Introduction: The Challenge of Securing a YES
Stop Blaming Your Product. Why do sports brands hesitate to say YES? As a sports-tech startup, you may feel that the technology itself isn’t the issue—it’s the waiting game that wears you down. The polite calls, the enthusiastic nods, feedback like ‘super interesting,’ requests for decks, and promises to revisit after budget season often lead to a frustrating silence.
The hidden leak in your sales process, and how to fix it fast.
Your team senses the slowdown. The runway is ticking. The pipeline appears full, yet the bank account doesn’t reflect that. You’ve worked hard—launched, built, and closed deals. So why does every new opportunity feel like you’re starting from scratch?
The reason is simple: no one has taught you the system for getting a fast YES from sports brands. This blog presents that system—a practical guide for founders who are ready to move beyond ‘This is interesting’ to attaining real traction.
Key Strategies for Securing a Fast YES
1. Choose One Perfect Customer and One Dream Outcome
When everyone is your customer, no one commits. Many founders aim too broadly, pitching solutions that could aid leagues, clubs, federations, brands, academies, broadcasters, and even fans. Brands won’t commit if they must decipher who you serve.
Rule: A fast YES requires a clear WHO and a clear WHAT.
- Ask yourself: If we could win just one type of customer this year, who would it be?
- What one outcome would make them say: ‘This was one of the best decisions we made this year.’
With a focused target, you gain direction and a real customer to engage with, eliminating months of noise.
2. Turn Your Product into One Clear Offer
Decisions hinge on outcomes, not features. While founders enjoy explaining their products, brands seek clarity.
You need a concise commercial statement: ‘We help [specific niche] achieve [specific result] within [clear time frame] without [big problem they want to avoid].’
- Evaluate: Which part seems weakest: the niche, the result, the time frame, or the ‘without’?
- If you were your own customer, would this statement grab your attention?
A fast YES occurs when the brand can articulate your offer succinctly during their internal discussions.
3. Build a Pilot So Simple It’s Hard to Refuse
Brands aren’t deterred by price but by internal effort. Most pilots fail initially due to a perceived burden, not technology issues.
- A fast YES pilot spans 30–60 days
- Focuses on one team, campaign, or segment
- Has one primary success metric
- Requires minimal brand effort
- Provides a clear path: What follows success, and what if it doesn’t work?
Consider:
- What is the smallest experiment that still demonstrates real value?
- What concerns does the brand have about the pilot, and how can you alleviate that?
If your pilot demands committees, approvals, training, or cross-departmental coordination, it won’t launch. If it feels like a smart, low-risk test with potential upside, it will.
4. Stop Relying on Luck: Build a Lead Engine
Founders need predictability more than introductions. Ask where their last five meetings originated, and many will attribute it to ‘Luck,’ ‘Events,’ ‘Introductions,’ or ‘LinkedIn posts.’
Momentum based on luck is unsustainable. A real lead engine is straightforward:
- Determine the number of qualified conversations needed per month
- Identify the origins of your best opportunities
- Distinguish between system-based results and coincidences
Reflect on:
- Where will your best meetings realistically come from in the next 90 days?
- Which channel deserves more attention? Which one is unproductive?
Understanding where deals originate eliminates the daily uncertainty of waiting for ‘something to come in.’
5. Fix the Only Stage in Your Deal Engine That’s Actually Broken
Your problem isn’t sales; it’s a stage issue. Every deal progresses through five stages:
- Outreach
- First call
- Proposal
- Follow-up
- Close
Many founders view these as a single, chaotic activity called ‘sales.’ A fast YES occurs when each stage is standardized.
Try this exercise with a live deal: Analyze each stage and ask:
- Where does it slow down?
- Where does energy decline?
- Which stage accounts for most lost deals today?
- Does every deal follow a different path?
Your objective isn’t to improve at sales but to identify the bottleneck hindering deals. Fixing one stage can double your close rate without additional changes.
6. Make a 90-Day Commitment That Actually Changes Your Behavior
Knowledge doesn’t move deals; commitments do. Founders leave workshops inspired, only to return to unchanged pipelines. Change requires committing to three actions for 90 days:
- Stop pursuing the wrong customers. Wrong-fit customers waste time and never commit.
- Test the same offer and pilot on every call. Consistency builds clarity, and clarity fosters yes-momentum.
- Implement one system upgrade. Examples: Always engage with the problem owner, send a one-page pilot within 48 hours, and review your pipeline weekly using the 5 stages.
Ask yourself: If we meet in 90 days, what changes must occur in your behavior and systems? This question alone can transform your year.
Conclusion: YES Is Not a Mystery
Sports brands say yes not because your tech is revolutionary, but because your offer is clear, your pilot is straightforward, your deal engine is organized, your behavior is consistent, your system mitigates their fears, and your message is internally coherent.
Founders don’t succeed by working harder; they succeed by creating a process that simplifies saying yes for the right brands. You don’t need perfect technology, more ‘great calls,’ or luck. You need clarity, structure, and a repeatable system. When these three elements align, a YES comes quicker than expected.
Call to Action: This week, I’m offering seven 20-minute Deal Diagnostic calls for sports-tech founders seeking clarity on securing three commercial deals in the next 90 days. If interested, reply with ‘Deal’ to receive available times.
With a Passion for Sports and Innovation, CEO, HYPE Sports Innovation
