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 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.”
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:
- Concentrate on doubling revenue on each of your accounts. In other words, focus on turning each small account into a bigger one.
- Ask for referrals. Closing rates increase with a referral to qualified, interested prospects.
- 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.
- 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.”