Barrett sponsors Victorian Institute of Sports

Elite Athletes Find the Key to Corporate Success

Sue Barrett has been associated with the VIS since its inception in 1990. Her company, BARRETT Pty Ltd, has been a major sponsor of the VIS ACE (Athlete Career & Education Program) since 1998. Sue's aim and that of her company is to help VIS athletes promote themselves effectively and earn what they are worth beyond the track, field or pool. Key to BARRETT's success is working with the whole person to develop their potential to engage in productive work relationships with the bigger picture in mind. This approach aligns them very well with the VIS and the ACE goals and values.

For many athletes their high profile success is not just about the colour of their medals. Barrett Pty Ltd has been training elite athletes, like Tae Kwon Do Gold Medallist Lauren Burns, Judo Bronze Medallist Maria Pekli and Paralympian Pentathlon Bronze Medallist Don Elgin, on prospecting , self promotion, selling and sales planning since 1998. Research shows very few people have the luxury of waiting around to be courted. The world of corporate sponsorship is very different from elite training, and although they take to it quickly, the athletes have to learn how to effectively self promote, access corporations and negotiate with a strong sense of their own value. The athletes learn how to identify opportunities and promote themselves on a consistent basis. The results have been outstanding, with several of the athletes gaining large corporate sponsorship deals. Don Elgin, who raised his public profile during the Sydney Paralympics with appearances on national television and radio says, "Not only am I better equipped to source and negotiate sponsorships, but the course has had a positive impact on my confidence and this has assisted the promotional work at my place of employment."

Sue and the team at BARRETT look forward to a long assocaitiion with the VIS and ACE program.

Some testimonials from the athletes who have gone through our devlepoment programs:

"At the time I did the Barrett program I was a VIS scholarship holder and no one knew about paralympic athletes and there was certainly no sponsorship for them. The Barrett process educated and empowered me to take action to get out there and educate the market and secure sponsorships. The best thing I learnt was that the worst people could say to me was 'NO' and that was a revelation because it meant that everything was possible. I was able to tap into the potential I already had and this helped me have the confidence to get out there and give it a go. When I started the Barrett program I was a Postie. Using what I learnt I was able to move through Customer Service and Business Account Management roles to my current role of National Marketing Coordinator for the Philatelic division of Australia Post. I have also adapted what I have learned at Barrett to all parts of my life including my work with the Juvenile Justice System and my family where I help my young daughters to develop their public speaking skills and their ability to see the good in people. Whilst I have achieved a number TWO ranking in the world for my sport and success in my career, I have come to realise that having children is the greatest honour and challenge of all. I now know that I need to make sure I leave a legacy that helps them unlock and achieve their potential whatever that may be."

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"At the time I attended the Barrett program I was completing VCE. The program helped me on a number of levels: it gave me the tools and information to stop procrastinating, wasting time by being a perfectionist and other avoidance behaviours which had been affecting my studies and my sport. It helped me increase my confidence levels and allowed me to trust in my abilities. I became more professional, efficient and effective at sport and in work so much so I felt confident to take on challenges which I otherwise would have not pursued. One of the best things I learnt was how to channel my energy into goals I wasn't previously achieving. I don't waste time any more. I manage my schedules better e.g. I do 2 hours of quality cricket training rather than one hour quality and one hour of wasting time. Through the confident teaching of techniques and information, Barrett provide the opportunity for self exploration giving people insights into themselves so they can improve and make changes to their unproductive habits which results in a better opportunities in their career and life as a whole."

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"...I might have been a successful sports person... opportunities have run past me because I was afraid of being rejected...your workshop opened my eyes...it made me realise that my only competitor was myself and it is me stopping me from getting ahead...there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I am looking forward to reaching it..."

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