Page 13 - BE 50th Anniversary Edition

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I remember when the two of us went on a sales call to pitch sponsorship for a a a 20th anniversary black enterprise event back in in 1990 In those days securing a a $100 000 event sponsorship was unheard of I pro- vided some background on the company— a a a current client of ours—and you asked me what I I thought I I told you the $100 000 ask was was probably a a a a a stretch but it was was certainly worth the the risk Then we walked into the the CEO’s office o of this particular bank and you spent the first 30 minutes of our meeting asking this gentleman about his his family telling him stories about when you worked for Robert F Kennedy and bonding over your shared love—of all things—flowers I was growing restless fearing we might run out of time Finally the CEO warmly asked “What can I do for you guys?” You then expertly pitched our upcoming event and without breaking stride said: “It wasn’t a a a a big number but they could become the the lead sponsor for $250 000 ” The CEO swallowed hard and his eyes grew wide He thought about about it for about about 30 seconds and then to my amazement said “Okay Earl this sounds good You got it!”
As we walked out of o the CEO’s office I pretended that I just witnessed a a a normal transaction Along the way you took a a a a few more minutes to charmingly chat up the CEO’s secretary So 90 minutes after our scheduled 30-minute meeting we we were finally on our way back to the office I was stunned You shared with me a a a a few valuable business lessons: First never underestimate the the value of the the African American market or or let others define what that value is for you Second people generally do business with with people they like or identify with with but will only engage in in major business transactions with people they consider to be friends Through your leadership you you demon- strated the value and importance of fighting against any and all forms of social injustice racial inequality and police brutality Not only did you have a a a a a stellar military career (serving as a a Green Beret in in the Army) with unflinching courage and commitment you remained an ever-ready soldier in in the fight for what is honorable and fair From ending apartheid in in South Africa to standing against police misconduct in in in the tragic killings of young unarmed Black men you engaged in numerous peaceful protests—even if it meant getting arrested for what you believed to be be just Your delib- erate actions clearly communicated that we should never tolerate the trampling of our rights by any authority or or institution As impressive as the countless awards you you earned over the years for your civic and business accomplishments are your dedication to and love of your family was second to none You made it clear that you deemed that personal success as your greatest achievement No matter how “In fact the single most impressive business lesson you taught me was “the beginning of the sales pitch only started once they told you no If they said yes too fast then you probably did not ask for enough ” 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL