What do salespeople and sports broadcasters have in common? Learn how to build relationships and communicate on-camera with Joel Goldberg.

In this episode of “Sales Lessons from a Career on-Camera,” I talk to Joel Goldberg, host of the Kansas City Royals pregame and postgame show on Fox Sports. Joel talks about what Major League Baseball was like for players and team members during 2020’s uncertain season, how he stays focused on camera, builds relationships with players and coaches, and continues to differentiate himself in a field where everyone now has access to information.

About Joel: Over the course of his twenty-five-year career in television, Joel Goldberg has devoted himself to developing and maintaining influential relationships with professional athletes, coaches, and team management. Joel has been a member of the Kansas City Royals broadcast team since 2008 where he has hosted over 300 pre/postgame shows. As a public speaker and presenter, Joel’s focus is on building culture and success through impactful storytelling. Most recently, he has launched a podcast where he compares the winning traits of sports to business called “Rounding the Bases.”

Key Takeaways:

Build long-lasting relationships:

“This business [sports broadcasting], first and foremost, is about relationships, and that’s no different than almost every other profession.”

“What am I doing today that can help me tomorrow or down the road? Because we don’t know when the next version of this is coming or whatever the next ‘it’ is. And so, you can’t stop building those relationships or forming those relationships.”

Ask yourself, “What can you do to put the person on the other side at ease? When you’re able to do that, they’ll hopefully, in theory, let their guard down and you will get to know them a little bit better.”

Shine the spotlight on others:

“I just think when you get a chance to know people better and shine that spotlight on them, it opens up a lot of avenues for conversation.”

“Take a genuine interest in people. It goes a long way.”

Remove distractions:

“The fewer distractions you have in front of the camera, that includes a Zoom call or Microsoft teams or whatever it is, the more you can focus on being comfortable in front of the camera, also engaged in the conversation because your mind is there.”

“When you can push aside those distractions and listen, then you’re more engaged. When you’re more engaged, you have more of an understanding and an interest in what’s going on. When you have more of an interest in what’s going on, you get excited about it in the way that if you are sitting down next to a friend at a coffee shop or a bar or restaurant.”

Differentiate yourself:

“What can I do differently than everyone else? And now how can I bring that to people and be the one to bring that to people when no one else can? And so that’s sort of a view that is a huge responsibility to privilege to say, OK, what can I do to add value to people from an entertainment standpoint, from an information standpoint?”

The fine line between energy and volume:

“It is different on camera. I would say that there’s this fine line as a broadcaster and I think as an actor between energy and volume. I think that until we figure it out, we think when someone says have more energy, they think that means you get louder.”