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Leveraging AI to inform the sales process in sport

This is an excerpt from Sales and Revenue Generation in Sport Business 2nd Edition by David J. Shonk,James F. Weiner.

The PRO Method Moving Forward

First, salespeople must understand and master the process. Just as an athlete trains for excellence in their sport, so a salesperson must practice the sales process. We reiterate the five-step sales process called the PRO method that was laid out in chapter 2 (see figure 11.1).

• Step 1: PROspect for qualified customers
• Step 2: PRObe for information with open-ended questions
• Step 3: PROvide solutions by matching product benefits with customer information
• Step 4: PROpose an offer that best fits the customer’s needs
• Step 5: PROtect the relationship by maintaining contact and customer service

Prospecting is the process of trying to figure out who you should be contacting, including both inbound and outbound customers. Fundraising also calls this process prospect-ing or identification. Sport organizations use artificial intelligence (AI) to identify potential new customer, and AI is used to manage CRM data in this stage of the process. AI, machine learning, and automation will enhance the sales force. Teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA and North Carolina Courage in the National Women’s Soccer League have embedded Jump’s agentic AI platform into their ticketing systems to allow them to better understand a fan’s engagement history, purchase behavior and inventory opportunities (Jump, n.d.). SponsorFlo (2026) suggests that college athletics programs are using AI to generate prospecting lists based on each sport’s fan demographic, preparing customized proposals for each prospect in minutes, managing sponsor communications, fulfilment, and inventory. 

AI within sport is moving rapidly and changing on a daily basis. The next generation of sport revenue managers will have no choice but to keep up with the changing technologies.

Sport industry professionals must adapt as new technologies for identifying prospective consumers come online. For example, biometric, ID, and chip technologies provide valuable identifying information. Video content and virtual reality leads to greater interactions with prospective fans or participants. Although adopting more augmented and creative ways of working within the sales industry is important, still others suggest that we must always seek to gain an intimate understanding of our customers and create highly personalized offers and purchasing options. The salesperson will need to use AI to leverage internal and external data that helps to answer questions about what the customer wants to buy and how the purchase fits with previous purchases.

The second step in the PRO method is to probe for information by asking open-ended questions. Often, this type of probing is done in person. As technology and automation continues to evolve, fewer face-to-face inter-actions will take place. The salesperson today is retrieving personal information without as much personal contact and virtual technologies like Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, and others have replaced more personal interactions of the past. But determining ways to have face-to-face meetings is becoming even more important for today’s salesperson. Despite the heightened use of technology, many people still crave personal connections. This concern is especially important to donors as the dollar amount of their investment goes up.

Step 3 of the PRO method recommends that the salesperson match product benefits with customer information. Before engaging with the salesperson, the consumer arrives with preconceived assumptions about the product or service. As discussed in chapter 4, the sale of any product or service requires that the prospective buyer perceives its value. With this said, visual content is becoming more import-ant and AI is helping in this way by developing graphic rich content unique to specific buyers. We mentioned AI platforms like Jump and SponsorFlo earlier in Step 1 that are creating this type of content. Salespeople are now using AI to develop sophisticated content, such as videos, presentations, and other various types of visuals that explain value and benefits to the consumer.

Finally, steps 4 and 5 are to propose an offer that best fits the customer’s needs and to protect the relationship by maintaining contact and customer service. AI helps to create more personalized offers and best price options. However, salespeople will still need to under-stand how best to engage with consumers personally and how to meet their pricing needs using the most convenient methods.

More Excerpts From Sales and Revenue Generation in Sport Business 2nd Edition

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