Page 28 of How to Puck Your Boss (L.A. Hawks Hockey #3)
Surprised, Penny laughed, but her laughter was drowned out by that of Gareth and Lyle, who were still standing with the gray-haired woman with the pearl necklace. The woman looked only half as amused.
“Can I ask you something? Why are Gareth and Lyle kissing that lady’s feet?” she inquired. Her brother was grinning broadly, kindly, which Penny found more than a little unsettling. That was an expression he…well, that he never wore. His standard look was grumpy, expressionless, and impatient.
“Oh, that’s Cindy Malborne,” Lucy said. “She’s the CEO of Blue Lemonade. That sports drink that looks like Smurf piss?”
Penny nodded absently, one corner of her mouth raised. “Yes, I know what Blue Lemonade is. I've been in South America, not on the moon.” Plus, the name said it all.
“Anyway, we’ve been trying to get her to sponsor us for months. I’ve tried. Leslie tried. But Miss Malborne always insists on speaking to someone from management and they’re not good at selling themselves.” Lucy eyed her critically. Penny immediately straightened up.
“Hm, is that so?” she murmured, narrowing her eyes. She wasn’t even surprised that no one had felt the need to fill her in. “Have you given them any tips?”
Lucy snorted. “Of course. That’s our job. But the GM isn’t easy to talk to. He’s incredibly stubborn and always thinks he’s the smartest person in the room.”
Yes, Penny had noticed. “Well, no wonder Gareth gets along so well with him. He’s the same way,” she said. “But you know what? I’m good with people. I’ve spent the last three years talking to hundreds of people, trying to convince them to partake in my studies or be included in my statistics.”
Jack’s voice entered her mind: You have to force them to listen. Force them to implement your ideas. Force them to see that you’re smart .
Oh, she would!
“Lucy, what do you think? If I get Miss Malborne to sponsor us, would that be some kind of leverage to get Gareth and Lyle to listen to me?”
Lucy raised her eyebrow in surprise. “Yes. A damn good one, I’d say.”
Penny smiled contentedly. “Wonderful. Would you be so kind as to give me the tips the men didn’t want to hear?”
Lucy grinned broadly. “I’d be happy to. There are only two things you need to know: Miss Malborne needs certainty, and the image of her company is incredibly important to her.”
She narrowed her eyes and nodded slowly. She could work with that. “Thank you. Then let me show these two suit-monkeys how to negotiate a deal.”
“Oh, I have to see this,” Lucy murmured enthusiastically and followed her closely as she crossed the VIP room.
“…once we’re in the playoffs, you’ll get more screen time than anywhere else with your product,” Gareth was saying, his voice unemotional and authoritative. Miss Malborne, though, couldn’t have looked more skeptical.
“You’ve told me that three times now. Besides, who says they’ll even make the playoffs?”
“We say that,” Thomas Lyle replied hastily, “because we know our team. We have a good chance.”
“And yet it’s still only a chance,” she stated impatiently as Penny joined them. “It’s three months until we know who’s making the playoffs, isn’t it?” she said, pursing her lips.
“It’s only two and a half,” Gareth contradicted, and Penny had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. As if that was a compelling point.
Miss Malborne took a similar view. “The bottom line is that you have to win a lot of games. Who says you can do that? So, why would I invest now in the faces of your team when they may not be seen for the rest of the season?”
“We’ll make it,” Lyle stated firmly.
The woman laughed. “Naturally you say that. But you can’t guarantee it.”
“Well…” Gareth replied.
“What we can do is…” Lyle began, but Penny stepped forward and held out her hand to Miss Malborne, silencing them.
“Hello, Miss Malborne. I’m pleased to meet you.”
Irritated, the manager glared at her.
“And you are?”
“Penny Clark. Also from management.” She gave Lyle and Gareth a grim look. “And I understand what your problem is.”
“Really?” she asked, offended. “Because so far, everyone here seems slow on the uptake.”
Penny smiled. “I’m sorry that’s your impression. Obviously, we know it’s not a sure thing that the Hawks will make the playoffs.”
Gareth sighed heavily and Lyle pressed his lips together into a thin line.
“Thank you!” Miss Malborne said contentedly. Penny knew most people appreciated honesty, which Lyle and Gareth didn’t seem to understand.
“The thing is, if you sponsor us, you’re not investing in our players’ pretty faces,” she said quietly.
“It wouldn’t be a safe investment. Do you know how many black eyes Dax Temple has had this season?
Fourteen. I counted because I like numbers, and it was a real shame to see his beautiful cheekbones so messed up. ”
Lucy laughed. “Oh, there will be a few more, believe me,” she said. “The odds are at twenty this season.”
Miss Malborne’s mouth showed early signs of a smile. “Very good. So, if I’m not investing in Dax Temple’s pretty face, what am I investing in then?”
“Our brand,” Penny stated simply. “In the Hawks. Because we’re more than a hockey team.”
Malborne looked skeptical. “Really? If you tell me you’re a family…”
“No, no.” She cleared her throat. “Even though it’s true, of course.
But that’s hardly relevant to you. Obviously, it’s mostly about hockey — you would be sponsoring the team.
But the Hawks are also involved in many charitable organizations.
We give out sports scholarships, support sports programs abroad, and every year we hold a fundraising marathon for children in South America to fund their education.
And it works. I’ve been traveling South America for the last few years and it truly makes a difference.
Being associated with the Hawks means being associated with supporting the developing world.
Offering scholarships to children of poorer families.
Whenever we do something good, your product will be featured.
We are the best thing that could happen to your image.
The Hawks have donated 15 percent more of their income in recent years than any other sports organization.
I’ve made sure of it.” She had specifically persuaded her father to do so.
“And statistically, our players are 20 percent less dissatisfied than players on other teams. We have fewer scandals than any other – at least since Dax Temple became happily engaged! – fewer lawsuits on our hands…but really, making a deal with us means making a deal with us . Not with the men on the ice. So, if you become an official sponsor of the Hawks, it doesn’t matter whether we lose or win.
Because you’ll be in the right, no matter what.
We can guarantee that our reputation will remain the best – and that rubs off.
Not to mention we’ve already proven that we only do business with trustworthy companies. You would be one of them.”
“Hm,” Miss Malborne said, one finger to her chin. “So, at this fundraising marathon…would there be posters of the product?”
“Naturally,” she said without hesitation. “If you’re our sponsor, you’re also a sponsor of all our charity events. We’d even distribute your product at each event.”
Miss Malborne nodded, visibly satisfied.
Out of the corner of her eye, Penny saw Lucy nod approvingly at her…and Thomas Lyle studying her with his eyes narrowed.
The CEO of Blue Lemonade stared at her thoughtfully for a few moments. Then she said, “Oh, all right. That sounds good. Draw up a contract and send it to my legal department and then I’ll get back to you.” She shook Penny’s hand again, nodded to Gareth and Lyle, and then swept out of the room.
Penny’s stomach fluttered with excitement, but she tried to look as nonchalant as possible. “Why exactly did you not clue me in that we were trying to make a deal with Blue Lemonade ?”
“Shit. I forgot how good you are at this sort of thing,” Gareth muttered, shaking his head.
She shot her brother a sharp look. “How convenient, Gare.”
He sighed heavily while Lyle continued to stare at her. “You’re more than the woman who slaughtered a rooster on a stage, aren’t you?” he then stated.
She snorted loudly. “I should slap you for that comment alone. But you know what? I’ll just say this: what you just witnessed, I’ll do with every possible sponsor who considers us if you’ll only look at the stats on Leon Alvarez.
I can be incredibly useful, but only if you’re useful to me.
After all, that’s how it works at the management level, doesn’t it? ”
Lyle kept staring at her…then he started to smile.
Surprised, Penny blinked as his grin grew wider. “Good, Miss Clark. You have my full attention. Tell me exactly why Leon Alvarez should be a winger. Convince me like you just convinced Miss Malborne and I’ll consider making Coach Gray try it out at practice.”
Penny smiled. “That’s all I wanted to hear. So, listen up. I don’t have all day."
And man, did it feel good to say that. Jack was right: Politeness was overrated when it came to men in positions of power. Thank God she wasn’t half as nice as everyone thought.