Season ticket sales update

[solentstars]

So you want the price set at a level that every Saints fan, no matter their disposable income, can afford a season ticket? Do you want us to become insolvent again?

 

I'm sorry but that's simply not the real world.

 

i never said that but please feel free to distort the facts that some of our fellows soccer fans at any other club would have a payment plan of some sort but we seem the only club who will not or can you name me another club following this path.

[Dibden Purlieu Saint]

i never said that but please feel free to distort the facts that some of our fellows soccer fans at any other club would have a payment plan of some sort but we seem the only club who will not or can you name me another club following this path.

 

What the hell is 'soccer'?

[solentstars]

I take it this guy can't get a credit card? Or his wife? Or get a low interest loan (you know, some of these places will give a loan to anyone and at about 10% AER). Not bad when you would pay for it over 12 months instead of 9 for the installement plan, he'd be paying less per month than he would have been.

 

good idea ,no he do,s not have a credit card but if saints wanted to be a more commercial company maybe they could have offered those saints branded credit card to some of those fans.

[100%Red&White]

I still can't empathise with this idea that the business (club) owe its customers (fans) an installment plan. Some people clearly have the notions of rights and privileges rather confused.

 

Has anyone ever said the club "owe" its customers an instalment plan? (maybe someone on here did but I can't be bothered to look) I think most people's (who had one) gripe was that it was withdrawn very late when they were probably expecting to pay that way, as they had for numerous seasons before.

 

With a bit more notice and communication these threads probably wouldn't have existed. Then again...............................

[benjii]

i never said that but please feel free to distort the facts that some of our fellows soccer fans at any other club would have a payment plan of some sort but we seem the only club who will not or can you name me another club following this path.

 

I've no idea if there are any other clubs who don't. I remember looking at the Exeter site for some reason and they were offering a plan but if you took it up you paid the full price so lost a renewal discount. You also paid it back pretty quickly. A cheaper option would have been to buy at the renewal price on a zero percent credit card.

 

In most cases alternative credit is available to people. If your mate could have saved up the money with a bit more notice like you said, then I'm sure he's credit-worthy enough to get a 0% on purchases credit card?

 

We've made a decision on what we believe is best for us and our figures seem to suggest we've made a decent decision.

[solentstars]

I do understand this and I do sincerely sympathize, or empathize, as Romsey Dave would say, but it was the "dickheads seem happy" remark that was ridiculous.

 

i should have put some diickheads but i think you know that some loyal fans feel let down by the club but some of the so called diickheads who quote business decisions have no idea's of customer services or running business but pretend they do.

[benjii]

good idea ,no he do,s not have a credit card but if saints wanted to be a more commercial company maybe they could have offered those saints branded credit card to some of those fans.

 

We used to do that but sold the business IIRC before administration. I think it made a marginal profit but probably not enough to justify getting involved again now.

 

Maybe someone on here still has one and knows more about what happened?

[benjii]

i should have put some diickheads but i think you know that some loyal fans feel let down by the club but some of the so called diickheads who quote business decisions have no idea's of customer services or running business but pretend they do.

 

Right but our sales are up. In a recession. With an increase in prices. In the same division.

 

Pretty good IMO.

[solentstars]

I've no idea if there are any other clubs who don't. I remember looking at the Exeter site for some reason and they were offering a plan but if you took it up you paid the full price so lost a renewal discount. You also paid it back pretty quickly. A cheaper option would have been to buy at the renewal price on a zero percent credit card.

 

In most cases alternative credit is available to people. If your mate could have saved up the money with a bit more notice like you said, then I'm sure he's credit-worthy enough to get a 0% on purchases credit card? We've made a decision on what we believe is best for us and our figures seem to suggest we've made a decent decision

.

totally agree and your being positive looking for solutions to problems ,it seems to me the perfect time to offer these fans a saints branded credit card when they could have a renewal option.

Edited 21 July, 2010 by solentstars

[Smirking_Saint]

I still can't empathise with this idea that the business (club) owe its customers (fans) an installment plan. Some people clearly have the notions of rights and privileges rather confused.

 

Nail on head

[saintscottofthenortham]

Hang on, if that was the reason then surely that's the reason they would have given, rather than the administration costs which is the reason Luker and the then Head of Sales Leighton Mitchell gave to me? Don't you think? Also, the club done their own scheme last season due to lack of time but with Premium/Zebra they take care of defaulters.

 

Oh, and seriously wetting myself at you dropping in you do martial arts. LMFAO - What do you want? A Blue Peter Badge?

 

I was sh*t at Martial Arts, just done it for the fitness and to have a bit of something behind me for the next time I get jumped by a bunch of idiotic youths or by yet more racist immigrants.

It was in no way meant as an intimidation, as that would just be silly.

 

I loved the post that just totally ripped your previos posts to shreds, with contradiction after contradiction. You are grade A plum benson. (end of conversation now, thankyou.)

[NickG]

positive headlines about feel good factor on back page of echo - maybe more sales to come!

[View From The Top]

I take it this guy can't get a credit card? Or his wife? Or get a low interest loan (you know, some of these places will give a loan to anyone and at about 10% AER). Not bad when you would pay for it over 12 months instead of 9 for the installement plan, he'd be paying less per month than he would have been.

 

I know two families (2+3) (2+2) who couldn't get the cash together at such short notice to do the renewal so they've given their season tickets up.

 

If they'd have been given notice that it was going to be withdrawn they could have saved in advance.

 

I'm willing to bet it's blokes who only have to pay for one ticket who don't see the problem.

[NickG]

it is a shame about the installment plan. I think it appears people argue against that due to the not very bright reasoning put forward by the scheme's champion on here!

 

All in all the sales and marketing scheme has been a success and most people are positive about the club.

[The Kraken]

it is a shame about the installment plan. I think it appears people argue against that due to the not very bright reasoning put forward by the scheme's champion on here!

 

All in all the sales and marketing scheme has been a success and most people are positive about the club.

 

Hmmm; while you might consider the Sales scheme to be a success so far, I don't think the Marketing scheme could be deemed a success; for the simple fact that there wasn't one, certainly not for season ticket sales. Announcing your prices exclusively on your corporate website with no other external advertisement or inducements can't really be categorised as marketing, so I would say that the good level of sales thus far is in spite of any marketing, and not because of it.

 

And while the removal of the installment scheme was catatrophically handled and announced, at least we all know that from all seasons onwards there will be no such plan in place, so have plenty of time to source alternative savings arrangements.

[NickG]

in spite of / because of - much same - people responsible have had a successful close season

[SFC Forever]

in spite of / because of - much same - people responsible have had a successful close season

 

 

I stabbed you in the back because of you hitting my sister

I stabbed you in the back in spite of you not hitting my sister.

 

Not the same

[The Kraken]

in spite of / because of - much same - people responsible have had a successful close season

 

Again, I disagree. I think the sales are good; on the other thread I stated my opinion that a total figure of 15,000 season tickets would be what I would consider a successful figure, and I think if we don't hit that figure we'll likely be pretty close to it.

 

That said, I think the whole marketing effort this summer has been pretty shabby, in all honesty. If we can attract 15K customers with no real marketing push whatsoever, I think its fair to ask how many STs we might have sold with an aggressive advertising drive. Dave Benson Romsey labours the point somewhat but is absolutely right when he says that the number of STs sold would have been higher if the installment plan had been in place, or if more notice had been given that it was being removed. Also, a minority of people may have needed the renewal packs as a final shot in the arm to sign up for the new season. Now I'm sure the club had their own very good reasons to remove the plan, and I really don't want to get into that all over again, but I'm sure it's removal was not done for marketing purposes. Plus I think most of us can agree that the way it was announced at such short notice was a pretty shameful move byu the club.

 

So with proper marketing measures in place, whether the additional number of potential STs sold would have just been single digits or in the hundreds/thousands is obviously completely unknown; so the extent of the shortfall is impossible to gauge. Nonetheless, I simply cannot equate a large sales figure to a marketing effort which simply didn't happen.

[NickG]

I stabbed you in the back because of you hitting my sister

I stabbed you in the back in spite of you not hitting my sister.

 

Not the same

 

not the same at all.

 

Was I stabbed in the back? If so does it really matter!

 

They set up a scheme, it was successful, would it have been anyway? Probably yes, do they care? Probably no. Does it matter? Probably no.

[hypochondriac]

it is a shame about the installment plan. I think it appears people argue against that due to the not very bright reasoning put forward by the scheme's champion on here!

 

All in all the sales and marketing scheme has been a success and most people are positive about the club.

 

I suppose it depends on what your definition of success is. I think with the correct marketing strategy they could have sold a hell of a lot more season tickets.

[NickG]

but at lower price?

[saint_mears]

I still think its a matter of courtesy that existing season ticket holders are contacted with a renewal notice.

[eurosaint]

I still think its a matter of courtesy that existing season ticket holders are contacted with a renewal notice.

 

I agree on this point, every other annual arrangement I have informs me of the upcoming renewal date !

It stands to reason that some may forget and if that is the case then both the buyer and the seller loses out !!

[Matthew Le God]

I agree on this point, every other annual arrangement I have informs me of the upcoming renewal date !

It stands to reason that some may forget and if that is the case then both the buyer and the seller loses out !!

 

I really don't see how you can forget about renewing a season ticket. It is quite obvious you buy new season tickets in the summer. You also commit a significant part of 23 days of your life to a season ticket. Unlike for example a subscription for Sky which could expire at any point during the year and thus quite easy to forget when it expires.