Preparing To Pitch: How Nike Lost Steph Curry to Under Armour

I’m obsessed with studying business trends. I’m always looking for little nuggets to try to improve! I came across this article regarding how Nike missed out on Steph Curry & it’s interesting. Read the rest of the article here. When pitching, it’s important to:

1. Personalize the pitch. Whoever you are appealing to should feel like the opportunity, product or service was individually made for them. This means you have to do research in order to prepare a personalized experience. 

2. Make sure you know how to pronounce names & spell check! When you first sit down with someone, ask how to pronounce their name! You have maybe twice to make corrections before you start looking like you just don’t care. If you’re giving a PowerPoint presentation or you have handouts, double check the names. 

3. Be prepared to compromise and to ask the other person what are their wishes or expectations! Don’t assume that you know.

4. Industries are small! People talk! It’s important to be fair, equitable & intentional about your deals. You don’t want to have a reputation that you try to take advantage of other people. You may win initially, but word gets around quick. 

Read the article here! You don’t want to lose out on your own MVP! 

Originally Published: March 23, 2016