Pat Riley 'Sells' Miami Heat to LeBron James & Co.

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Can you imagine being the most sought after free agent in the history of athletics?  Even better, how would you convince this acutely coveted crown to select you over your competitors?  Pat Riley, team president of the Miami Heat, undoubtedly embraced this opportunity and outwitted his opponents.  Not only did he acquire LeBron James, but he signed, arguably, the top three free agents in the NBA.  Although it is challenging to conceive, the thought, conversation, and execution of courting these three supreme superstars had to be interesting to say the least.  This process is sales at its best, I bet the prospecting, preparation, and presentation was flawless.

Picture Riley and his staff  sitting around the boardroom table reaching for ideas of reinventing the Miami Heat.  It was probably Sammy Schulman who, after crunching the numbers, courageously spat out the prospecting possibility of spending the majority of the salary cap on three studs that coincidentally positioned themselves for this exact moment.  They then sold the vision to current franchise talent Dwayne Wade, who would be the advocating ‘sales representative’ to work the account.  After careful and relentless preparation it would be off to secure appointments for the big presentations.

LeBron met with six teams before ‘The Decision’.  Let’s walk through the winning presentation and dissect its brilliance.  Because of the research that was done, we know that LeBron’s personality type probably sits between ‘Driver’ and ‘Inspirer’, while his preferred communication modality leans towards visual.  All of his individual and team statistics are accumulated and bumped up against cumulative results.  As LeBron walks in he is greeted with these things in mind and comforted to alleviate the initial anxiety associated with this life changing event.  Both parties agree to an open and honest dialogue to exhaust all possibilities that generate a mutually beneficial resolve.  In the interest of sincerity, Riley shares the objectives of the Miami Heat first, then intensely probes to uncover LeBron’s genuine desires.  After writing those down, Riley talks a little about the historical significance of his career and how it relates to their synergistic ambitions; what he has done and how he was able to do it.  Understanding that changes are made due to pain, force of circumstance, and/or humility, preparation allows Riley to gain confirmation on LeBron’s problem(s) and willingness to solve them.  After discussing decision criteria and reviewing his notes, Riley is able to overcome any questions, comments, or concerns that LeBron has; crystal clarification around each others’ expectations alleviated any and all reservations. 

‘The Decision’ was made in the best interest of both parties, so in actuality their was no ‘sell’ at all (or was it?).  Riley was able to identify who LeBron is, illustrate how LeBron’s talents translate into results, uncover LeBron’s true needs/hopes, and have a candid conversation to align intentions.  Riley obviously has a viable product in the Miami Heat, however, he won because of his profound interest in helping LeBron, Dwayne, and Chris get closer to their dreams.

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