Will someone please tell me what the National Basketball Association (NBA) is selling these days? What I witnessed in New York Knicks versus Denver Nuggets game certainly wasn’t a family-friendly game of “round ball.” It looked more like the previews of a Rocky film festival. Just in case you hadn’t heard about this brawl, all 10 players on the court were ejected for fighting near the end a game in New York last week.

For years, the joke around winter’s other major professional sport was “I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.” To a great extent, the National Hockey League now “controls” the violent aspects of its game. On-ice roughhousing is punished swiftly and the instigators of fights run the risk of in-game penalties and suspensions that seriously hinder their team’s chances of winning. As a result, more tickets are being sold around the league, even in warm-weather climates such a North Carolina that hosts the NHL’s reigning league champions.

Stop and think for a second; who sells tickets for NBA games? It’s not the box office; they’re a delivery service. The NBA’s “sales force” is their players – that’s who really sells their tickets. Apparently, all of the men involved in the fight forgot that point. No doubt, Commissioner David Stern will take action, and hopefully the punishments will match his last name. But will that restore the damaged image of the NBA and satisfy the customers who bring their children to the arena seeking “G-rated” entertainment? I doubt it.

Furthermore, suppose the commissioner suspends the perpetrators for several games. How are the fans that purchased $500 worth of tickets to see the likes of superstar Carmelo Anthony play next week going to react when they watch a “second-stringer” run up and down the floor for 48 minutes instead? You can’t blame the customers if they want their money back…or worse; they decide never to come back.

Around many office water coolers, the morning gossip routinely describes NBA players as spoiled, overpaid hoodlums. More and more basketball fans are making the choice to turn to the college ranks to watch games.

How does this story relate to you, your sales team, and the products and services you sell? All businesses have an image, yours included. What do you think your customers are saying about you and your company when you’re not around? Do your customers see you and your organization as professionals? Is your reputation “squeaky clean” or has it been tarnished because your sales force has a history of stretching the truth, not delivering on the promises they make, or behaving badly in public. Customers want to do business with people they respect and trust. Assuming they will continue to do business with you because they always have in the past is a big mistake. It’s a crowded marketplace, and your customers have the choice of going elsewhere.

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