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Essentials in
Chapter business
Show promotion and working on a full house!
How to get a full house
Updated: 4/1/2004 10:34:00 AM
by Charles McKeever, Chairman, Chapter Shows Subcommittee, Alexandria, Va. Chapter, home of the Alexandria Harmonizers
All chapters in our great barbershop harmony society engage in many revenue-producing activities beyond the collection of annual chapter dues. Each of these activities makes a significant contribution toward defraying the considerable expenses of chapter operations. For most choruses, the largest source of revenue is the production of annual shows, thereby creating the backbone of the chapter budget, and enabling all the activities that are planned throughout the year.
I have always felt that the key to “preservation” of our singing style is the “promotion” of our shows to our friends, fans, and anyone who has not had the opportunity to hear our music. That means filling the seats in whatever auditorium is being used by your chapter.
The perennial problem is now and always has been the lack of total and enthusiastic involvement in the show ticket-selling effort by all members of the chapter. An effort must be made to boost those members who do not excel at ticket sales, who may never have really tried, who have always insisted they couldn’t sell anything, and who may think that way forever if that outlook is not altered.
Continuity is needed from show to show
To prevent the proverbial “dropping of the ball” between shows caused by the turnover of the on-stage show producer and the off-stage business manager, we created the Chapter Shows Subcommittee under the VP-Marketing. This committee, with necessary input from the producer, now oversees the activities of both the business manager and the ticket manager for each show, creating continuity by organized effort, planning and review.
We work closely with the VP-Public Relations in the planning of the show flier and any other printed publicity pieces produced for the show. It is also the responsibility of this committee to oversee the management of the customer database/mailing list, and the motivation of the chapter membership in the ticket-selling effort. The goal of the committee for any chapter show is to do everything possible to make it easier for members to sell show tickets!
Where’s my mailing list?
Show promotion and selling tickets all start with a well-managed and accurate mailing list or, in this day of the personal computer, customer database. We send out four major mailing pieces each year, using the addresses in our customer database, with labels produced by the database program. Two of those mailing pieces are the fliers for the Fall Extravaganza and the Spring Tonic shows.
These fliers are mailed no later than two months prior to the show date, and each mailing label includes the chapter member contact for each customer. This time frame allows enough lead time for those customers who always order their tickets through the mail, as well as for the chapter members who actively participate in the ticket-selling effort.
The customer database also produces customer lists (name, address, phone) for each chapter member to use in contacting his friends and fans to encourage them to attend the show. After each show, corrections/additions/deletions are requested to be submitted for a total update, and changes to the database are encouraged at any time during the year.
Enthusiasm sells out the house!
The greater enthusiasm on our part, the more audiences enjoy our performances. When we all have more fun and excitement performing to capacity houses, everyone gains! When someone you know asks about your singing or your trip to the international convention or about your chapter, do you get excited inside and animated in the way you answer his or her question?
Do you think our music style is entertaining? Do you feel that this is the best singing you’ve ever done in your life? Is ringing a chord pleasing to your ear? Tell the people you are trying to bring to your shows how much you enjoy performing our music and that you think they will enjoy it too. Some people may even get hooked on our hobby. It’s catching!
Sources of customers
Every chapter member I know who successfully sells show tickets works with a customer list that he continually builds over time. As mentioned above, a computer listing of customers is provided to each member before each show. Active sales should begin about one week after the show flier is mailed. But where does the member who does not yet have a customer list begin?
- Friends and neighbors: This is an obvious beginning. There is good potential here to get people to a show in a group. People from a neighborhood can car-pool.
- Acquaintances: People from this group are often overlooked. These are people you know, but do not see or hear from often. They might be more than willing to attend your shows once or twice a year.
- Co-workers: These are the people you see every day, many of whom are interested in what you do away from the job, especially when you tell them you perform on-stage! Group sales come easily from the workplace.
- Retirement communities, organizations, clubs, church groups, and other hobbists: The size of this collective group of potential customers can be huge, and the prospect of promoting group sales is great. One of the Chapter Shows Subcommittee helps our members work with groups, if needed.
- People you do business with on a regular basis: You use the services of a wide variety of people who at least have face-recognition with you. Doctors, dentists, barbers, mechanics, dry cleaners, bankers ... it’s a long list of people who might enjoy a different entertainment choice.
- All other people who don’t fit in the above groups: You can ask anyone you wish to come hear you sing. Sometimes you just chance upon a good opportunity to tell someone about barbershop harmony and your chapter. When this kind of situation arises, all you have to do is ask ... you might be surprised at the result.
A last word about sources of customers should be mentioned. No matter whom you talk to, regardless of whether you sell a ticket or not, always ask the person you’ve approached this question: “Whom do you know who might have an interest in attending our show?” You will definitely add potential customers to your list.
Approaching potential customers
Whether you are new at selling show tickets or a veteran, it is imperative that all the customer information you have collected between shows be submitted to your chapter’s mailing list/database manager before the show flier is mailed. The show flier is your door-opener to your potential customers ... it gives you an automatic follow-up contact with the people on your list. The ideal time to do so is about 7-14 days after the flier is mailed, when receiving it is fresh in the customer’s mind.
How many of us only informally ask people to buy tickets? You should know basically what you are going to say before you ask, and try to use the same approach every time. Each member needs to personalize his own approach, so here are some suggestions:
- “Do you like Barbershop harmony?”
- “Have you ever heard Barbershop harmony singing before?”
- “Are you aware that, right here in the area, is a Barbershop Chorus, the________?” (Now is the time to tell the person, with great enthusiasm, about your chapter, our unique American style of music, our support for charities, how proud you are to be a member of your chorus, where you have performed in the past few years, where you are performing in the future ... anything that means something to you about what we do.)
- “I would like to ask you for your support by attending our next show!” (Tell all about the show ... who is featured, what the theme is, dates, location, and performance times.)
- “I believe that if you attend the show you will not be disappointed, and that you will come again in the future.”
- Don’t ask people to “buy a ticket.” Ask them instead to “attend our show,” “support the chorus,” or “come and enjoy the music.” It’s a better approach.
The magic number is ten ... 10+10+10
We use this simple concept and slogan in our chapter, and I believe it will work for you, no matter what the size of your chapter. We ask each member to sell ten tickets.
For members who already sell more than ten, we ask them to sell ten more than they sold for the most previous show. The big sellers will always sell big ... our goal is 100 percent participation at a level of at least ten.
Tips that sell tickets
Here’s a list of ideas of ideas we use to promote shows:
- Matinee performances: People attend during daylight hours, go to dinner afterward, and bring the kids.
- Discounts: Seniors and students ($2 off); groups of more than ten, 10% off; groups of more than 20, 50% off.
- Fall/Spring Season Ticket Package: 10% discount and priority seating when tickets are purchased for the season.
- “Early Bird” orders: An order form for the next show is inserted in the current show program. Ordering tickets in this manner becomes a habit for some customers.
- Group Sales: A concerted effort is made by our committee to assist members with groups, using the discount structure above.
- Selective consignments: Packets of ten tickets, with the seats together, are issued to members on consignment, with a definite deadline for return of tickets and/or money.
Happy sales to you!
We go through this process for every show. For every member who gets involved, more customers are added. As each man’s list grows, it becomes easier for him to sell tickets. Building a list does not happen overnight. It happens because members take these concepts and their responsibility for the financial well-being of the chapter seriously.
I hope our ideas will help you get more involved in promoting your chapter’s shows and that you will generate the same enthusiasm for this effort as you do when you perform on stage. It’s great to be a barbershopper!
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