The 2010 baseball season started very slowly for the Mets both on and off the field.  While on the field it has heated up- there is still some hesitancy on the part of  Amazin’ fans.  And that is to be expected.  Mets fans were not treated so well by ownership when the new stadium opened, or when their season went downhill last year little was done.

Somehow, somewhere, someone got the message.  A couple of weeks ago I purchased tickets through StubHub, that were being sold through the Mets managed resale market.  The day after the game, I received a very nice email acknowledging that I was at the game, and providing me with a box score and links to other Mets information.  First move in customer retention other than a phone call to see if I would buy more tickets that I have ever received in more than 11 years of buying Mets tickets.  Keep in mind, I was a Tuesday-Friday plan holder for over 6 years.

Today I received a survey asking various questions about the Mets and how I interact with the team.  The survey asked a lot about which media I use to learn about the Mets.  They asked me how many games I attended, and though that number is way down, the question was centered on this season.  They asked if I was currently a plan holder, but they never asked if I had been a plan holder in the past.

The survey never gave me an opportunity to speak about why I didn’t buy new tickets when the new stadium opened.  Perhaps they have already figured that out.  The survey really left no room for me to say anything about the team- and perhaps that is because they don’t really want to hear.  Sure, they might get a number of “Fire the Manager” type comments, but they also might hear a few things that they really need to hear.

The team’s front office might be finally learning that it needs the fans and their loyalty more than it needed a new stadium. (And I do believe they needed a new stadium.)   Finally, they are finding ways to reach out to many a disenchanted fan. They need to step up those efforts.  It costs a lot more to win over a new fan than it does to retain one- something the team must have learned in the last two years.

I said it before, and I will say it again.  There is a ton of opportunities for people to spend their money, particularly in the New York City area- it has to be easier to sit in the stadium than to sit at home.  It can’t be super expensive, and it has to make a fan feel a part of something, to feel included.  The way the team handled the fans when they moved them to the new stadium left a bad taste in a lot of ticket buyer’s mouths.

Starting to ask questions to those who used to buy tickets regularly, along with thanking those that buy tickets now is a start. They are a big market franchise with money.  They are competing head to head with the biggest market spender in all of baseball in the Yankees.  They shouldn’t play the same game.  They should be the team that listens.  They should be the team that engages.  Then and only then are they going to stand toe to toe with that other New York team.