good morning.
i'm in need of help on how to talk to potential sponsors.
i've done a search and it helped a little but still didnt find answers to my real question.
my question is, how do i go about presenting myself to a potential sponsor?
i doubt that going up to people and saying: "yo dude, wanna give me cash for my racecar? i'll advertise ur buisness on my car if you do." will do the trick.
i'm thinking along the lines of making it more of a buisness proposal. but exactly how, i do not yet know. do i need a full presentation of how it all works in terms of they giving me $$ and me advertising on my car?
i'm on first name basis with 3 buisness owners who have in the past sponsored a racecar. and i have connections with people that work with large buisneses that sponsor pro level drag cars.
i'm not looking to make this my living or get rich off it. i'm just looking to get enough to help pay for racing costs.
do i say "For $XXX, you get XXX amount of ad space on the vehicle." or do i say "For $XXXX amount, you get to advertise on my vehicle for one full race season." ??

if anyone out there has experince with talking with sponsors/securing sponsorship contracts/have sponsors please i would love to hear from you.

 

As soon as you find out let me know.
in club racing I think it is very hard to get sponsorship for money.

I think the best any of us really get is a discount on parts and the occasional hook up here and there.

good luck and let me know what you did to get money.

someone in here may have a answer for you.

 

In club racing it's next to impossible to get sponsorship. You have to sponsor yourself. If you're in a pro series the series will have marketing assistance.

 

I do get sponsorships.

Some companies give money bu tmostly I ask companies which distribute tools which I actually need.

So I tell them tools for ad space which is cool as you advertise for the tools you like.

 

hmmmm. one place i had a quick chat with is the place i buy a lot of tools from.

thanks!

 

Ask the question:

What can you do for them?

If you have the answer to that, that's your sales pitch.

Remember it's not a "sponsorship" deal; it's a business partnership. They're giving you money / parts / tools / services / whatever you need in an exchange for you to promote either their company or product.

When you can answer without skipping a beat "What's in it for us?" when they ask you that, then you're prepared enough for the meeting; otherwise, more research and homework needs to be done.

 

At an club level, it can be challenging to gets sponsors. Generally you'll have sponsors that would be tools/parts suppliers etc. The best way to pitch it is, give them a reason while you will give them great Return on Investment. I know thats what i look for when i have guys ask me. They're helping you, so selll them on what you are helping THEM with. =0)

 

Have you looked into contingency money? Many organizations that are in touch with grassroots efforts offer programs. Essentially, their sponsorship (ie payout) is contingent upon you doing well. You obviously have to run their decals and equipment, as well as run in the series' that they support.

Hankook, among others, runs a program: http://www.hankooktireusa.com/motor/...quirements.asp

 

establish a relationship with a shop, spend lots of money with them, then win some races, then let them sticker up your car and in return you get discount on parts and labor as well as race support... after all it'll be their name on the winning car http://www.bmwcca.org/files/roundel/2006/O...October2006.pdf

but don't expect to get cash in club racing, discount on parts and labor is about as good as it gets which is great to help you have fun. if you want to get more serious check out mx-5 cup it's the cheapest pro series you can run but still cost way more than club racing (for a slower car too!).

drew

 

Yah, the easiest thing to do is go after contingency money, since many major parts manufacturers have those programs in place. Besides that, you have to A) prove you can win and B) provide a ROI (Return On Investment) for the shop.

There's also a website that advertises in a few tuner magazines (I forget the name) that deals with companies who want to sponsor cars. I got the feeling it was mostly for show cars, but do a quick search on Google and maybe you can find out more about them.