Fresh off scoring another career-defining ESPY Award, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning hit the stage running on Thursday, pitching business tips as fast as he throws footballs to a rapt audience at ASI Show Chicago, presented by the Advertising Specialty Institute of Trevose, PA.
“Excellence doesn’t happen by chance,” said the 6-foot-5 Super Bowl champion, the brother of football superstar Eli Manning and son of the legendary Archie Manning. “In today’s business world, you may need to change your strategy, but you can’t change your vision. You have to be ready to compete and never get too comfortable.”
Manning, who surpassed Brett Favre with career touchdown No. 509 last season, was named Best Record-breaking Performance of the past year by ESPY voters Wednesday night. Thursday, he flew to Chicago for the ASI Show at McCormick Place, attended by 655 exhibitors and nearly 4,425 distributors from 44 states and 10 countries, including 499 women- and minority-owned companies and 135 Chicago-based companies. All told, 26 companies also chose ASI’s show to host their sales meetings.
Mixing personal sports stories, jokes about his career as a product pitchman and tips on becoming a better leader, the 14-time Pro-Bowler and five-time league MVP encouraged attendees to be game-changers at their companies by cultivating trust and through meticulous daily preparation.
“Don’t be stymied by change, be stimulated by it,” he said. “Be a master observer and look for things that aren’t evident to your competitors. That’s what I try to do when I call an audible. And invest in a coach that can help you continue to grow. I still want to be coached myself. When you stop wanting to be mentored, I think you’re in big trouble.”
Manning’s 40 minutes on stage included an interview by Timothy M. Andrews, president of ASI Show and president and chief executive officer of ASI. The presentation scored big-time with the audience of nearly 750 small-business owners, entrepreneurs and CEOs in the $21.5 billion promotional products industry, gathered for a three-day trade show, Tuesday, July 14-Thursday, July 16.
“The keynote was fabulous,” said Mike Foley, of Foley Enterprises (asi/195776). “You can tell he’s a great leader and, more importantly, a good person. Sports and business have a lot of similarities, and his speech solidified to us that you really have to pay attention to detail.” MORE INFO