Which Client to Bring: Using Season Tickets Across the Sales Cycle

To decide which client to bring on your company's season tickets, match the game to the stage of the relationship. Use lower-stakes midweek games to warm up early prospects without pressure, use good regular-season games to deepen trust with active clients who are already engaged, and save your marquee games — openers, rivalries, playoffs — for the relationships that matter most: a deal that's close to landing, or a key client up for renewal. The principle is simple: your best seats should reinforce your most valuable relationships, not go to whoever happens to ask first.

Below is how to think about each stage, and why matching seats to the relationship gets more out of the tickets you already pay for.

Why does the relationship stage matter?

Because a game is an invitation into someone's personal time, and the size of that gesture should fit where the relationship is. Invite a cold prospect to a high-stakes marquee night and it can feel like too much, too soon — or transactional. Give a client you're about to close nothing more than a random Tuesday and you've under-invested at the moment that counts most.

Thinking about it by stage does two things. It makes each invitation land better, and it makes sure your scarce, high-value games get spent where they'll do the most good — instead of being claimed at random and quietly wasted on a lukewarm contact.

Which client fits an early prospect?

Use a low-pressure game to open a door, not to close one. For someone early in the relationship — a prospect you've met once or twice, a referral you're trying to build on — the goal is simply to spend relaxed time together and become a real person to them.

Pick a midweek or non-marquee game. It reads as casual and generous rather than a big production.
Keep expectations low. The win is that they enjoyed themselves and now think of you warmly. There's no need to talk business at all.
A small group can help. A newer contact sometimes feels more at ease with a couple of other people around than in a one-on-one.

Early-stage invitations are where "no agenda, just a good night" is most literally true. You're planting, not harvesting.

Which game suits an active client?

Give your engaged, active clients good regular-season games and the occasional standout. These are relationships that already have trust and momentum, and consistent, genuine hospitality keeps them strong. The aim is maintenance and depth: reminding a good client that you value them, and learning more about their business and their world in a relaxed setting.

Solid regular-season games are perfect — enjoyable, real, but not so scarce that you're spending your most precious dates.
Rotate who you bring. A common trap is inviting the same one or two favourite clients every time while others go quiet. Spreading good games across your active relationships is a better long-term investment.
Match the seats to the person. A one-on-one deepens a key relationship; a small group suits a client who'd enjoy meeting your wider team.

Which client gets your marquee game?

Reserve your highest-value games for your highest-stakes moments. The season opener, the rivalry night, the playoff push — these are the seats people remember and protect on their calendars. Spend them deliberately:

A deal that's close. When a significant opportunity is near a decision, a marquee experience signals how much you value the relationship — without a word of sales pressure. Let the gesture do the talking.
A key client up for renewal. The strongest retention move is often the least salesy one. Time a standout game near a renewal window and you're reinforcing the relationship, not negotiating it.
Your most important existing relationships, full stop. The clients whose loss would hurt most deserve your best hospitality, whether or not anything is "on the table."

Because marquee games are scarce, this is exactly where random, first-come claiming costs you. If your best seats get taken by whoever clicked first, they may land on a low-priority contact while a make-or-break relationship gets nothing. Deciding in advance who your marquee games are for protects the value of the asset.

How do you keep track across a whole season?

Keep a running record of who you've hosted and when. Over a season it's easy to lose the thread — to over-invest in one client and forget another, or to realize in March that a key relationship never got a single invitation. A simple per-game log of guest and date turns that guesswork into a clear picture of where your relationship time actually went, and helps you plan the games still ahead. It also keeps the entertainment spend documented for finance.

Frequently asked questions

Should I bring a prospect or an existing client to a game? Both, but to different games. Bring early prospects to low-pressure midweek games to open the relationship, and save marquee games for active clients and high-stakes moments like a close or a renewal. Match the size of the gesture to the stage of the relationship.

Is it appropriate to invite a prospect I've only just met? Yes, if the game fits. A casual, non-marquee game reads as a warm, no-strings gesture. Reserve high-stakes marquee nights for relationships with more history, where the invitation won't feel like too much too soon.

How do I decide who gets the playoff or opener tickets? Decide before the season, not in the moment. Reserve marquee games for your most important relationships and your highest-stakes situations — a near-close or a key renewal. Leaving them to first-come claiming risks spending your best seats on a low-priority contact.

How do I avoid always inviting the same clients? Keep a record of who you've hosted across the season and review it periodically. Rotating good games across your active relationships is a better investment than repeatedly rewarding the same one or two favourites.

Season Seats helps your team put the right games in front of the right clients — see every open date, claim the ones that matter, and record who you hosted, so the seats you already pay for build the relationships that count. Start free →