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Overall, game day programs may not generate a tremendous amount of revenue for the athletic department. When very dollar counts, however, game day program sales should not be ignored, especially when the ways to get increased revenues come at no extra cost to the athletic department.

Typically, game day program sales help generate profits for athletic departments in two ways. The first way is revenue generated from program sales at home sporting events. The second, and perhaps more important revenue source, is the money generated from ads within the program. Either way, the more programs sold, the better it is for the respective athletic department.

With this in mind, we developed a case study to examine vendors and consumers over the course of an athletic team's season. When studying the vendors, the focus was on their selling techniques as well as their reasons for selling (e.g., to fundraise for a school club). When evaluating the consumers (those individuals who purchased a program), we focused on areas such as purchase history, vendor interaction/influence, and purchase motivation. Following are several key findings and the potential lessons for game day program sales.

Lesson 1: Adapt the pitch to potential customers
Despite being friendly and attentive, very few of the vendors we observed made a customer-specific sales pitch (e.g., "Good-afternoon, sir! Would either of your children enjoy reading our game day program today?"). Train your vendors to connect with potential buyers rather than just raising awareness about their location through yelling (e.g., "Get game day program here!").

Lesson 2: Understand the vendor's experience
After the interviews were conducted, vendors fell into one of two categories:
• Category one: those who enjoyed vending.
• Category two: those who did not enjoy vending, but did it to raise money.

Vendors are usually volunteers, so you will likely get a mixed bag when it comes to their comfort level with selling. Do more than just give your vendors the programs and send them off. Meet with the vendors prior to the start of their shift and take steps to make them comfortable. If possible, pair up experienced and inexperienced vendors until the novice feels comfortable soliciting attendees alone.

Lesson 3: Dress professionally, consistently
The observed vendors wore either home team apparel or their sponsor's apparel (e.g., respective high school club's T-shirt). Vending may not be glamorous, but the individuals selling still need to look professional. Not only that, but the vendors need to be consistent in what they wear because game day attendees will come to recognize them, possibly developing a superficial connection based on sight (e.g., "I always buy from those girls in the bright purple shirts."). Use this to your athletic program's advantage.

Lesson 4: Program purchasers are typically repeat purchasers
A majority of the game day program purchasers were repeat purchasers throughout the season, including a majority of the respondents who purchased a program every single game. If your vending staff is the same from game to game, then these individuals may become familiar with these repeat purchasers.

Take steps to help your vendors develop a relationship with the buyers. By developing this bond, vendors may help to maintain the existing clientele while also turning first timers into repeat purchasers.

Lesson 5: Recognize the reasons for purchasing a program
The top reasons for buying a game day program were reported as: souvenir/memento, player/team information, and support the home team. By specifically noting these obvious areas, your vendor may be able to convince someone who is pondering a purchase to actually make a purchase (e.g., "On second thought, I do want to have the stats on my team's opponent."). If you do not understand the purchase intention of your team's fans, then conduct your own survey and better acquaint yourself with your game day consumers.

Lesson 6: Do not automatically equate sales with vendor effectiveness
Over the course of the season, the overwhelming response reported by game day program buyers was the vendor had NO impact. Very few game attendees were convinced to buy a program based on a specific vendor behavior. This may be the case more often than not, so make sure your vendors are actually creating sales.

Get them to connect with attendees and highlight the features of the program believed to be the most attractive to the potential purchasers. For example, if the vendor is selling on behalf of a school club, have them educate the consumer base about the club and how purchasing a program would greatly benefit it. Double this information up with specific features that makes the game day program unique, such as a collector's edition cover and exclusive content about the opposing team's players.

Lesson 7: Remember post-game program usage
The vast majority of respondents indicated they did not "throw away" the game day program; instead, they saved it or gave it away to a friend or family member. Saving and sharing indicates some level of value and so these areas should therefore be emphasized during the sales transaction.

Have your vendor comment, "This game's issue is something to keep!" or, if the attendee makes a comment about a friend who could not make the game, the vendor could reply, "Be sure to pass it along then!" Comments such as these are minor, but they may help reinforce the value of the program to purchasers, which may ultimately lead to future program purchases.

Summary
Regardless of whether you are responsible for high school or collegiate game day program sales, steps can be taken to improve your bottom line that are cost-free to the athletic department. Understand your vendors, make them feel comfortable and competent, and develop a course of action to enhance their ability to connect with game attendees and sell programs.

Also, take steps to better understand your clientele. Know who typically purchases your programs as well as the reasons why. Pass this information along to your vendors in addition to ways they may be able to actually change the minds of attendees. Remember, with sports ... every program counts.

Mar Magnusen is a third year doctoral student in the Sport Management program at Florida State University. His research interests include sport team identification, leadership behavior in sport, and organizational politics.Dr. Jeffrey James is an Associate Professor in the Sport Management program at Florida State University, and Chair of the Department of Sport and Recreation Management. His research and teaching focus on sport consumer behavior, sport marketing, and sponsorship.