by Kirk Wakefield – March 2013 Who started dynamic pricing anyway? Following deregulation in the early ’80s American Airlines initiated dynamic ticket pricing to deal with new low cost competitors. Extra points if anyone remembers People Express. People Express offered a simplified fare structure and was first to charge an extra fee for each checked…Continue Reading Dynamic parking? Who will be first?
by Bob Hamer – March 2013 “We talkin’ about practice, man.” ~Allen Iverson, May 7, 2002, Allen Iverson, 37, was out of the NBA before the time he reached 34. Kobe Bryant (34) spends his off-season making 2000 shots a day. With a rebounder and one ball Kobe can make 500 shots an hour.1 Former…Continue Reading Practice? We talkin’ about practice?
by Phillip Grieco – March 2013 It’s been nearly 18 years since the famous Seinfeld Soup Nazi episode aired. Yet “No soup for you!” still seems to roll off the tongue every time someone has the liquid delicacy. For Hale & Hearty, a popular NYC lunch destination, soup is truly at the core of their…Continue Reading Soup for you!
by Ben Milsom – March 2013 “Business is social. So my number one tip for impressing our recruiters is connect and interact with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter” says Monika Fahlbusch, SVP of Global Employee Success at Salesforce.com. We have far more advanced tools than ever to find information about anyone. For the right price…Continue Reading How has social media changed consultative selling?
by Jennifer Macintyre – February 2013 The Texas Rangers take staff to playoff and World Series games. Above, at the 2011 World Series: Elisa Bergstrom (wife), Taylor Bergstrom, Kevin Kimball (lucky friend), and Matt Bergstrom (brother). Motivation to sell What drives a top sales rep like Taylor Bergstrom as a Senior Account Executive for the…Continue Reading S3 Alumni Spotlight: Taylor Bergstrom, Texas Rangers
by Charles Johnson – February 2013 Make a hundred calls, cover the phones, get a sale, ask for a referral, and work the sales table. I’m tired of making all these calls! Some people are disrespectful! Why can’t people just say “not interested” instead of hanging up? My boss is getting on my nerves! Why…Continue Reading So you want a job in pro sports?
by Wade Graf – February 2013 Hundreds, even thousands, apply for any ticket sales position opening, flooding LinkedIn, PBEO and Teamwork Online with resumes and contacts trying anything to break in. Some fly to the Baseball Winter Meetings or various sports sales combines in hopes of speaking to any hiring manager willing to listen. If fortunate enough…Continue Reading Is integrity in sports sales a problem?
by Murray Cohn – February 2013 Last month we began our discussion on how to manage the new generation (Gen-Y) of sellers. We now turn to some specific ideas I’ve gathered from managers on how they help motivate their young salespeople. Maybe offering the double-donut burger (above) as an incentive might work. Well, thankfully we…Continue Reading Part 2: Managing the next generation of sellers
by Murray Cohn – January 2013 Part 1 “I want it all. I want it now.” On a recent team visit I met an entry level ticket seller who’d been there two months. He said, “Murray, I am ready to manage my own staff. I know everything I need to learn about ticket sales.” Laughing,…Continue Reading How to manage the new generation of sellers
by Kirk Wakefield – January 2013 What makes a passionate fan? A passionate fan devotes heart, mind, body, and soul to the team. The consequences of a passionate fan base are increased ticket, media, merchandise and sponsorship revenue to the team. But what are the antecedents to fan passion? What causes fans to be passionate?…Continue Reading What drives fan passion?