He stared at her long and hard. As if he wasn’t sure what to do with her. Then he let out a long breath. “Okay, this is how we’re going to play it. We are going to walk into that room, blow them away with our ideas and win this contract. You are not going to be distracted. You are not going to address Alexander in any way, shape or form unless he asks you a question. Play to Davide, play to the other two. But do not let Alexander shake you.”
Relief flooded through her. He wasn’t going to push her. She could have kissed him except that had been a bad idea. “Got it,” she said firmly. “You can trust me.”
His gaze singed hers. “Too bad that doesn’t go both ways.”
She shook her head. “It does, I swear it. This is just…different.”
The furrow in his brow deepened. “Someone’s done a number on you, Bailey.”
How about her life? Did that count?
He made a rough sound in his throat. “We have ten minutes. We should go set up.”
She nodded and found her notes.
If Jared had expected Bailey to be shaky and off her game in the presentation, he was proven wrong. Something switched on in her brain when she walked into that room. Her survival instincts, he figured. She plowed through her slides with a steely determination and enthusiasm that made everyone at the table catch the spirit and engage. He watched that sharp brain of hers ignite, gather momentum as she fed off the feedback she was getting from the table and push her ideas to an even higher creative level. Not once did she look at Alexander, except to answer his pointed and often challenging questions.
His own strategies had been solid, but they had been lacking the marketing savvy Bailey possessed. Together they made a formidable team.
Don’t fight the exodus from retail, she was counseling now, pointing at the screen. Touch consumers where they work and play, show them what they are missing in a lifestyle setting like a yoga studio that drives it home for them, then sell to them on the spot with the kiosks.
“Intriguing,” Alexander conceded, “if a bit sacrilegious to a retailer like me. You’re asking us to focus our marketing budget outside of the stores?”
“Some of it, yes,” Bailey said, nodding. “It’s a reality that people are moving away from brick-and-mortar retail to the online space. You need to get ahead of the trend now.”
Alexander got to his feet and started pacing the room, a technique Jared figured he used to intimidate. “Yoga is niche, however. How is this really going to impact our bottom line?”
“You replicate it.” Bailey flipped to her next slide. “You train demo staff, send them not just to yoga studios, but to running centers, health and wellness clinics, gyms… You seed the instructors first, make them fall in love with the product, and then you capture their students.”
Alexander didn’t look convinced. Bailey plunged on, undeterred. When she’d finished the last of the slides and Jared had closed with a “why Stone Industries” recap, they wrapped the presentation.
Davide looked at his son. “What do you think?”
“I like it,” Alexander said, nodding. “I think the direct-to-consumer ideas are the strongest, they fit with our strategy, our target markets, but I am skeptical they can be rolled out on a large scale. And,” he added, dropping a file folder on the table in front of Jared, “I am worried from this latest consumer research that you’ve alienated the target female consumer with your manifesto. You’ve dropped ten points in intent to buy with females since it happened.”
Jared eyed the file in disbelief. “They’ll be back up by next week. This is a flash in the pan.” And you know it.
“Perhaps.” Gagnon lifted a brow. “But the fact remains, the female demographic is our most important to capture right now. We can’t afford to partner with a company that’s alienated the market segment.”
“It won’t last,” Jared repeated on a low growl.
“Likely not,” Alexander agreed. “Your ideas are creative and sound. But I’m afraid I’m going to need market research to buy into them. So we’re not all having a little enthusiasm party here that isn’t based on reality.”
Jared folded his hands in front of him, struggling to control his anger. “That will take time.” He had a board meeting in two weeks he needed this deal signed, sealed and delivered for if he wanted to maintain control of his company.
Alexander shrugged. “We’d like you to repitch next week in Paris.” He lifted a brow. “You’re a busy man. If you have other engagements, send Bailey back to Paris with me. I can weigh in with what I know works and we can chew away at it.”