Why sport ticket salespeople leave their jobs: applying attribution theory to employee turnover. (29th June 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Popp, Nels; Sattler, Liz A.; Pierce, David; Shreffler, Megan B.
• Is Part Of: International journal of sport management and marketing. Volume 22:Number 3/4(2022)
• Page Start: 265
• Page End: 286
• Publication Date: 2022-06-29
• Subjects: ticket sales -- employee turnover -- salesperson -- attribution theory -- sport sales; Sports administration -- Periodicals; Sports -- Marketing -- Periodicals; 796.069
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1475-8962

Abstract

Professional sports teams report high levels of turnover among ticket salespeople. utilising attribution theory (Heider, 1958), the current study examined the reasons why ticket salespeople leave their jobs by surveying both current and former ticket sales professionals from North American 'Big 4' sports teams ( N = 511). Mutable factors such as pay, leadership style, and professional development opportunity were cited as stronger reasons for leaving than immutable factors such as team success and customer rejection. Significant differences emerged regarding factors attributed to sales success between three groups: a) those in sport ticket sales positions; b) those who continue to work in the sport industry but in a different area than ticket sales; c) those who left the sport industry altogether. The constructs of 'ability' and 'training' related to sales success were rated significantly higher, and the construct of 'luck' significantly lower, for those who persisted in ticket sales positions.