Find a Sponsor with ProQ – Part 1
July 15, 2016
Can ProQ motorsports event software find a sponsor for your racing team?
Unfortunately, no, but it makes finding one easier and much more likely.
When looking for a sponsor, your first step is probably to ask the marketing department of the series you compete in to e-mail you its latest marketing deck. It will include some good photos, inflated attendance figures that no one could ever prove, some estimated TV ratings if the series has some sort of TV presence, and a map that shows where the races are held.
You — and all of your competitors — have the same information and a dream, but not much else.
If the series is so unsophisticated that it doesn’t have a marketing deck, put something together yourself. Or pay to have someone do it for you. At a minimum, this includes an introduction to the team – past performance and future hopes. Include something about the people who will be doing this. The team owner, the driver and the crew chief. And add some good photos of the race car and the transporter.
If you’ve done that, pat yourself on the back because you’ve started to find a sponsor. But remember, there is a lot more work to do. You might not even want a potential sponsor to see that presentation.
Why?
That information is all about the series and your team. Unless your potential new sponsor is already a big race fan, he isn’t really interested. The likelihood of that package even piquing his interest isn’t that good either.
Why?
He’s only interested in increasing his sales of widgets. Building his base of customers who may buy his widgets in the future. Improving anything that’s keeping his company from making the most money it can – quickly and effectively.
He has to spend his company’s advertising dollars wisely if he wants to keep his job. And if he’s going to get a promotion he has to do something to increase sales – dramatically. He knows the state of the economy and the history of fly-by-night racing teams.
So, he’s more likely to be attracted to something safe, like a TV commercial or a print ad. He has to be very careful with marketing dollars so he doesn’t get fired, and in his eyes you look like a real long shot.
If you’ve been sending out all sorts of packages and working hard to get in the door to make a pitch – good! Your tenacity and perseverance should be applauded. However, if you haven’t gotten the results you need then think about this. Albert Einstein once said: “Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results is the definition of insanity.”
ProQ Can Help
Don’t throw in the towel yet! ProQ can help, but you must be willing to think about things a little differently, learn some new tricks, and work hard.
Yes, a lot of work will be required, but just how bad do you want a sponsor?
- The first thing to remember is your team’s needs are unimportant to your potential sponsor. All they care about is their needs.
- The second thing to remember is that when you’re looking for a sponsor, you’re selling a form of advertising and promotion.
The Keys to Sponsorships
The three biggest keys to any kind of sponsorship hunt are (1) prospecting, (2) networking, and (3) fulfilling a need (professionally and at a competitive price.) ProQ can help you with all three, but even the last one has very little to do with how many races or championships your team wins.
Part 2 of this article explains those keys in more detail. Read it to find out more about how ProQ can help you find a sponsor.