From Cold Calls to Clicks: A Realistic Digitization Model for Season Ticket Sales

Season tickets are a source of stability and subscription-type economics for sports franchises. As such, effective season ticket sales are a major value driver. (Figure 1)

Most franchises sell season tickets using a sales force-intensive, white glove, go-to-market model. This is understandable based upon the platforms currently deployed, yet surprising considering the technology that exists to make this process more efficient and effective. This is especially true in an age where consumers can buy almost anything on-demand – ride-sharing, streaming, margarita machines, and electric vehicles.

Most sports executives would say that a sales model that emphasizes 1-to-1 interactions with fans, reinforced by league-level and ecosystem-wide training, helps a franchise solve several issues:

In other words, there are good reasons to not add digitization for its own sake. This is an important point. Our favorite example of how digitization can bite you is the point above about broker leakage. In economics, this is called a “selection problem” and results from information asymmetry between buyer and seller. Tickets are liquid assets and hence information sensitive. Posting a fixed price on a website for a season ticket is risky if there are sellers with better information than the franchise on the true value of the underlying tickets; trained salespeople can mitigate this. (The same phenomenon happens in insurance, and explains high deductibles, high premiums, pre-existing condition exclusions, and waiting periods.) Second, salespeople will always be essential to guide customers towards upsell. Without intervention, most customers will buy the least amount and assume they are getting a deal, when, in fact, the opposite is true.

Hence, a “human-in-the-loop” model is important. Nonetheless, we believe franchises have the scope to achieve an effective and innovative middle-ground that incorporates more digitization into season ticket sales. There is no doubt that customer habits are changing, and as a result, so must the industry.

The status quo has two issues. First is a dependency on current technology. While marketing and distribution technology has been tremendously positive for the industry, its limitations (and underinvestment at the league and franchise level) have created its own set of challenges. Specifically, franchises must reverse engineer their product strategies based on the prevailing tech infrastructure. Moreover, the current economic model disincentivizes the buildout of technology that sells season tickets.

Second is the legacy sales and staffing model itself. This model often trains and aligns staff for immediate top-line sales maximization vs. long-term scalable growth in line with customer needs.

We think a middle ground is possible. From opt-in renewals to a new outlook on sales team composition, we believe franchises can use several tools to drive sales more efficiently. We feel this transition can ensure that season ticket sales remain a positive part of a customer’s experience rather than an escalating cost center and a source of frustration.

A Little Digitization Goes a Long Way

We asked our Gen-Z colleagues about the ideal way to buy season tickets:

Alas, we as an industry are not there yet. But we do see an opportunity to incorporate incremental technology to improve the season ticket sales process and retention.

Some teams have made progress by shifting ticket sales onto team-owned platforms. One example that we like is the Nationals’ purchase flow called Nats TicketFinder.

This platform allows a fan to click through different options, including plan style, size, recommendations, and seat selection. This is all while having an option to chat with a representative. Similarly, the Cubs have built a group ticket sales platform, alongside 3D Digital Venue, that allows fans to self-select blocks of 15+ seats across multiple rows.

While the above requires greater investment, there are other minor tactics that move the needle. One is season ticket waitlists, which efficiently capture demand (though we caution that one should create lists only if you are willing to cultivate and maintain their value by continued engagement). Another is re-targeting customers who have abandoned their carts before checkout. Across your sales engine, generative AI applications could be a long-term potential solution although we have yet to identify best-in-class vendors.

Franchises should leverage technology to prioritize season ticket retention as much as new sales. The rationale is that the cost to renew an existing fan is lower than the cost to acquire a new one. Here, automation and timing are key. Some successful teams have programmed season tickets for auto-renewal with an opt-out model. Others start the renewal process early with automated messaging. Others utilize technology that scores customers based on their likelihood to renew. Why? After three consecutive years of their membership, retention rates take off. Here, technology can supplement a team’s sales staff.

However, optimizing sales technology is challenging. Teams must build on top of the legacy systems of a primary platform – a task neither simple nor cheap. Even a modest investment can be difficult to justify. Our view is that unless your franchise plans to change its primary ticketing platform in the next 3 to 5 years, it is worthwhile investment – alone or alongside partners. As consumer trends continue to shift, these capabilities will be increasingly important, and we expect proactive franchises to capture outsized gains.

Leverage Vendors, Efficiently: While investing in franchise-specific technology can be daunting, we have seen clubs effectively leverage vendors. Major League Baseball and Tickets.com (“TDC”) provide an instructive case study in how ticketing platforms can balance central features with club-level flexibility. Currently, more than two-thirds of MLB franchises use TDC. It offers a suite of standardized backend tools for common applications, and its strength lies in its open developer ecosystem. Approved vendors can integrate directly with the platform, allowing clubs to tailor their sales flow with custom solutions (e.g., loyalty programs, internal currency systems, or venue visualization). This may require additional investment for those on Ticketmaster, SeatGeek, or AXS, but worth pursuing over a 5-year time horizon.

In speaking with franchises, many have leveraged third-party vendors across the following components of ticket sales process:

But not every franchise uses every vendor category. Here, being selective about which vendors provide the greatest leverage to your sales team (i.e., greatest impact with the least effort) could be the most impactful decision.

The reason is that vendor sprawl presents its own set of challenges. Layering on third-party applications adds operational complexity. Teams must periodically reevaluate their list of vendors. We would propose that teams conduct a review of their vendors: (i) identify each vendor; (ii) evaluate their impact on revenue generation, cost reduction, and / or fan data retention; and (iii) compare that to the cost of the service. Ruthlessly prioritize and let that guide your decision of which are necessary. A simple process, performed at least once a year, can eliminate redundancy and ensure spending aligns with business outcomes.

Beyond an annual audit, we would suggest a few other measures. Utilize existing native features of your primary platform, to the extent they exist. Work with other franchises and, most importantly your respective League, to push for necessary improvements. As a last resort, consider switching to a different primary ticketing system. The overall goal should be to consolidate backend operations within a single, streamlined system. Ideally, this would not only enhance operational control but also mitigate revenue leakage and help scale your sales team.

Measuring the ROI of Sales: For franchises looking to scale efficiently, the key question is how to measure ROI. In our view, this comes in two flavors. First, is measuring the effectiveness of your sales team and each new hire. The second is understanding non-personnel-related investments that contribute to each season ticket sale.

When it comes to the sales team, teams should be less focused on the incremental revenue a new hire generates. Rather, they should focus on the incremental value he or she generates. Too often, the ROI calculation for sales hires fails to distinguish between net-new prospecting, organic inbound sales, and the long-term value of acquired or retained customers. A more rigorous approach starts with breaking down the real impact of a new hire: (a) how much new demand they can create, (b) how long will it be to harvest, and (c) how much of their time will be spent servicing customers who would have bought or renewed anyway.

A framework for measuring this is: how many full-season equivalents does a new hire need to sell to justify their cost? How many sales per year can they drive above a baseline? One way to define that baseline is to look at your lowest performing rep’s worst year over the last decade. This is the lowest organic volume that comes through the door with little skill or effort. If a new hire cannot outperform that benchmark, they may be nonessential. By institutionalizing this hiring discipline, franchises can curb unchecked headcount growth. Over time, this will lead to greater efficiency, revenue growth, and structurally higher gross margins.

Adjusting your compensation structure could also be a valuable tool. Compensation tied to gross sales overlooks the real value of relationship-building, which drives long-term retention and upselling opportunities. The highest impact reps deepen customer engagement. This means shifting incentives toward: (i) efficiency and (ii) retention. We believe that franchises that develop an internal model that measures and rewards these characteristics will grow long-term value.

Measuring non-personnel investment is also critical. One franchise to whom we spoke incorporates not only staffing and direct sales expenses, but also digital marketing and technology spend within the cost of sales. By including all sales-related costs, they can see a clearer picture of sales efficiency. It also helps franchises justify smarter spending as well as understand the tradeoff between personnel and technology.

Brokers and the Demand Cycle: When we originally previewed this paper with executives, they highlighted one glaring omission: What about brokers? Franchises currently use credit card ID verification technologies (e.g., Ekata, Accertify) to help qualify leads. But a human-led process (e.g., in-state credit cards only, waitlists and priority lists, and representative sign-off) was and remains necessary to prevent brokers from “feasting”. In other words, more face-to-face interactions with season ticket representatives is critical to exposing brokers. In the long term, there are some practices that sports betting operators use that could also work for franchises Think digital ID and photo verification, geolocation and device fingerprinting, and ongoing monitoring (especially if applied at scale across say an entire league).

But what governs the decision to maintain a human-led or switch to a technology-driven process is largely demand. Low demand markets (or products) can be more flexible with their use of technology. This might mean frictionless or digital access to tickets in the short term, with a process to identify brokers and restrict access should demand tighten. High-demand products or markets may always require sales rep verification (e.g., live customer interviews,) or escalation pathways (e.g., manual review). We understand this is a constant mental battle that teams face, with no one-size-fits-all answer.

Concierge Service and Event-Based Sales: While digitization can help source and convert prospective buyers; ticket sales still benefit from a concierge-like approach. This is critical for younger generations who value access over ownership. For them, the value lies in not only securing a seat, but also the experience that comes with it. Offering premium add-ons like club access, suite upgrades, and exclusive behind-the-scenes opportunities deepens engagement and builds long-term loyalty. In these instances, personal relationships ensure they stay.

Where teams should focus is on event-based sales. Whether meet-and-greets with players or in-game activations, creating moments with emotional connection drives purchasing behavior. By structuring sales around in-person events, teams can spend less time chasing leads and more time curating experiences that sell themselves. We recognize that high-impact sales (and renewals) still happen face-to-face. The most successful teams will be the ones that strike the right balance between efficiency and an individualized touch.

The season ticket sales model in sports remains a people-centric business. That’s okay. Teams do not need to choose between the status quo and a costly digital overhaul. A pragmatic middle ground is within reach – one that allows you to better know your fans and be intentional in your sales. Incremental advances – increased digitization, leveraging vendors, or even measuring the ROI of your sales efforts – can be sufficient to empower your sales teams. Crucially, franchises should sharpen their understanding of what drives true value. By embracing these tactics, clubs can modernize their sales processes while preserving season tickets as a cornerstone of fan engagement.

Acknowledgement:

We would like to thank the following individuals who generously shared their insights and expertise during the research phase of this white paper: Jake Kearns (SeatGeek), John Tierney (Major League Baseball), Michael Levine (Major League Baseball), Mark Plutzer (Major League Baseball), Steve Koonin (Atlanta Hawks), Matthew Jafarian (Miami Heat and 601 Analytics), Nick Arison (Miami Heat), Chris Weddige (Chicago Blackhawks), Matt Gray (Chicago Blackhawks), John Beaven (Golden State Warriors), and Bryan Strauss (Golden State Warriors).