In 2016, when I graduated university I vowed one thing: I would never work in sales.
In 2018, during a job interview I attested the exact opposite: working in group sales was the best thing I could have done for my career.
Follow along for a second. At the start of the 2017-18 OHL season, a need for a group sales person was identified to increase ticket sales, a position the organization did not currently have. After a few adjustments, a portion of my job became completely dedicated to group sales. Unchartered territory. The exact area I vowed never to enter.
Yet when I stepped back, I could see the bigger picture, with an equation that looked something like this: I become the best group sales person the organization has ever had = I will have leverage to use as I negotiate an expansion in my role into areas I want. With this mindset driving me, I did just that… and I started producing results.
So, it began…
Undoubtedly, you’ve heard it before – sales is the lifeline of sports teams. For smaller market clubs and teams outside of the top four leagues in North America, the importance becomes that much more. But to fully understand it, you need to immerse yourself in it. Just like to fully understand how slowly a minute passes when you’re holding plank, you have to be on those elbows.
So, all of a sudden, everything in my brain started to revolve around group sales – social media, community initiatives, you name it. It was no longer about just getting the community to engage with the team, it was about bringing them inside the building. It was about sharing something I was passionate about. It was about sharing my hockey team.
My job was never about selling to make money and commissions. I had no sleezy or slimy intention behind selling a hockey ticket, beyond delivering an experience and sharing something I cared about and believed in. My job was about building connections with people in the community and doing everything in my power to have them enjoy their time together at the game.
That’s what group sales is. And as someone who loves hockey or has a desire to build a career in the game, the sincerity in your actions will be clear.
The team won 17 of 68 games that season, finishing dead last in the OHL. Could be better, could be worse. The thing is, it never mattered to my role in groups sales. I still was able to actually produce solid results. I didn’t once talk about how the team was doing because selling a hockey ticket was never all it was about: it was about the experience.
In 98% of follow ups and thank you’s after their game, the group didn’t care about the loss. I heard people share the moments they became fans, listened to their unforgettable stories from the time their children shared with players, and watched their face light up as they saw the inside of the dressing room for the first time.
What started out as an unwanted part of my job, became beneficial to my understanding of the operations of a junior hockey team. Let’s face it – you can never go wrong with more knowledge on different areas of any business. I came to realize everything in the organization always came back to sales.
Just as what life is supposed to be, it became a learning opportunity. An important one too.
When I left the Ontario Hockey League, I had gained invaluable experience in almost all functional areas of a team – from communication and social media, game presentation, sponsorship, marketing, accounting, events and, of course, group sales. I wouldn’t change that period of learning for the world. Simultaneously, as I started to understand where my passion was, I paid closer attention to the opportunities I needed to take advantage of to allow me to build skills I needed.
I can’t be certain what my future career will bring, but I can say with confidence that group sales has been a beneficial part of my development.
Starting in sales doesn’t mean ending there, but it’s a good foundation to develop.
Sara
