5 Operator Tips to Win More Sales

Jim: I always call a buyer, but a lot of times you don’t get people on the phone. You know to follow up voicemails with texts or emails. But even when I do reach people, I always chase a phone conversation with an email thanking them for their time and a reminder that I will be calling them back at a specific date and time (typically a week from today at the same time since I know I can reach them at that time and number).

In my thank you email, I’ll either include a quick summary of what they booked last time with a small upgrade option, or if they’re new or want to revamp the whole experience I’ll send all of my options but highlight what we discussed, annotating in red italics with options.  For example:

Hi Sherry,

Thank you for taking my call this morning!  Here is some information on our summer camp events.

Group rates for summer camps start with a minimum headcount of 12 people. When you come, our world-class staff will run your event and attend to your every need. Every group event includes reserved laser tag packs and reserved table spacing.

We have special discounts for your group. I have highlighted the options you and I talked about over the phone.

Mix and match our discounts to build your own custom package:

*Summer camps get an even deeper discount for weekday morning trips

Base Packages

• 2 missions of laser tag – $17 per person; $15 pp for camps* (normally $26)  2-mission packages are perfect for camps that are looking for events less than 2 hours long, or with headcounts exceeding 115
• 3 missions of laser tag – $20 per person; $17 pp for camps* (normally $27) This is the most popular option for most summer camps.
• Unlimited laser tag – $27 per person; $25 pp for camps * (normally $30) This makes sense for events that are looking to stay for more than 3 hours

*Discounted laser tag for off-peak reservations.

 Add-on food and beverages

• Unlimited fountain soda ONLY – $3.75 per person Laser One uses Pepsi products, which are Kosher
• Pack your own lunch – $2 per person cleanup fee Laser One will waive 100% of the cleanup fee for any camp that includes arcade credits (below)

Add-on arcade playcards

• 25 arcade credits – $5 per person I recommend this as a starting option if you want to include the arcade as well
• 40 arcade credits – $8 per person *best value for smaller groups

No. 2: Follow a process.

Jim: We follow a consistent process that looks like:

• A phone call and email
• One week later, a second phone call and “did you get my email” email
• And one week after that, a final email only. If they don’t book, we snooze it until the following year.

No. 3: Craft a readable message.

Jim: I try to keep my emails short, usually 5 sentences tops (except the summary email).  Each sentence is its own paragraph, to make it easier to read on a smartphone.  I don’t fill my emails with lots of images and stuff because 1) Outlook blocks images anyway, and 2) at least here in New Jersey, everyone is busy that no one pays attention to messages just because they’re pretty.

I’ve also found that my customers are more likely to open an email with an all-lowercase subject.  So I keep my subjects all lowercase.

No. 4: Be personal.

Jim: I’ve found that people want messages to be personal, that’s part of why I keep messages short and use the lower case subjects I mentioned. But I also try to personalize the subject so that it looks and feels like it’s to and from a human – because it is! If I’m sending a final email, my subject line will be “final reach-out :(”  You wouldn’t believe the mileage I’ve gotten with that subject!

No. 5: Don’t lead with email.

Jim: I don’t recommend leading with email. Sure it seems effective because it’s quick and all the information you want them to have is there, but what good is an email that goes unread? I daresay it’s lazy. When I took over group sales, I immediately started calling people and sending emails afterward. And I’ve been exceeding my goals by 130%.

The key to group sales is a consistent approach to personal connections. Huge thanks to Jim Mainardi of Laser One, for sharing these insights!

Try any of these tips? Share your success with us!