Re: Done with Des!
This is a very unfortunate situation. When one makes $750,000 /year, managing unfortunate situations successfully tends to go with the job. Many Louisiana fans no longer donate, don't attend games, and rarely ever post anymore on this board. They've checked out.
We see this athletic department as a mismanaged entity. When your $40 million dollar athletic department loses folks who have supported the programs for decades, it is indicative of a SYSTEMIC PROBLEM. We firmly believe that this is what is happening here at UL.
State money and revenue sharing
During the Hud/Napier years, it seemed we had, at long last, overcome those SYSTEMIC issues. I placed my faith in Dr. Maggard and gave him the credit for righting the wrongs. Our budget expanded. We were successful. Now, it seems like this business is failing.
These financial issues are occurring against the backdrop of the current NIL challenges facing mid-majors who cannot afford to compete with the P4 schools. Revenue sharing is little more than bread crumbs being fed to schools who are being paid to KNOW THEIR PLACE.
That money should help schools like ours, but we should understand what we are being paid to do. We are accepting money to be second class. We are accepting money to shut up and stay the hell out of the way.
Don't worry about the government
In a state like Louisiana, where politicians have historically fed one school with extravagance and profusion while the other institutions were forced to eat scraps like dogs, relying on the government is unacceptable.
Rest assured this is not simply a Desmo problem. We can be "done with Des" but we really need to be done with WAY more than that. The future looks bleak for football at schools like ours. Des and his staff aren't the only ones who aren't getting it done.
Look in the mirror
We as fans aren't getting it done, either. Or we would have the NIL money we need to compete, to level the playing field, to pack the venues. 9 out of 10 posters on this board don't buy football season tickets. I get it. I quit buying them, too.
I have a sneaking suspicion that it is because we all sense that there are SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS at Louisiana. More broadly, it is the fact that administration doesn't level with us. There's no transparency, no inclusion, and therefore, no buy in.
Marketing 101
Athletic marketing is creating a NEED for season tickets when none currently exists. Corporate sales are easy; engaging the rank and file is not. Why should we buy into something when we see no benefit?
Three quarters of the seats in our stadium are unsold. Randos may buy game day tickets, but athletics depends on season ticket sales to project a budget.
A smart business strategy would be to cut prices, reward customer loyalty, and better the product off-the-field until the product on the field catches up. A smart business would hire sales reps who can actually sell.
The frustration is palpable
A sales strategy that is persistent and flexible, establishing a base of customers who have a sense of ownership in the product is what we need. Connecting season ticket purchases to NIL donations is essential. Fans need to buy stock in this endeavor. They need to be contacted in person.
We to be concerned with share of customer, not share of market. Someone ought to be talking to me about football season tickets when I am in the baseball park, selling me on basketball season tickets while I am at the softball game. Hitting me up at Legends, Yard Goat, or Adopted Dog makes sense. Go where the customers are. Don't expect them to wander into the business randomly; that will never happen.
Hustle up and bustle up
It doesn't seem like we have hungry business people involved. It's pretty clear we don't handle the business like we understand the potential, and there's plenty of blame to go around. Done with Des? I get it, but he's just a grain of sand on the beach. Louisiana doesn't act like it wants me, like it really, really wants me.
Our product is currently too expensive in the marketplace. 50 customers paying $5 is the same money as 10 people paying $25. We have the capacity to bring those customers in. The more the merrier. The bar that's packed is the one with the line at the door.
Louisiana is a tough sell when 6 tickets are $2400. Average Jims and Joes aren't going to buy that and they don't want a payment plan or another subscription that they will later cancel. 60 tickets for $240 is more like it in this market.
Boudin is terrific, but if it costs $40 a link, no one will ever know just how good it is.
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Originally Posted by Louisiana84
