Sales Lesson from Coors Field: The Sales Tag-Team
June 22nd, 2006 by Megan Mahan
My parents are visiting me in Denver this week [Hi, parents!], and this past Tuesday evening, we hit a Colorado Rockies game at Coors Field. We sat in front of five guys in their late-20s and together they were walking, talking and drinking baseball almanacs. We’re talking 100 years of baseball statistics–I even heard them reference some minor-leaguers.
By the fourth inning, the almanacs had become the butt of a couple [harmless] jokes and snickers between my dad and I; little did I know one of them was about to say something intelligent.
We’d all taken notice of one of the “beverage” vendors, who made his presence known by singing in a low, soulful voice at the top of the stairs. There wasn’t a head that didn’t turn upon hearing this guy’s voice, and there wasn’t a pair of eyes that didn’t follow him down the stadium steps.
“ABC, baby,” said one of the almanacs behind me.
“What?” asked another.
“Always Be Closing. That guy doesn’t start with ‘do you want to buy [a cold, tasty beverage]‘, he’s closing right out of the gate with this crazy tune. I bet he sells more [cold tasty beverages] than any vendor in here. Plus he’s got his own schtick–he totally stands out from the rest.”
Now, I haven’t heard “Always Be Closing” for a long time. And as outdated and cliché as it seems, the almanac made two closely-related points, probably without even realizing it.
Said vendor has a stadium full of prospects, and he knows what they want–a cold, tasty beverage. In fact, I’m sure a cold, tasty beverage may even be considered a “need” to some prospects. And the vendor knows he’s got just the product to fulfill the prospects’ wants and needs. But he’s not going to sell anything by being a wallflower like the cotton candy guy in the next isle. Nope, the vendor is going to find a tactic that’s all his own, and he’s going to put it right in the prospect’s face. And he’s going to sell a ridiculous amount of beverage.
The vendor has successfully played to the needs and desires of the prospects and found a way to market the product that’s radically different than the next salesperson. It’s the ultimate sales tag-team.
What can you glean from a beverage vendor at a Rockies game? You’ve got what the prospect wants and very much needs. That’s half of your sale right there. And while I’m not suggesting that you sing to your prospect (or maybe I am…), you’re going to have to find some way to stand out from the guy or girl next to you.
So…what’s your ultimate sales tag-team?
