Craig Cugno has had his work cut out for him, because as much as he wants to have two winning college basketball teams, it means that he has to work that much harder to get their off-site arenas filled up each, eight times a year. Good problems to have. Cugno discusses his start in minor league baseball, selling minor league hockey, then going to the University of Rhode Island athletics, before the University of Connecticut. At the end of it all, Cugno still focuses on the idea that group sales and training matters above all else, because success on the field or court can be fleeting, but good sales techniques will stay forever.
Kyle has had three stints with the Phoenix Suns, first as an intern, then as a group sales rep, then finally, back to take the lead of the organization's overall ticket sales strategy, now as Senior Vice President of Ticket Sales & Service. Kyle shares his vision of how the Suns have managed to do the impossible, create a 133-game sell-out streak off of the backs of the pandemic, and create one of the biggest brands in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Kyle also talks about some of the legacy issues surrounding ticket sales in general, how to mold new account reps into the fold and how to innovate in sport.
Kathy Burrows has been a guest and friend of the podcast for over a decade. So its fitting that she be the first guest since 2019, when the podcast was last updated. Things have changed in the industry, for the better, as the phone crusher model seems to be dead or dying. Kathy talks about what she has learned, especially by asking those buyers what is being done right or wrong to sell them, and how she has incorporated critical thinking leadership training into her sales model for upper management.
Jason Taylor loves to talk his passion, which is group sales. Rebooting the Jacksonville Sharks’ group sales efforts for the Arena Football League team, Taylor talks about why group sales matter, and how to increase those 20 ticket group buys into a 200 tickets group buy. Taylor talks about his original break in sports with the New Jersey Nets organization as part of the inside sales unit, then his time at Muncie as part of PMI College’s out-bound efforts at Ball State University.