Sales Reps: Death by Technology?

The world of sales is changing. The customer, the salesperson, the environment, the need, want, the desire. Everything is changing. It's changing faster than most can keep up with.

Andy Hoar, a Forrester e-commerce analyst, states that more than 1 million sales reps will lose their jobs by 2020. 

As Troy Kirby has recently written about, the sales rep role in sport sales is changing as well - so much so that a growing majority believe that there will be a 'narrowing' of the industry. A change of the guard so to speak. A general rule of thumb is there will be less of a need for sales reps and more of a need for technology to provide the platform to connect buyers with tickets - currently the secondary market, but quickly merging with the primary market. That is definitely a true assessment, as the technology and knowledge that sports teams currently employ are unequivocally behind, not only other industries but also, the secondary ticket market.

However, with hypothetical narrowing and a simple platform to connect buyers with tickets, the two become just that. Buyers and tickets. Where's the emotion? The relationship? In that scenario there isn't any.

Ticket sales to me is all about relationship building period. The stronger the relationship, the better. The more trust I can gain with the client or prospect, the better. That trust is earned, not given.

My wife runs Nicole Bryan Salon, a salon in Carmel, IN, and one of the 'ah-ha moments' I took away from a past sales training with The 800-Pound Gorilla, Bill Guertin, was - develop a hair dresser relationship. What a great idea! People tell their hair dresser things they don't tell their best friends. Not that I want to know my clients' latest gossip, but it was great advice and very telling about the power of strong relationships.

Another hair salon example - I was getting my haircut this week and my stylist asked about trying a new method. My response? 'You're the professional. Whatever you think.' And guess what? The end result was great. That's the type of relationship I believe salespeople should strive for with their clients.

Building relationships take time. They don't develop overnight. The relationship merely starts when a prospect makes a purchase, not when you start the sales process. Yes, you form a relationship during the sales process, but for me, the relationship is cultivated after. It is cultivated with follow up calls and emails before the season, during the season, and beyond.

In my opinion, the most critical time to earn someone's trust and continue the relationship-building process is during your season, in their seats or premium area. Witnessing your client consuming your teams product, learning more about their family, their business, their hobbies, how they are using their tickets, meeting their guests they've brought with them, handling any issues that may arise (they inevitably do, and I want to be the one settling them - not an usher or another staff member) is invaluable.

Doing business with someone you trust and someone you think of as a friend - 'you're ticket guy or gal' is the ultimate objective. It's hard to tell you're friend no! It's also easier to talk to a friend about a suggestion you may have to improve their experience - because they know, you are the professional.

When you have a solid relationship with someone you become a confidant or trusted advisor. Your client will start leaning toward you for advice. The premium event that you knew would be a great fit when they first purchased with their ticket package, suddenly becomes a reality because you suggest it again after you develop that 'hair dresser relationship.'

By simply clicking on a website, finding a 'good deal', and buying tickets to an event none of the above is achieved. No relationship, no emotion. Sure, you may have some trust in the site you buy the tickets from, but simply because you've done it before with no issues - not because you've formed a relationship with the seller.

The landscape of sales is changing, but those who adapt to the change will always have job security. People like doing business with someone they know and like. And that is something that will never change!

Garrett