The Most Challenging Sales Obstacle to Overcome
When Salespeople Turn Apathetic, Your Goals become Impossible to Achieve
Sports sales is hard. Sure, your friend selling copiers or insurance is going to tell you how much more challenging his job is than yours- make sure to remind him people need those things, nobody needs sports tickets- but once you work in the industry you know it can be quite challenging.
And many of us have not faced that challenge for quite a while. With building capacities in the 25% range, just about every team I talk to offered out seats to season ticket holders as a “goodwill” gesture. It was a customer service play, especially without knowing the comfort level of that customer regarding a venue full of fans, and a very easy interaction.
With more and more venues expanding capacity now, quite a few gearing up for 100%, we need to rev up that sales engine again. And mark my words, the sales process is going to be more challenging than it was before. Why, you ask? There are several reasons:
1. The lead pool is smaller – While COVID numbers are looking much better in many places, there are still some people who will not feel comfortable at a game yet- even if they are huge fans. Others may not want to wear a mask for 4 hours (if you require it). Some people have learned that they appreciate the experience more at home than they did before over the last 15 months. This point is not meant to judge the fan or your team’s policy, it is simply stating that due to differing mindsets, you have less people to sell seats to.
2. A sale today is much more complex – If you are an avid reader of all things SSG, you may recall our post from a few months back suggesting you lean on more experienced sellers as we ease out of pandemic restrictions. We thought that was the right approach because the sales process is a lot more involved these days. Depending on where you work, you may need to communicate a masking policy, a COVID testing policy, new methods of getting concessions, different points of entry. While incredibly important, all these things complicate your sales process and the more complex it is, the more opportunity there is for it to fall apart.
3. Your salespeople are out of practice – It has been quite a while since your team has had to really sell. Sure you made calls, set some meetings, and tried to sell things here or there during the past year-plus. But did you really have concrete goals that needed to be hit on a weekly or monthly basis? I am guessing you did not. That is going to change overnight and your sales team, as rested as you may think they are, may need to ease into things instead of immediately sprinting.
While all of these items worry me, the one that stands out the most is point three because it opens you up to dealing with apathy. I am just finishing a book called The New Climate War (I read books on lots of different topics, if you want to know why make sure to read the article on the Value of Range) where there is a lot of talk about doomism. This idea is described as feeling like something is a “lost cause, a hopeless fight”. When those feelings exist, people become despondent and removed- not ideal traits for a salesperson.
With your lofty new sales goals and reinforced activity expectations is your sales team going to feel that way?
If your team’s salespeople struggle to get moving as quick as you want and are intimidated by new goals and expectations that feel unrealistic, apathy will creep in. They will go through the motions, figure out ways to make it look like they are hitting your hustle metrics, and sell very little. Not a great recipe for keeping an executive team happy that is looking to make up for revenues lost over the past 15 months.
I have yet to find a more challenging thing to overcome as a sales leader than an apathetic salesperson. Reengaging those kinds of sellers is incredible time consuming, labor intensive, and worst of all, does not work all that often. I am sure many people reading will say, I will just get rid of that person(s) and move on. Do you remember how long that process takes?
Instead of reacting to apathy, I recommend proactively taking steps to avoid it. Goals and expectations are going to be enormous as we get back to full venues, but, even if your team president expects you to break the team’s all-time season ticket record next season, be genuine with your team and explain what you feel can be accomplished. Break goals down (monthly, weekly, or even daily) into something that feels manageable and offer insight into how to achieve them. Be supportive rather than demanding, at least for now. Communicate a ton.
While we all think salespeople are motivated by money, I have found that feeling like they are part of a greater team effort has nearly as much appeal. Develop that team atmosphere where everyone feels involved and connected. It is going to take a team effort to get to where your sales team is expected to go during this next sales cycle.
Need a pep talk before your next sales meeting? Let us know.