The Clash of Yesterday (Chronicles of the Stone Veil 0.5)
I wonder if Ronan did a presentation like this and immediately admonish myself for even wasting brain space thinking about him.
By the time I have my PowerPoint presentation on the board and ready to go, along with a glossy printed portfolio of my presentation to hand to Carrick, he’s back at the table with a chilled bottle of water for me and a cup of coffee for himself.
Settling down into the end chair that faces the SmartBoard, he says, “I’m ready to be wowed.”
“I’m ready to wow,” I assure him, and I launch into my pitch.
For fifteen minutes, I go through my presentation, which includes the background research I’d done on One Bean and research about the coffee shop industry, not only nationwide but locally here in Seattle.
I took the gamble that a man such as Carrick Byrne would be thinking nationally, so my pitch focused on an ad campaign that could easily translate into future franchises across the United States. That meant I leaned away from the stereotypical Seattleite coffee drinker, a regional type of paying customer, and focused my ads on drawing in the average American coffee drinker.
The Starbucks types who were looking for a similar alternative.
I lay out the print campaign ideas, as well as radio and TV options. It was more than what was asked for, and I acknowledged that to Carrick, but I wanted him to be able to take this campaign and stretch it past the boundaries of Seattle if he wanted. I hoped my expansive thinking would put me over the top, as the campaigns I always win the bid on are done in the same fashion. Business owners appreciate the think-outside-the-box type of ideas.
When I finish, I take my bottle of water, allowing myself a tiny sip before I finish with, “Now… tell me what questions you might have.”
In deep contemplation, Carrick sits in his chair, fingers steepled before his face as he stares at the last slide I’d left up… an artist’s rendition of a franchised One Bean in middle-America suburbia.
Lowering his hands, he gives me an appreciative smile before standing from his chair. “That was a very impressive pitch, Eliana.”
“Thank you,” I beam back.
“But it’s not quite what I was hoping for,” he says, moving to stand before me. He tucks his hands in his pockets, and, because he’s so much taller than me, I have to tip my head back. “One Bean is a local icon. It’s a small shop, and Finley is happy keeping it local. Too much of your pitch is to make it a national brand when we want the focus in Seattle.”
“With all due respect,” I say as I bend over my laptop to bring back up slides ten through fourteen. “But in this part of the presentation, I focus on the local market.”
“And I appreciated it,” he says, gaze flicking to the SmartBoard and then back to me. His voice is firm, mind made up. “But Prima focused all of their energy on the one shop here locally, and their pitch better suits our style.”
“But—”
“Again,” Carrick says, cutting in over me and reaching his hand out for me to shake. I take it numbly. “It was a great presentation. I would absolutely love to hear other pitches in the future from you and the fine folks at Carson Dell, but I’m going to give this project to Prima.”
The next five minutes is a bit of a haze. As I pack up my equipment, my stomach churns while I give another lame handshake to Carrick Byrne, mutter my thanks for allowing me to pitch to him, and then somehow, I’m standing out on the sidewalk in front of his building.
The valet looks at me expectantly, remembering my BMW. I shake my head to indicate I’m not ready to collect it and glance down the block.
There’s a bar down on the corner.
Not one I’ve been to before, but if it serves liquor, it will do nicely.
CHAPTER 2
Ronan
I couldn’t say no to the Prima guys when they insisted we celebrate capturing the One Bean account. It’s an incredibly small campaign compared to what they’re used to working on, but it is an inroad to Byrne Enterprises, the real prize.
Carrick Byrne himself called me not an hour after I’d left to let me know he’d accepted my bid. My first thought wasn’t self-congratulations or happiness on making my new company proud.
It was pure pride and egoism that I’d beat out Eliana Thompson. I would have given anything to see her face when she found out she’d lost.
To me.
Yeah… I’m celebrating that more than the actual account we gained at Prima because that’s just how much I loathe the woman. And I don’t feel bad in the slightest about it because she has the exact same disdain for me.
Enemies to the absolute core, and now that I’m in Seattle, I expect we’ll be having more battles to come. I relish being able to pound her pride again and again at this game.