GETTING MORE SPONSORS

Every racer would like more sponsorship – Speed costs money and we all want to win – but if you want to get & keep more sponsors, you need to give them what they want.

A good friend may just want to help you out. These are easy sponsors to get and keep – they will sponsor you no matter what you do. If, however, you don’t have enough friends to finance your team you will have to be more professional, and you have to give them what they want. They want real, quantifiable business reasons why they should do business with you. Every week they have salespeople from newspapers, tv, radio, and yellow pages giving them hard cold facts about the results they can deliver. If you can’t show exactly how you will deliver results, they will spend their money elsewhere.

This should be good news because you CAN show them results – if you are willing to do a little more than the average racer. Sound familiar? – Just like at the track, the extra 10% is what will make you succeed where others fail.

First, put yourself in a sponsors position. You want to hear about what sponsoring a race team will do for you. Will it bring you customers? Will it make your existing customers more loyal to you or your business? How will it promote your business in the community? Will it provide any entertainment or fun for you and your family?

As a racer, these are the questions you need to answer. Most racers talk about what they want – if you talk about what your sponsor wants, you will succeed. Here are 10 suggestions for what you should talk about.

	Exclusivity – Radio, TV, and yellow pages place ads for competing businesses right together – give your sponsor an exclusive – "Mr. Jones, Jones Chevrolet will be the only auto dealer we promote with our race team."
	Exposure – How many fans came to the races last year? Don’t quote Winston Cup numbers – tell him how many of his potential customers will see his name on your car. Also, mention figures from car shows or promotional appearances.
	Events – Super mini cups draw a crowd. Offer to come to his grand opening/open house/big sale events once or twice a year – This is one of the most powerful things you can offer. Sure it takes time and effort but remember that extra 10%.
	Newspaper/TV – Has there been any local media coverage of minicup racing? If not, maybe you could get the local paper to do a feature on your race team – then carry that clipping with you when you talk to sponsors.
	Internet – You’re on the Internet now, and so are your sponsor’s customers. Show them your website and offer to link to their site from yours.
	Promotional materials – Do you give out pictures/T-shirts/etc. of your car to fans? Maybe one sponsor would pay for this if their name/contact info was on the back. Of course, all the others would be in the picture or on the back too. Businesspeople spend thousands of dollars on direct mail they know will be thrown away – How much would they pay for something customers will keep? Use this to your advantage.
	Hauler – Do you tow a lot? Offer to make your hauler a rolling billboard. Trucks and airplanes have logos on them – why not your trailer?
	Day at the races – Maybe you’re lucky enough to be talking to a race fan. Offer to host his family for a day at the races. Bring the things he won’t think of like refreshments, sunscreen, earplugs, team caps, chairs, and maybe some information about the track and the racing they will be watching. Yes, this is extra work but for some sponsors, this could be what makes the difference.
	Ask what he wants – Seems obvious but a great way to give a sponsor what he wants is to ask him what that is and then give it to him. Ask "What do you look for when you evaluate advertising opportunities" Whatever he wants – find a way to give it to him.
	Performance – What has your on-track performance been? If you have been a front runner talk about it – remember though, this is at the end for a reason. Everyone wants to be associated with a winner but simply winning races won’t make a businessman give you money. Spend more time talking about what you’ll do for his business, than about what you’ll do on the track.

One last thing to keep in mind is that you always want to be as professional and businesslike as possible both on and off the track. Joe Soltis and the guys from the Central States Region understood this when preparing for a World of Wheels car show. Check out their display photo below. Pretty impressive huh? In fact, not only did they draw attention from potential sponsors, these guys won $1000 from the show organizers for their fantastic display.