Tips on landing a sponsor

I think I have a sponsor interview lined up so I have a list of what I want & how much it will cost

they dont know much about racing so I plan on starting by telling them how much a prof bicycle racing team annual budget is then go karts, then NASCAR just to give them a clue, then I'll show them how small my budget is compared to NASCAR

Any tips from the veterans ?

Should I use powerpoint, bring my crew chief, bring the car, bring photos, video ?

I plan on getting some marketing assistance from NASCAR & Grand AM to help put things in perspective

Thanks

 

Theres a 20yr old book on the topic, cant remember the name, but its a diamond.
Basically; are you selling exposure (fans observing) in which case it had better be pro racing televised with #s to support.
Or what is more common with smaller efforts; You offer a one-on-one experiance with potential customers of your sponsor. IE inviting the sponsors potential client to "experiance" the thrill of racing and being "on the team".

That said I dont think it would hurt to bring a couple of strippers with your team logo tatooed on them.
Perhaps a "bonus" if they sign up

 

Not that I have any sponsors other than my Mastercard.

To add on to what you already said about putting it in perspective of what it costs to sponsor different racing series.

Have some professional looking shots of your car on the track and in the paddock. Make sure the car looks clean and presentable. Do a small presentation of your accomplishments and a brief history. Add something about your future goals, finally a little bit about what you are given them in return for their investment. A professional looking website also helps a great deal, I believe you already have one?

That would be my stage by stage process, which I should be starting in the next year.

 

I'm not a veteran but I graduated magna cum laude w/a degree in marketing, if you want some help with things that I can help with from Wisconsin, let me know, I'd be more than willing to work out of my love for racing.

What kind of racing do you do?

 

William. E-mail me.

j spangler at diehl motors dot com

Spang

 

Anyone who would like help with any kind of marketing/advertising things, let me know. I love racing and as I said, I'm fairly smart when it comes to marketing, I've worked for numerous small business owners and corporations (the corps on projects through school).

This is eventually what I'd like to do for a living, so anyone willing to let me help, let me know.

I'd work free of charge of course

 

Own a company and put its logo on your race car.

 

Someone one with much more experience than I have will obviously chime in but it seems you have things covered so I just wanted to add a bit more.

I would use powerpoint to aid in your presentation. Cover things as such as your experience in racing, races you have attended and participated in and your placing for those races. Obviously, outline the racing series you plan to participate. Comparitive budgets from others series and the series you plan to participate along with the series rewards and recognition for finishing places. Crew chief, drivers, and having the car for them to view will help tremendously. Even take them out for a hot lap if you can. Just to show the driver skill and the cars performance to aid in their decision as to why they should become a sponsor. Most important is to outline what you can do for them. How can they benefit from you? What will they get in return? That is what they truly care about

When I inquire about sponsorship I like to go all out. It shows my dedication to my activity, professionalism, and seriousness. I like them to know that I am about building a relationship and not just out to get their product or money.

Edit- I guess I am slow in typing my response, lol. What has been said by others is great advice.

 

Pretty pictures are nice, but, depending on how sophisticated this deal is, your potential sponsor will be looking for return on investment. Everything to do with marketing is measured these days.

As I run a marketing firm and a sometimes racer, happy to help where I can. PM me if you like.

 

Check out the picks of Williams 512 race car and you'll see that's already happened

 

I'm no expert by any means, but it seems to me folks are interested in the demographics, the age group of who watches you (race), in-person or on TV, and the audience numbers from TV ratings.
If you don't have those numbers in your presentation, along with 'proof' of those numbers, you at least need to know those numbers so you can quote them when asked.

Also, can you throw up a sponsorship tent at an event close to the main office of the prospective sponsor ? Can you throw up a tent at any major event, regardless of how close to the main office it is ? Can the company use that as a marketing tool specifically for their sales staff ? Where the top sales agents invite high-dollar clients or prospective clients ?

Put yourself in your prospective sponsors' shoes - what would YOU want or expect out of the deal ? What can YOU do for me ?

And keep in mind you are probably not the only person making a sponsorship pitch to this company, what can you offer that others cannot ?

Good luck.

P.S. - I wired my house with Hubbell CAT5 products about 6 years ago, it's good stuff.

 

Cool, thanks