Why sport ticket salespeople leave their jobs: applying attribution theory to employee turnover

Popp, Nels; Sattler, Liz A.; Pierce, David A.; Shreffler, Megan B.

doi:10.1504/ijsmm.2022.124048

Cited by 4 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…Studies comparing salespeople who remain working within the sport industry with those who leave, remain scarce. Popp et al (2022) partially filled this gap by surveying those who left sport sales positions about why they left the profession. The authors found sellers left the profession due to concerns related to sales culture under the control of sales leadership (i.e.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other experts in sport sales have echoed a similar sentiment (Sutton, 2019;Wakefield, 2018). Popp et al (2022) also recognized that better training and mentorship can be enough to overcome initial low salaries in the field and that better professional development opportunities have a positive relationship with reducing attrition. However, while sport sales managers do invest heavily in recruitment and initial training and are often able to cite the desired characteristics they seek in job candidates (Popp et al, 2019a;Shreffler et al, 2018), ongoing training may be lacking (Popp et al, 2019c), despite evidence suggesting salespeople who spend a larger percent of their time in professional development activities are significantly more likely to continue working in sales (Pierce et al, 2013).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While there is ample anecdotal evidence pointing to high levels of attrition amongst entry-level sport ticket salespeople, little data has been collected and empirically examined on a macro level to determine precisely how significant (Popp et al. , 2022).…”

Section: Attrition In Entry-level Ticket Sales Position: a Survival A...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Popp et al. (2022) partially filled this gap by surveying those who left sport sales positions about why they left the profession.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While there is ample anecdotal evidence pointing to high levels of attrition amongst entrylevel sport ticket salespeople, little data has been collected and empirically examined on a macro level to determine precisely how significant (Popp et al, 2022). Relatedly, no empirical evidence exists to confirm or refute the notion that sales is a great way for students to "get their foot in the door" of the sports industry.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Attrition in entry-level ticket sales positions: a survival analysis

Pierce

Wanless²,

Popp³

et al. 2022

SBM

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PurposeSport ticket sales is often positioned as a “foot in the door” to the sport industry due to ample job opportunities, but anecdotal reports of high turnover raise questions of the efficacy of recruitment, training and retention efforts in sport sales. The purpose of this study was to determine attrition levels among entry-level ticket sales personnel, observe whether entry-level sales positions lead to other non-selling positions within sport organizations and determine if education and market related variables are related to job tenure.Design/methodology/approachLinkedIn profiles were analyzed for 1,122 entry-level ticket salespeople listed in media guides between 2015 and 2019 in the “Big Four” North American professional sports leagues. Names were obtained from 26 NBA, 21 MLB, 20 NHL and 12 NFL teams. Survival analysis provided defection rates and demonstrated the relationship between those rates and key variables.FindingsOne in every four entry-level ticket salespeople defected within the first year and one in every two defected within 26 months. Only 8% moved on from ticket sales to a non-sales role within the sport industry. Increases in cost of living, working for an NFL team and having sport industry experience prior to taking a sales position decreased the likelihood of defecting, while increased distance between the salesperson's university and the team's location increased the likelihood of defecting.Originality/valueThis study applies survival analysis to a sport human relations context to understand turnover in a specific occupational discipline and establishes the turnover rate for sport sales positions.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Attrition In Entry-level Ticket Sales Position: a Survival A...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Popp et al. (2022) partially filled this gap by surveying those who left sport sales positions about why they left the profession.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Attrition in entry-level ticket sales positions: a survival analysis

Pierce

Wanless²,

Popp³

et al. 2022

SBM

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Strategic communication in organizational change: Exploring the impact of two-sided messages on legitimacy judgments and commitment to change

Scheuer,

Thaler

2024

European Management Journal

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A “toxic culture”: the experiences of underrepresented ticket sales employees across professional sport

Sattler

Shreffler

Popp

et al. 2023

IJSMS

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PurposeThe purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the workplace experiences of current and former underrepresented ticket sales employees.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilized survey methodology to answer the research questions. Purposive sampling was used to identify potential respondents: individuals who were either currently employed as sport ticket sales employees or had been previously. The researchers examined online media guides from North American major league sports teams and identified ticket sales representatives who were compiled into a database and then cross-referenced through social media platform LinkedIn. Individuals were located via LinkedIn profiles and sent an anonymous, electronic survey which included a combination of Likert scale and open-ended questions regarding respondent experiences working in ticket sales departments.FindingsSurvey responses from 511 ticket salespeople revealed negative experiences related to management and career advancement opportunities, as well as significant differences in negative experiences for underrepresented populations regarding mentorship and culture.Originality/valueSport sales managers desire to expand employee diversity (Wells et al., 2019) and improve overall retention rates, but if a clear understanding of organizational vision toward diversification is not established within sports teams, managers are less likely to embrace diversity initiatives. Thus, it is imperative to understand the lived experiences of underrepresented ticket salespeople in order to improve workplace culture and effectiveness.

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Why sport ticket salespeople leave their jobs: applying attribution theory to employee turnover

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Attrition in entry-level ticket sales positions: a survival analysis

Attrition in entry-level ticket sales positions: a survival analysis

Strategic communication in organizational change: Exploring the impact of two-sided messages on legitimacy judgments and commitment to change

A “toxic culture”: the experiences of underrepresented ticket sales employees across professional sport

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