR EMPLOYEE

In dealing with your agent, you should understand that you are the boss.  Your agent can give you advice, but you should always expect to be treated with respect, and to be included in every decision.  Your agent works for you, although often they like to make it seem the other way round.  You choose your agent, he does not choose you, and you have the power to fire your agent any time that you are not happy with his work.

YOUR AGENT DOES NOT GET YOU A JOB, YOU DO.

The job you get and the money that you make depend on your ability to play basketball.  Your agent can maximize your earning by doing a good job, but basically what it comes down to is how you perform on the court.  If you  are a great player then any agent will be able to get you a great job, if you are garbage then no agent will.  Don't let your agent make you feel that you are dependant on him. You control your own destiny.

This said, an agent can make a big difference.  If you are a big time player, then a big time agent will have the pull to negotiate the contract that you deserve.  If you are talented but unknown, an agent who is less well established but hungry could help you break in by making a lot of copies of your game tape and promoting you aggressively in every league that he can. 

Other times, agents can help you through their personal connections.  If they genuinely know a coach well, then you could get a try out just through their relationship.  Don't be fooled though, a lot of agents like to drop names without really having the connection that they claim.

WORK DIRECTLY AS MUCH AS YOU CAN

The system in Europe tends to be that each agent has a home market where he speaks the language and deals directly with teams.  Outside this market, the agent will collaborate with other agents and share the commission. 

Suppose you commit to work with Paulo in Spain, he will talk to teams directly in Spain, but to get you a job in Italy he will pass your tape on to Mario, and in France he will pas your information on to Pierre.  If Pierre finds you a job, he will tell Paulo who will tell you.  If you sign, Pierre and Paulo will share the 10% commission on your salary. 

This system works well to get you exposure in many different countries.  You must realize though; Pierre's first priority will be to work for the players that are directly his. He does not have to share commission on those players.  If he knows of a job opening you might be low on his list of priorities.  If he does find a spot for you, and tells Paulo, Paulo might not tell you because he is working on something in Spain where he will get all of the commission.  The job in Spain might even be less money than in France, but it would be more money for Paulo, so he might push that one harder to you. 

It's complicated, but the important thing is to try and know exactly who is working for you and where, and  to try to have a direct relationship with them as much as possible. The fewer middlemen you have, the better you can make your own decisions and the faster things will move. 

YOU HAVE CHOICES, MAKE THEM YOURSELF

 You don't have to sign anything with your agent.  

He might push very hard for you to sign a representation contract, this is to his advantage, not necessarily to yours.  Generally speaking, anytime you sign something, you should be getting something in return.  If your agent is going to fly you to camps or try outs, or lend you money then it's fair enough that he wants a contractual commitment from you first, although some agents will do this without a signature.  Maybe your agent only works with players that he has under contract, that's fair enough too, but there are hundreds of agents who don't.  There a pluses and minuses to signing a contract and they depend on the agent and on the player. 

 

If you don't sign
Pros	Cons
Your agent knows he needs to do a good job because otherwise you could fire him.	Your agent may be less committed to you, and less willing to invest his time and energy.
Your agent is motivated to work fast so that he is sure of getting a commission before you leave him.	Your agent might push for you to take the first offer that comes along to be sure he gets his money, instead of holding out to get you the best offer he can.
You are free to field offers from other agents.
If you do sign
Pros	Cons
You both know where you stand	You're stuck with him, even if he does a bad job
Your agent can be comfortable enough to pass up some offers until the right one comes along	He might put you on the backburner because he knows you are a sure thing and invest his energy into getting new clients and getting offers for clients who are not signed.
	If another agent finds you a job, he will have to share the commission with your agent, so he might end up giving it to someone else.

It is not a straightforward decision but it is yours to make.

You can have more than one agent.

You can have different guys working for you in different countries.  You can even sign with one agent in one country and with another agent in another country.  If you do this, make sure that you are upfront with each agent from the beginning, and make sure that each agent's role is clearly defined.  Say something like "You have full rights to represent me in Germany, but nowhere else"  or "You are my agent for France and Spain, but I have someone else for Germany and Italy".  You don't want multiple agents presenting you to the same teams, that looks bad for them and for you.

Again, there are advantages and disadvantages to this strategy but again, it is your decision to make.

 

NEVER BE INTIMIDATED BY AN AGENT

Always speak your mind and stand up for your rights.  Never worry about hurting your agent's feelings or offending him.  Agents can be friends but remember this is business, and it is your career. 

Remember that there are always agents out there, and as long as you can make money playing ball, you will always be able to find someone to represent you.  You are a valuable client, it's important that you know this and that your agent respects it.

chris@playerexposure.com

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