A whole new ball game, but actually! Things like sports tickets, concerts, festivals, vacations leaving with nothing, but a few photos and memories. So how does one sell an experience versus selling a physical item or product that has lasting value and provides a solution? There has to be a focused emphasis on selling it as a once in a lifetime experience, something that is priceless, will create lasting memories with family and friends. With sporting tickets you have to sell the fan or spectator on the team that year, the environment of the stadium or arena, improvements that have been made, the memories that can be made. Often these types of events are sold by using story telling and drawing people into a story and allowing them to make that their reality. The internet has allowed for concerts and festivals to seem so real without being there, between Snapchat stories, Instagram posts, blog posts, etc. this in a sense serves as free advertisement and more than likely stirs individuals to want to participate in the festival the next year or the next time that band or individual is playing in their city.
This past Easter weekend, my family participated in the University of Michigan Spring Game. The school works to make this as realistic as a season game. Being a scrimmage against themselves, they make it hype by including the band, cheerleaders, the dance team, vendors, and students actively participating in the festivities by tailgating and being wild at the game. Along with this is free admission, a complete free trial to entice you to participate in supporting the team in the upcoming fall. As for my family we are just junkies and attend every home game as it is, but for people who have been fans for years and make it to the Spring Game and hopefully have an enjoyable experience they will be enticed to attend a competitive game in the fall.
The selling of experiences and events is different for many reasons as it is not a tangible item that you take home with you. Being able to target your prospect by tugging on heart strings or giving them a small taste of an experience is important to being successful in the field of selling.
BoweryJE22
I don’t think we have gone into this topic yet. Experiences are a pretty big deal nowadays, and I think it’s important to think about sales in that context. Great analysis!
I can imagine it would be a whole new challenge trying to sell something intangible to a client. many of the skills are transferrable, the key differnce is that you are selling an emotional response, as opposed to a physical product, or tangible service. this may require more effort on your, the salesperson’s, part.