Ah yes, there are the “bad agents” working in the hockey business. Some have the well-known name, some think they are the big shot, and some have the ego too big for the house.
So many player approached by the agent at this time of year. They say what they can do, how the contacts they have will get the player to the NHL or Major Junior. It is all honey poured into your ears young player.
How do you know the bad agent when they approach you? That is the question so many ask at this time of the year.
To answer that, you have to know what is the good agent. The good agent is not so aggressive that they sound desperate. The good agent does not fear other agents or the competition from the other agents. The good agent is confident, not cocky. The good agent is not a “name dropper” or talks about all the player he has. The good agent is not afraid to provide a reference or two. Most important though is that the good agent is always accessible to you by phone and by email, he is not the guy you only hear from once a year.
The bad agent is the guy who feels he has to “name drop” to make you believe he is important. The bad agent gets visibly upset if he hear or see player talking to other agent. The bad agent is often flashy to try to grab attention. The bad agent is the one who is always too busy for you, he has too many client.
The best agent are the one that work very hard and long hours. Many time you may not even know who they are when they are at the arena watching game. The best agent become not only the business partner but the friend who put the player first before taking the commission.
There is a difference in people agents who will sign every player they can and the one that only sign the player they really want. The best agent is not the used car salesman who will take any car on his lot to sell. The best agent is the one that will tell you the truth about what the player do well and what the player does not do well.
I write this today after I see too many bad agent in the last few week. Player and parent wanting to have agent because someone else on the team has agent. It is not a competition, having agent is not a status symbol.
If you have read this complete article you either have a very good agent, or you have a very bad agent. There is no such thing as agent that is just alright. For those that do not have agent, you now know the difference.
Coach
