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account executive

Using In-Depth Metrics to Improve Sales Rep Performance

kirk_wakefield 2014, CRM, Luxury Suites & Premium Tickets, Relate, Sell, Tickets December 2, 2014November 1, 2018account executive, accountability, analytics, compensation, contests, inside sales, metrics, motivation, numbers, reps, Sales, sales management, ticket sales strategy, training 0 Comment
Using In-Depth Metrics to Improve Sales Rep Performance
by Drew Ribarchak – December 2014

Every sales manager wants the team to sell more full season plans, lower level seats and premium inventory. In-depth metrics allows you to reinforce and hold reps accountable to the goals and objectives your department wishes to achieve instead of saying the basic anecdote of “sell more X.” The most important metric is total revenue and total seats sold. If we better understand how to arrive at the total number, we can develop a strategic way to grow it.

In-depth Metrics to Track

Average ticket price (ATP) or yield is a measuring tool to ensure  reps focus on driving lower level and premium inventory. Driving full season ticket equivalents (FSE) is crucial to the success of a ticket sales department, but selling a higher percentage of seats in the upper bowl will make it increasingly difficult to achieve revenue goals alongside FSE targets. In the last two seasons, the Columbus Blue Jackets have increased the ATP of new FSE sales by over 26% while growing the overall season ticket base each season.

You must have a purpose for the data you spend time and resources to retrieve. The most time consuming portion of reporting may be building and formatting the initial report. After the report is created you can simply import/export when you want to review.

Compensation & Contests

In addition to regular reporting, motivation must be in place to reward achieving key organizational metrics. Adjusting compensation plans and contest qualifications will help push the philosophy into action. For example, raise commission percentages on lower level inventory. The reps typically gravitate to the easiest ways to most affect their own bottom lines. You could test this in a contest by allowing only lower bowl and premium sales revenue count towards the short term contest.

Training

When reviewing data on sales performance, a couple of basic questions to ask are:

  1. How does the rep currently compare to meeting or exceeding the company expectation?
  2. How does the rep currently compare to peers within the ticket sales team or department?

If you notice a trend of a rep consistently falling well below expectations, one-on-one training sessions can help identify areas for improvement. Since reps have different motivational and behavioral styles, you must use your situational leadership skills to improve the rep’s individual performance.

Carl Manteau, Director of Group Sales, Milwaukee Bucks, offers insight:

Carl Manteau
Carl Manteau

Using metrics to “motivate” is a delicate thing – use too many numbers and the reps will think you are micromanaging, which greatly stifles motivation. Use too few and you lose accountability. Reps not held accountable tend to be less driven. I tend to hold some numbers back until they can be used for emphasis, either to show how well we are doing or when we need to pick our game up. I send out the weekly numbers to create accountability and promote a culture of healthy competition.

Additional metrics to measure with the assistance of a CRM/Analytics Department:

  • Lead Origin
  • B2B vs. Consumers
  • Face to face compared to phone sales ( 7.9% higher ATP, 23% higher total sale)
  • Average number of contacts to close a new sale
  • Close % among leads

Takeaways

In summary, as a sales manager you can use numbers to improve performance. Regular reporting with in-depth metrics will be most effective when it is:

  1. Aligned to achieve organizational objectives
  2. Supported with training
  3. Increases accountability towards realistic expectations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

S3 Alumni Spotlight: Taylor Bergstrom, Texas Rangers

kirk_wakefield About S3, Careers, S3, S3 Spotlight, Sell, Tickets, Work ethic February 10, 2013November 2, 2018account executive, career path, cross-sell, phone sales, referrals, revenue, Sales, selling, sportsbiz, Texas Rangers 0 Comment
S3 Alumni Spotlight: Taylor Bergstrom, Texas Rangers
by Jennifer Macintyre – February 2013
Taylor Bergstrom
Taylor Bergstrom (S3 ’07)

 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 Texas Rangers?

“Seeing my name at the top of the Big Board sales chart is extremely rewarding to me because it shows my hard work pays off,” explained Bergstrom. Taylor’s competitiveness motivates his day-to-day work ethic, but as rewarding is meeting clients at games and seeing them enjoy experiences at the Ballpark in Arlington.

Taylor has always had a strong competitive spirit to win. Brayson Burchfiel, Taylor’s roommate for three years in Dallas, explains,

“From the times playing golf with Taylor, every little detail about the game keeps him engaged. Even if he hits a good shot but not quite up to his expectations, Taylor will look for ways to improve on the next hole. I think this same concept can be applied to his professional life and the successes he’s had with the Rangers. Taylor will do what it takes to beat his competition, and in this case, his competition is to win against the other members on his sales team. He will look for the competitive advantage to do just that.”

Jason Fortune
Jason Fortune

Taylor’s managers have appreciated watching him grow to be one of the top salespeople at the Rangers. “I’ve worked alongside Taylor for over six years. He has always gone well above and beyond the call of duty,” explained Jason Fortune, Season Ticket Sales Manager at the Texas Rangers. “He provides superior customer service to all of his accounts while consistently being one of the top generators in new business revenue.  Taylor takes pride in all aspects of his job and always displays great character and a team first attitude.”

Career path of a sports sales executive

A native of nearby Carrolton, Taylor’s preparation as a major in Baylor’s Sports Sponsorship & Sales (2007) program provided the opportunity to work with his hometown Texas Rangers straight out of college.  After spending one year in inside sales, Taylor was promoted to an outside sales position serving corporate clients from the Rangers’ corporate office in Dallas.

In 2010, Nolan Ryan took over the team and all sales offices returned to the Ballpark. There, Taylor was promoted to a Full Service Season Ticket Sales position. Then in March 2012, Taylor was promoted to his current job of Senior Account Executive, which includes premium suite sales. One of Taylor’s goals is to eventually be able to share and mentor other young salespeople as a manager.

Learned along the way

When asked about the keys to successful selling, Taylor offered four great tips:

  1. Concentrate on doubling revenue on each of your accounts. In other words, focus on turning each small account into a bigger one.
  2. Ask for referrals. Closing rates increase with a referral to qualified, interested prospects.
  3. Cross-sell. Cross-selling helps clients who may have originally bought for company events also find ticket packages and other events to meet additional needs. Conversely, season ticket holders may be interested in group outings or other events.
  4. Pick up the phone. Making more phone calls always gives you more chances. It’s like they say, “Selling is a contact sport. It takes contact to make sales.”

So you want a job in pro sports?

kirk_wakefield Careers, Networking, Personal Development, Sell, Tickets, Work ethic February 1, 2013November 2, 2018account executive, break into sports, competitive, inside sales, premium sales, pro sports, sales career, Sixers, The Dungeon, work ethic 2 Comments
So you want a job in pro sports?
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 am I doing all the work? It seems like all the senior reps do is walk around the venue visiting fans or sitting in suites and talking sports with potential clients. Wow, when do I get to move up?

That is how it can feel to be an Inside Sales rep. It’s an entry level position of continual sales training sessions, crammed next to co-workers, making hundreds of outbound calls to prospects and getting paid pennies compared to senior sales reps. We called our inside sales room, “The Dungeon.” No windows, small cubes, no space to stretch out, and a whiteboard showcasing either remarkable or dreadful sales numbers.

I remember competing with twelve other reps for one or two senior rep positions. Not only were we competing for a promotion, but also commissions.  When I received my first commission check, that’s when I knew I wanted to be a sales rep for a pro sports team: $550 bucks. YEAH BUDDY! My mind was made up. I saw my efforts determined my pay check as well as my career path. GAME ON![dropshadowbox align=”right” effect=”lifted-both” width=”250px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]Truths of Inside Sales

  1. If the glamour of sports is what attracts you, buy season tickets.
  2. A career in sports sales requires internships, networking, extreme work ethic, and proven competitiveness.
  3. Winners always go above and beyond what is expected.[/dropshadowbox]

How do you break into sports?

The most frequent question I hear is “how do I break into the industry?”  I immediately turn skeptical because most people usually think it’s about watching games, connecting with players, and being in a fun and exciting environment. But what they don’t know is I’m in sales. In many ways I am no different than the guy selling insurance or home mortgages.  I just get to sell the NBA.

Internships. As a hiring manager the first thing I look for in a candidate is internship experience. Internships show an understanding that the job is difficult and not glamorous.  It provides exposure to sales teams and management and allows access to build relationships with managers and others in the industry. I often see hundreds of resumes to only hire 2 to 3 reps. The industry is highly competitive and specific keys are essential to getting in. Network at all cost, attend job fairs, read up on the industry, and pick up the phone and sell yourself.

[dropshadowbox align=”right” effect=”lifted-bottom-right” width=”250px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]

Dan Rosenthal
Dan Rosenthal

“The best piece of advice a professor gave me in college is, “It’s not who you know; it’s who KNOWS you!”  Meeting someone is the first step, but maintaining a relationship with them is CRITICAL to your success. These relationships will allow you to stand out among a crowded and competitive pool of people who want to get into the industry. In addition, you’ll get much better advice, innovative ideas, and growth opportunities because of the relationships you have… not because of the business cards you’ve collected.”[/dropshadowbox]

Preparation. The Texas Rangers found my resume on Monster.com, no joke. The Inside Sales Manager for the Rangers at that time had two reps search for candidates on the web.  They brought me in for an interview and I met with the Inside Sales Manager and then the VP of Ticket Sales. I’ll never forget the role play with the VP right on the spot: “Okay, Charles sell me something.”  Those were his exact words. I was so nervous, but at that moment I remembered my first sales job while at Texas Tech calling alumni for contributions. I used the same pitch again. Ten minutes later they offered me the job.

The typical sport sales career path

The typical career road map consists of three sales positions before moving into the three levels of sales management (manager, director, vice-president).

  • Inside Sales: Set a foundation base on work ethic, developing sales skills, and tracking sales performance. Deals are typically discrete transactions for ticket packages.
  • Account Executive (season tickets or groups):  Manage  your customer base, focusing on relationship selling and closing high value deals. Most deals at this level become moderate or complex sales.
  • Premium/Suites: Recognized for your achievements, you are now an expert compared to the novice you were when you first stepped into inside sales.  All sales are complex with a higher value, as you often sell to corporate accounts.

Conclusion

Generating revenue will lead to a career.  Don’t work to reach minimums (i.e., the job description). Go above and beyond. Winners in this business are team players who keep open lines of communication with supervisors and co-workers.

 

Stay hungry. Stay humble. Stay hustling!

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