sportstyle

62 • July 2021 sportstyle • sportstylemag.com A my Watts' journey in team sales began in 1995 in Wichita, KS, working for Athletic Attic Team Sales. Over a span of 10 years she sold team, licensed and corporate apparel prior to her division being sold to Nebraska Sports Industries. In 2005 Watts went to work for Nike Team and eventually became a regional sales manager for the Field Sports division in Chicago. In 2010, she became the regional sales manager for Oakley in the Midwest and from 2016-2018 worked for a number of sporting goods start-ups. In 2018 Watts landed at her former customer BSN Sports and she is currently sales manager for East Texas, managing a team of 11 field sales pros. You have experience in many facets of team sports, but how has the past year been in dealing with the pandemic? When schools closed last year, my team and BSN Sports as a whole pivoted quickly. We immediately saw the value – and urgency – to leverage virtual tools to connect with our teams and our customers. How did that take shape? It was important for us to connect with coaches, athletic directors, principals and superintendents to let them know we were here to support them. Whether we were touching base regarding an order or just to lend an ear, it was important for us to support our coaches. How about for you personally in the past year? Not much has changed for me and how I approach the business. I have been working from my home office for the past 14 years and, if anything, the shift to virtual has driven more communication with coaches. I am accustomed to the self-discipline required to be successful in this type of environment, but I have been able to remain positive primarily because my team and surrounding support have held the same positive mindset. Yes, we all love working out of a home office. What is your typical day like these days? I am an early riser and I start each day with a workout. Even when gyms were closed, I found a way to create my own home gym to make sure I start off each day getting physically focused so I can get mentally focused. And then it's off to work … My workday consists first and foremost of coaching my team. Whether I'm helping develop a route plan, crafting an All School Deal, meeting with a manufacturing rep or diving into territory planning, my day is focused on delivering results. Do you get to talk to your customers much — from a social distance, of course? I do spend a great deal of time connecting with coaches and decision makers. We have been lucky here in Texas as school budgets were not as affected by freezes as they were in other areas of the country. However, we've faced seasonal sport schedule changes and have worked to support coaches through adjusted inventory needs. Lately I am having the most fun working on large-scale construc- tion, equipment and branding projects, which we've seen increase as schools take advantage of limited traffic on campus. So no slowdown? We have not let the pandemic slow us down. I'm a highly competitive person, so I love the idea of winning. Through it all, my team has kept their foot on the gas. Let's shift gears a bit with this question: Do you view yourself as a woman in the team sports business, or simply as person who is in the business? As a professional in this business, my sole focus in my career has been to create strong relationships backed with impeccable service. But naturally, I am very proud to be a female in this industry. How have you worked with the challenges? For years, I was one of a very few female sales- people — and even fewer managers. To best meet the needs of our coaches, I believe there is a real need to improve the balance of women in this industry with the goal of our service teams reflecting the customer base that we serve. Within my team at BSN Sports it is encouraging to know that that same viewpoint and need is recognized among our leadership. I genuinely feel that BSN Sports is making a continued effort to diversify their workforce and expand their reach. The biggest challenge for a female is cracking into the highest levels of management. As the pool of available talent increases, I hope to see more and more females break glass ceilings. Amy Watts Sales Manager, BSN Sports ONE-ON-ONE WITH

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