Group Sales: You Need a Plan. Guest Post From Bryan Ralston!
Good morning!
I’m trying something new today by offering you a guest post.
I've been emailing people about what they want or need to learn, and one of the topics that keeps returning: group sales.
So, I asked my friend, Bryan Ralston, what he thought about the topic and he wrote a quick piece on how he’s taught his group sales teams to approach group sales because the calendar and sales cycle can be a bit different from season tickets or single ticket sales.
Bryan has worked in the NBA, WNBA, G-League, AFL, and baseball.
He’s a Cleveland guy and loves the lakes of Ohio!
Let me turn it over to Bryan!
Let me know if you like the idea of guest posts from folks around the world.
Join me in the Slack Channel.
The boy never played lacrosse before 6th grade. Now he plays goalie on the top middle school team.
They had their first game on Thursday and the two goalies combined for a shutout.
After the game, they mob the goalie.
If you work in group sales for an NBA or G League team, you may be watching the calendar as the regular season has come to an end. If you’ve done well, you’ve hit your goals - and if you are lucky, the playoffs are here and represent additional opportunities.
There’s another calendar to watch - the calendar for your local schools. It’s mid-April and you may have just a few weeks or so before kids start to depart for summer break, and the coaches and athletic directors become harder to reach.
Why does this matter? Many teams invite high school basketball teams to play an official game at their arenas. Other opportunities may include practice sessions at the arena, fundraiser outings, meet and greets or pre-game recognition events on the court. Perhaps you’ve put together a few of these events as part of your group sales campaign or maybe you’ve seen these done well in other markets.
Timing is critical to success in organizing group outings. You need to be in touch with the right people at the right time. If you haven’t already done so, spend some time now on the key group sales category of high school/middle school basketball teams.
Here are three things to do to set yourself up for success in the fall when school begins and scheduling season begins for group sales teams.
Create a testimonial video with a coach or AD and content to share that recaps recent high school games played at your venue. This can help your reps tell the story when they talk to other interested teams and allow them to set appointments with coaches and AD’s in your market.
Audit your database, and update it for coaching changes, new athletic director appointments, and even new school or conference changes. Do you have current info for each school within a 2-3 hour drive of your venue? In some markets, high schools have traveled long distances because the experience is so great at NBA games.
Hold an event at your arena to share why schools should play a game there. Send personal invites to coaches and athletic directors and follow up via phone, email, text, and social. This could be a pre-game event or halftime reception at a playoff game or held on a non-game day. In your invites be sure to include schools that have never participated, schools that have recently participated, and schools that have participated but not in the last 3-5 years.
September and October are busy times in the NBA and by then, most high school games are already scheduled. So get ahead of it now and set yourself up for success in 24/25!
What did I miss? What are you seeing in your market?
bralston618@gmail.com or via X @bryanralston
#groupsales #ticketsales
Need help with your ticket sales strategy? Reach Bryan at bralston618@gmail.com.
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Question of the week: What is the number one thing you are seeing in your market concerning ticket sales right now?
Let me know and I will share some of them in an upcoming newsletter.
DW