Nic Barlage is part of a fascinating new territory when it comes to the NBA and dynamic ticket sales. Not only do the Cavs dynamically price their seats and/or premium seating, but they also use the same model for their suites while also considering concessions to put in the variable pricing mix. Barlage discusses some of the new enhancements that the Cavs had pioneered, including Flash Seats, which has allowed them to earn the second-highest renewal rate in 2012-13 of non-NBA playoff teams at 89 percent.
A companion to this podcast is a special minicast exclusively for premium subscribers, where Nic Barlage discusses how to implement a proper “pricing communication plan” to a sales staff.
If the name sounds familiar, it’s not your imagination. The Veeck moniker is almost a baseball legend thanks to the efforts of Night Train’s grandfather (Bill) and his father (Mike). But Night Train is no slouch himself, the man learned his crazy minor league marketing as part of The First Family of Fun, working for the family’s Charleston RiverDogs as their sales manager/promotions for 12 years, working everywhere from sales, promotions to the grounds crew and gameday operations. Now at the Chicago White Sox, a franchise that his grandfather once owned, Night Train is a group sales executive with a rising future. Night Train discusses his family history, the story behind his nickname, and what the fans really want when they go to a ball game. Twitter: VeeckAsInWreck
A companion to this podcast is a minicast exclusive to premium subscribers, where Veeck talks "Online Competition"
One of the top baseball sales minds in the country is Andrew Silverman. He’s been with four different professional teams; Director of Tickets with the Anaheim Angels; Vice President with the Columbus Blue Jackets; Executive Vice President with the Texas Rangers; and now Senior Vice President of Sales & Service with the Miami Marlins. Silverman knows the ticket game well, discussing dynamic pricing, season & packages sales, smaller ballparks of the future and gives his thoughts on the secondary market, which he sees as the biggest challenge to professional teams.
Sheldon Arsenault is a seven-year veteran of hockey administration, hiring a new sales staff at the WHL's Vancouver Giants as well as implementing several strategies for success. Arsenault eliminates some of the mythos about the Canadian hockey fan, especially the idea that it doesn't take much to get fans in the building up in the Great White North. Arsenault talks about the Giants' marketing strategies, especially growing a fan base even when its not a winning season.
Robert Kingston oversees ticket services for the Sacramento Kings, focusing on sales, customer service and relationships. With Maloof Sports & Entertainment for the past 7 years, Kingston talks about how to keep fans around after the first initial purchase, what NBA teams look for in terms of new prospecting of potential customers, and the development of a sales staff from top to bottom. Kingston discusses identification traits in both customers and complainers, fostering one while not enabling the other.
A companion minicast to this is available exclusively to premium members on the iOS app (available in the Apple App Store). The minicast focuses on "Retention Tips" for sales staff looking to keep customers long term.
Jason Martin has been at the forefront of out-bound ticket sales at major universities since joining Ohio State in 2008. Martin's leadership oversaw the building & subsequent leading of a brand new outbound ticket sales department (from the ground up). While other university athletic departments contract out their ticket sales to third party companies, The Ohio State's model has focused on non-football sales, earning $125k in its first year to over $1 million in year 4. Martin talks ticket sales, building a staff, customer service and serving every sport that the Buckeye sells admission to.
A companion to this podcast is "Defeating Campus Roadblocks" which is available to premium subscribers who download the FREE iOS/Android App (available in the smart phone/tablet marketplaces).
Bill Guertin is an expert speaker and sales motivator, with 25+ years in successful small-market broadcast advertising sales, medical sales, and sales training. CEO of The 800-Pound Gorilla, a sales improvement company that works with a diverse mix of companies and individuals to help them become the dominant player (the "800-Pound Gorilla") in the market they serve. Bill's affiliated company, Stadium Gorilla, works specifically with the ticket sales departments of professional sports teams, including those in the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS, NASCAR, and others. Bill is the author of two books, including "Reality Sells: How to Bring Customers Back Again and Again By Marketing Your Genuine Story," (WBusiness Books) and "The 800-Pound Gorilla of Sales: How To Dominate Your Market" (John Wiley & Sons). Guertin talks ticket sales on the podcast, as well where the sports industry is headed.
A companion piece is "Diagnosing Prospects" which is exclusive to Premium Subscribers. Download the FREE App in the iOS/Android App store to listen to this exclusive material.
"East Bay Moneyball" may not get a movie made about it, but the concept of dynamically pricing baseball tickets has been just as controversial for the San Francisco Giants as its cousins in Oakland had with who they chose to stick in the batting lineups. SF Giants VP of Ticket Services & Customer Relations Russ Stanley brought the concept to Major League Baseball and was able to show success with a new revenue stream since adopted by several professional teams across sports. Stanley sits down to talk about what dynamic pricing is, how he sold the team's ownership on its implementation, and why the concept is not only good for the bottom line, but also for the fans who want to see a Pirates v. Giants game on a Tuesday night. While the team has won two of the last three World Series, its also achieved a larger success at the gate, selling out over 150 straight home games. Twitter: @SFGiants
The words "Dynamic Pricing" are vogue throughout professional sports. But few understand them as well as Dr. Jan Eglen, Ph. D. As CEO of Digonex Technologies, Dr. Eglen oversees a vast operation which has helped look at pricing indicators for professional teams since the early 2000s. Dr. Eglen explains the various misconceptions of why dynamic pricing should not be feared, including the wrong idea that dynamic pricing for sports tickets has anything to do with the airline industry. Dr. Eglen expands to talk about how ancillaries in the arena has the capability of the next dynamic pricing model and why one of new skillsets for working in the sports industry's revenue side may include information technology experience. Twitter: @Digonex
A companion to this podcast is a Digonex Case Study PDF, available to premium subscribers of the FREE iOS/Android Podcast App for your smart phone/tablet device.
Brian DiTucci has spent over 11 years with the Oakland Athletics, moving up the ranks from a Ticket Sales Representative to the Director of Ticket Sales, focusing on new season ticket sales, group sales, and suite bookings. DiTucci talks about the Service & Value concepts with his sales floor methodology, why discounting randomly can harm a franchise’s ticket base, and how to develop new fans by providing “added value” to the entire experience. Twitter: @BDIT10