John Matluck
Executive Vice President, Managing Director of Sales
John Matluck has been at ICON only since mid-2008, but with his 25-plus years of advertising and media experience, and his immediate grasp of the corporate-barter business model, it seems like he’s been here forever.
Says Mr. Matluck, “There are two main challenges to presenting this business and this company to prospective clients. First, you must establish trust as an individual. Without that, there’s no discussion. Second, you have to keep it simple, especially when speaking with someone who has not used barter before. You can confuse them fast with the vernacular and concept. I don’t expect anybody to become an expert in barter in one hour-long meeting, because I didn’t either. But I know we’re making progress when, after a fourth or fifth talk, people can explain the concept back to me or, better yet, describe it to others in the room. That’s when I know they get it. And, once they get it, they just want to know more and more about how it can benefit them.”
With responsibility for all areas of sales at ICON, including inside and outside sales groups, the sports-marketing group and ICON’s real-estate group, Matluck and his team have plenty of chances to help prospects “get it.” Says Matluck, “For most clients, we are the first point of contact. We have to get the information and the relationship off on a positive note.”
Prior to joining ICON, Matluck worked at Lifetime Entertainment Networks in New York City for 20 years, 10 as senior vice president of all national sales for Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network and Lifetime Real Women. In that role, he was responsible for on-air, online and marketing partnerships with combined revenue of more than $600 million. “At that time,” he says, “Nobody was going into cable. There were only about six major cable networks to speak of.” Prior to Lifetime, Matluck was an account executive at Storer Communications in New York, where he was consistently a top producer, selling spot television time in Boston, Atlanta, Detroit, San Diego, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Toledo.
It was during his stint at Lifetime that Matluck became intrigued with barter. “It was like cable all over again – something different,” he explains. “I guess I’ve always had a thing for zigging when other people zag! I had known [ICON chief executive officer] John Kramer and [ICON senior vice president] Reid Steinberg for decades. They approached me and – like our new prospects – after four or five meetings over the course of a year or so, the light went on.”
Matluck obtained a BS in business administration from Ithaca College.
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