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For someone who’s made her career in sales, Uzma Rawn has a singular anomaly. “I hate talking on the phone,” she said, laughing. “I talk on the phone for my career, but I really don’t like it.”
Vice President, Global Corporate Partnerships, Major League Baseball
Age: 34
Born: Basingstoke, England
Education: Ithaca College, B.A., sport management
Family: Husband, Louis Dowler; children, none yet but expecting first in June.
I get fired up by … : Being told no and not accepting it, especially when it comes from the person who can’t give you the final yes.
Advice to my 20-year-old self: Being told no is a good thing; don’t let that discourage you.
Guilty pleasure: Reality TV, especially “Real Housewives.”
Cause supported: The Mariam Clinic, Cary, N.C.
Person in the industry I’d most like to meet: Not in the industry, but I really want to meet Michelle Obama.
Most unusual question asked while networking: My favorite icebreaker is, “if you didn’t know me, what would you think my name would be?”
Sports industry needs to do a better job of … : Hiring more amazing women in leadership positions.
Most adventurous thing I’ve done: Bungee jumping in Mexico during spring break from college. I didn’t tell my mom until I sent her the video.
Since one of Rawn’s hallmarks is being a master of the cold call, her supposed revulsion of all things telephonic seems especially peculiar.
“She must have called or emailed me 25 times before I relented,” said Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment CEO Scott O’Neil, who hired Rawn out of college to work for the NBA’s team marketing and business operations division in 2006. “She was already this tenacious, smart, confident young woman, who was not afraid to pick up the phone. In our business, that combination equals success.”
At Premier Partnerships, Rawn sold the first naming-rights deal for what was then the Portland Trail Blazers’ Rose Garden. How? By cold-calling the president of what was then ODS Health. Initially by phone, Rawn convinced the president that naming rights to an NBA arena would be the best way to rebrand to Moda Health.
“Uzma’s got charisma that connects her with people,” said Premier Partnerships CEO Randy Bernstein. “That’s half the secret to success in this business. The other half is being able to articulate your message once you get through; she’s great at doing both.”
Since Rawn joined MLB in 2015, both the number of sponsors and sponsor revenue have increased by more than 50%. Among the highlights was selling the first World Series presenting sponsorship in 2017.
So what does someone who doesn’t like speaking on the phone call the perfect cold call? “Short, with an entertaining anecdote,” Rawn said, “and make it important enough that they’ll have to call you back.”
