They're customer service experts, ensuring you get superior quality for
the best price. They're available to their clients 24 hours a day, seven days
a week. And they can make your wildest dreams come true.
Who can do all this for you and more? Your friendly neighborhood ticket
broker. Crave elusive Super Bowl tickets? Just make a simple
phone call. Want to meet a rock 'n' roll celebrity? Your fantasy can come
alive. Ticket brokers are your sporting, concert and theater event miracle-makers
-- and they can make your dreams into instant reality. And best of all, successful
ticket brokers share one common characteristic -- they actually enjoy their
careers.
"I'm proud of what I do. I couldn't imagine something that would give me
more fulfillment," exclaims Cindy Aquaro, co-owner of a ticket brokering service
in Delaware. Aquaro sells tickets for concerts, theater and sporting events
anywhere in the U.S. and Canada.
Aquaro's humble ticket brokering beginnings started while she was a frustrated
secretary. A part-time job changed her life. "I was working part time at a
ticket agency doing some filing," Aquaro says. She realized that customer
service and interesting events made her happy.
Eventually, she worked full time with the ticket broker, honing her skills
and learning her craft. Like many ticket brokers, Aquaro trained for years
within the industry before launching her own business. "You have to work inside
the industry five to 10 years before starting your own business. It's not
like buying a franchise," she warns.
Why such a long apprenticeship? Contacts. Ticket brokers need to know how
and where to get the latest, hottest tickets. In order to make those "impossible
dreams" happen, brokers need a huge, powerful network.
"My typical day is filled with clients needing something simple to something
unbelievably hard. I'm making two to 200 phone calls a day, plus banging on
doors begging for favors." The better a broker's network, the better their
customer service -- and that translates into higher sales.
Excellent ticket broker customer service doesn't end when the credit card
transaction is complete. Brokers must ensure the customer actually receives
the tickets -- and that responsibility alone can be more difficult than actually
locating the tickets. "I don't know how many times I've driven to Atlantic
City and dropped the tickets off at [the client's] hotel," says Aquaro.
However, Aquaro feels this level of exceptional service is necessary --
and she loves making her customers happy. "Clients have sent me teddy bears
and candy. I've kept stacks of letters. They had their dreams come true."
Strong customer service has provided Aquaro with a fantastic reward: a large
and extremely loyal customer base.
"Taking care of people is number one. We don't try to gouge them or give
them service that's not up to par," explains ticket broker Ervil Di Giusto.
"We don't do business like that."
Like Aquaro, Di Giusto strongly believes customer service is a crucial
component. His strategy has paid off. Unlike most businesses, all of Di Giusto's
company's sales come from corporate clients as well as their referrals. "I've
never spent a cent on advertising," he says.
Unlike Aquaro, who spent years working for a ticket broker, Di Giusto learned
the industry another way -- on the road. In the mid-'80s, Di Giusto worked
for a promotional company, traveling all over North America. He traveled with
bands such as Rush and Tanya Tucker, selling T-shirts and other promotional
items.
"I've been to every single venue in the country," he quips.
Eventually, friends started asking him to get tickets for them -- and a
simple favor transformed into a new career. "I would get tickets for friends
by using my music contacts. Then, friends of friends would call -- people
I didn't even know."
Di Giusto's company mostly services corporate clients, helping executives
locate exclusive event tickets. Why corporate? In the competitive, dog-eat-dog
world of corporate life, impressing a valuable prospect with supposedly "sold-out"
tickets can close deals and create profitable partnerships.
"It impresses clients and makes it look like you're taking care of them.
You'll look like a hero," says Di Giusto. Savvy ticket brokers also win with
hot referrals and loyal clients. A well-networked ticket broker can work closely
with high-paying corporations -- and reap the benefits.
Want to sell tickets for the hottest concerts, sports and theater events?
Knowing simple facts, like hockey players who got traded and the latest rock
groups, can actually make you money!
"You have to honestly like concert and sporting events and have to have
a little knowledge about what's going on," advises Di Giusto. If the hottest
concert scene is your bag, and you're ready to work hard, learn the ropes
from an experienced broker. You'll be selling tickets in no time -- and getting
paid to do what you love.