5 Easy Steps to Better Chorus Sales

“If only my choir would sell more we wouldn’t have these financial problems.”

I hear it all the time. Boards put in quotas, try membership tradeoffs, even threaten eviction. Reports are none of it really works. My question is  “Why do you think singers should be able to sell? “

Only 2-3% of the public attend a choral concert and will attend an average of ONE a year. Their probabilities of success by your membership are very low,  the frustration potential very high. Some choruses report large numbers of unused sold tickets as people sold to themselves. Is that really success?

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Businesses spend millions of dollars a year teaching their people to sell, and providing them with tools and training.  Selling is a skill and in its own way an art form. Even among the professionals, there are a few elite sales people and a lot of people struggling. AND THEY GET PAID. It’s the 80/ 20 rule. 80% of the sales come from 20% of the people. So encourage those who do. They will take you farther faster.

Here are 5 ideas to try

1)   Pre-Sell for them. Grease the wheel everyway you can in your community.  Sales are easier when people already know your brand and why you are there.  In fact they will search you out if you do it well. Set up tables at fairs, do seminars at libraries, put a press release out once a month.  If people WANT to buy, selling is a lot easier.

2)   Have a “VP of Sales”. Someone who is focused on creating the tools and teaching the people to sell. Look for someone in your chorus who is a leader in the direct selling business (Pampered Chef, Dove Chocolate Discoveries, Avon) these are billion dollar businesses, which survive on everyday people selling to their friends. Learn how they do it.

3)   Recognize and reward. How are you recognizing your people?  I was once told that for the average woman, the last time she heard personal applause was either her graduation, or her wedding day.  It does not take much to encourage people.

4)   Create Choir Ambassadors. Invite people to join an elite group of promoters for the chorus, people who are dedicated to your mission and want you to succeed.  They are highly motivated by being “ on the inside track” and “ having special news “ to share.   They will bend over backwards for diner with the artistic director (no mean feat for some singers). Give them what they need to promote, review with them how sales are going, and ask them why  things are going the way they are. They will also become your best sales people

5)   Provide Tools. Sales is the art of persuasion. Give them tools that sell themselves. A brochure? A poster for the office? An email to forward to friends and family and a prepared letter for them? Maybe a special deal they can only get if they buy from a chorus member

Choral Nation, truth is, selling is a tough business, Leaning on your friends only works the first few times. So if your chorus is your sales force, you need to give them the same leadership in selling as you do in singing.