If we would have been able to capitilize on the money we spent in rally, we would still be doing it rather than wondering where it all went!
When you are looking for a potential sponsor all they are thinking (unless you are buddies) is how are you going to make me more money?.
Period - it is that easy, it should not need any more explanation.
Matt is right - the right marketing plan is the key to making said sponsor more sales, which eqauls more money, which equals sponsorship opportunities.
While I agree with this in theory , I also disagree in reality....only because at our level, there will never be a 'direct' connection between sponsoring a grassroots driver and more sales.
I link it more to (and this is how I pitch it) as a 'Branding' opportunity....'goodwill' or the 'hey look at what we're doing' effect.
The main reason is just plain honesty....I can't honestly look someone in the face and tell them that if they give me $5000 for the season that they'll end up with $5,500 in their pocket after the season (a mere 10% ROI). And if I did try to pass that off, they should look at me and go 'yeah, right....piss off.'
However, there IS value in helping someone like me and then going out to the local community and then saying, "Hey...look us at, look at what we're doing together." That creates a brand awareness that you can't buy with $$$. It creates goodwill among the community towards your business. Its very immeasurable (unfortunately), but in the long run, it WILL help your business. (the extreme examples are Apple, original Coke, and McDonalds).
This is why the big organizations give away millions to charity. Sure, tax write-off, but it also allows them to scream, 'Hey! Look at us! We're nice people too! (
Now the next time you get a little hungry go buy a fucking big mac!)"
This is actually the EASIEST thing a grassroots driver can give because it involves relatively small amounts of time. Simple things can add up to a lot:
1) going on product/marketplace specific forums and giving honest and fair reviews.....no BS, no sales pitch, but at lot of people see that stuff. (Just as the exact opposite-online negative reviews-can also have a very damaging effect on ones business brand)
2) doing the same thing but with brief event write ups and saying THANK YOU to said sponsors. Everyone on car forums LOVE to see the 'little people' going on there and 'doing it' with their cars, and love to see the vendors that help that happen. Good will. You can't buy it.
3) Simple videos (these don't have to be huge productions), posted on-line with a little diligence.
These are easy things to promise, and deliver upon...and visibility is easy to measure with actual responses to your posts, or clicks counted.
In other words, you just have to sell 'the dream'....of course that particular business also has to 'see' the dream, but you get the point. the thing to do is make sure you're selling it to the right business. For people pulling in sponsorship deals from non-automotive businesses...Kudos to you. That's the hardest sell because those guys WILL be looking for some kind of direct ROI.
But maybe for a small, independent local shop....who doesn't have the funds to run their own car, but wants to have a 'shop sponsored car' so they can have pictures on their office walls and make the place feel bigger than it really is, maybe approach that guy (helps if you pull up in the rally car and get everyone staring at your first) and say "hey....lets work something out."
(it helps to spend some money at that shop as well. )
The catch is: sales isn't easy, and it isn't for everyone....Sometimes you have to ask a LOT of people before you get a 'yes'....
but at least it never hurts to ask. and if you keep your expectations low, when someone does say its, its just gravy.
The last thing I'll say is that you have to always be alert for opportunities and MAKE things happen for yourself. For example, I had this guy from
www.TheSmokingTire.com email me last year about a piece that they wanted to do for RallyX'ing. They're in SoCal.....there wasn't anything going on at the time, but I kept them in mind and at the end of the year I told them about the CRS rally school....kept on it, got them interested. I got permission from CRS to get them to film there, I talked them into buying THREE seats at CRS rally school (a win for them) and I worked myself into their video a little bit.
Done, right? Hell no. Desert Storm was right around the corner. I pitched them on doing a piece on stage rally and specifically following ME around for the weekend.f (the 'pitch' consisted of me putting together an email with 2 short paragraphs describing my idea) Turns out my usual co-driver couldn't go as well, and their camera man loves WRC, so I sweeten the deal and say he can co-drive for me as well. Long story short, I get this full video with over 10,000 hits, and sponsors LOVE it. (and it really just took a few emails to get it all going)
Then I go and whore out that YouTube Video link on facebook, blogspot, forums, etc, etc, etc.....just like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noW0kCjf1gc&playnext_from=TL&videos=3MM_d9NO1Og
watch it, god damned it!!!
