Selling the NBA

Selling the NBA

Eric Cole: Inside Sales Manager, Philadelphia 76ers

This was on of the best speakers of the conference; Ian explained that to him and his company sales have 5 pillars that determine overall success in sales.

1.     Commitment: Ian explained that in his career it’s all about hard work. He has to stay motivated and passionate about the company.

2.     Development: He encourages himself and his employees to keep learning as much as they possible can in order to further their career and keep growing. 

3.     Hustle: Ian explained that his job is fun but it also is a lot of work and at times it’s going to get hard. Hustle is one of the most important pillars employees must be willing to work as hard as they can and put in extra hours and effort in and out of the office.  

4.     Fun: Ian showed us some of the videos taken at the office and at events and the culture is full of fun competitions and fun team building activities like paintballing for example. Ian said that you should always take your job seriously but to never take yourself too seriously and make sure you have fun with your career.

5.     People: Being in the sales industry is all about people. He says that you have to have the right people on board in order to be successful. All employees should have the company’s and each others best interests in mind. Everyone should be able to help each other grow.

The Philadelphia 76ers are #3 in the NBA for season ticket holders sales because they sell memories and wow moments. Ian’s sales team is uses social media mainly as a way to sell ticket packages by looking at trending hashtags and tweets and posts related to the NBA of the team specifically. The team is so successful because of their awesome company culture; Ian stressed the fact that they embrace all success such as promotions with putting the employees name on a banner and hanging it in the office forever and cutting of the employees tie and framing it on the wall when they reach a certain amount of sales. They also participate in at least 76 hours of community service every year, which is important for the image of the company, team building, and of course giving back to the community.