By now, you’ve defined your brand, you have all of your equipment together, and you’re ready to start your first Trivia Night. How exciting!
So, what is the secret to convincing your first client to take the leap? As a new Trivia provider, you need to establish legitimacy and show the value that your service brings. While negotiating rates should always be part of your selling process, you may need to pull out a few extra tricks to sell your first Trivia Night. If you find a potential client needs an extra nudge to give your Trivia Nights a shot, use one of the tips below to seal the deal.
Offer the first show for free
This is a great tool to have in your back pocket. It’s best not to start your conversation with a potential client by offering their first show for free; instead leverage this as a proposal for a prospect who is genuinely interested, but just shy of committing.
Holding out for prospects who express actual interest in Trivia Nights greatly increases the chances that you will turn the free show into a sale.
By offering to host their first show for free, with no future commitment, you eliminate the investment required on their end. With almost no risk left for the prospect, this is essentially asking them “Hey, why not?”
Once the prospect has taken you up on your offer of a free Trivia Night, the key is to take every step possible to make sure that you nail the show. You should ask what type of audience to expect, and if there are any preferred categories or difficulty levels.
It’s also important to heavily promote the show to maximize the turnout. Bars and restaurants have Trivia Nights to boost their sales, so the best thing for your prospect to see is the ability of your Trivia Nights to deliver on this. Use your social media accounts to promote the Trivia Night, and try to give yourself at least a week of advance notice to allow people to work it into their plans.
Follow up with your contact either immediately after the show, or the next day. Ask for feedback that encourages them to consider any increased sales, customer engagement, and exposure that your Trivia Night generated. This is why the quality of your free show is so important, by knocking it out of the park, you set yourself up for closing the sale!
Allow the venue to cancel at any time
As a best practice, when starting a Trivia Night at a new location, a minimum commitment should be established (typically no less than 6 weeks).
Since the crowds at Trivia Nights tend to grow over time as the word about them spreads, this allows the show time to hit its stride and more accurately display the benefit and profitability to the bar owner.
However, as a new Trivia host, some prospects may hesitate to lock in to a commitment without a track record to reference. If you receive pushback regarding any type of contract, be flexible with this element. Offer your first clients the ability to cancel at any time to eliminate the risk associated with commiting long term.
Sweeten the deal
As a “thank you” for being your first client, offer an extra treat to a prospect who needs a little extra convincing to seal the deal. The options here are endless and will vary based on the audience and the resources at your disposal.
One option you can leverage is agreeing to add in a theme show for your client at no additional charge. Theme shows generate a huge buzz and can often draw out 2 to 3 times as many players as a general knowledge show when timed and promoted properly.
Because of their popularity, theme shows are typically offered to clients upon request at an upcharge. Agree to give your client a theme show at no extra charge 3-4 weeks into hosting. This way, you can build up a regular audience to exponentially increase the buzz about the upcoming theme show.
Another potential option is to supplement the prizes for the first few Trivia Nights with your own contributions. If you have tickets to a sporting event, cool swag from one of your connections, etc, add this as an extra prize for the winners. This gives both you and the bar additional content for promoting the show, which will lead to a greater turnout and more sales.
As previously referenced, there are many ways to “sweeten the deal” for prospects who need a little extra push. The right choice will depend on your audience and the resources you have at your disposal. If you need help brainstorming, call us. We’ll help you figure it out!
As a new Trivia Night side hustler, it’s all about getting your first client. Once you’ve gotten over that hurdle and you’re running a successful show, your service will speak for itself. Use one of the tricks above to help your first client decide to take the leap and hire you for Trivia Night!