An Examination of Relationship Selling Effectiveness in NCAA Division I Ticket Sales

Abstract

College athletics departments are making more money than ever and spending it even faster (Fulks, 2017). As athletics departments look to increase their individual schools’ revenue year-to-year, ticket sales stands out as one of the only revenue streams without a long term contract. The current study examined the effect of relationship selling on several purchase behaviors in Division I college football. A study of over 90 FBS schools concluded the factor of customer disclosure predicted all football-related purchase behaviors, while interaction intensity was found as a non-predictor or even negative predictor. Cooperative intentions predicted some but not all behaviors. Cross-selling behaviors were uniquely predicted by agent disclosure, which did not predict any other outcomes, suggesting that while relationship selling may have a positive effect on the bottom line, not all factors are positive. Additionally, findings suggest positive selling relationships appear differently, cross-selling the customer to another sport.