Finding sponsors | GTAMotorcycle.com

Finding sponsors

dricked

dricked

Well-known member
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I know that racing in Canada isn't a huge market and we don't have huge crowds of people flocking to spectate so those of you that have sponsors, how did you obtain them? What do you promise to do for sponsors to market them?
 
dricked said:
Thanks, that helps a bit.
Click to expand...

It's all about what you can do for them. Being the fastest guy doesn't count for much.

An enclosed trailer is a rolling billboard. Making your bike available for special events. Sandwich boards or banners in your pit area. A personal website (I really need to update and simplify mine). Online endorsement. Etc, etc etc.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2
 
I'll tell you what I don"t like.

Trying to make me feel I'm obligated.
Telling me you won this and that and are going to win this years championship.
Telling me what you will do for me "If" I sponsor you.
Telling what I am going to do for you.
Then forgeting I exist after you have what you need.
Putting a sticker on your bike does not mean anybody owes you.

So here's some food for thought. I can place an add in RoadRacing World for under a $1000 for the year. It also goes in the Track Day Directory.
So why would I give you $1000 worth of product? What is getting me a better return? You or RRW?
Why does everyone in this sport trying to race keep going to the same "well" year after year?
Keep in mind "We" could sponsor everyone and then we'd be broke and then you would have no one to even buy stuff off of.

AND DO NOT EVER ASK ME WHAT MY racer discount is! [think about that]That phrase came from the US becasue times were so good they gave you a discount to
GET RID OF YOU! They could care less who or where you were from. Funny how times have got really tough and "Racer Discounts" have got much harder to find.
So use your head when talking to someone. If all I'm going to get is the "warm fuzzy feeling" then get me the warm fuzzy feeling!
And don't blow smoke up my butt. I and all the other companies up here have heard it all,,,imagine it and I've heard it!
So my advice,, don"t go inside the sport,, they're all burnt out. Go get some money outside the sport and then pay your way inside the sport and show me what you can do for me. That goes a long way for next year. Steve Dick from BC #1 plate holder at Calagry, at 50 years old would sell a minimum of 10 sets of warmers a year for me. Do you think Steve ever paid for anything? And,, he never ran stickers for me,,casue I never asked. He was a class act and earned my respect.
So consider this,, XYZ company is giving you a pay cheque to be a salesman. Want a raise,,,?
 
I got a sponsor this year just by applying online.
Another sponsor is my dealer who happens to be a long time friend. All I get there is parts at cost and preferential treatment.
My other 2 guys that help me out just give me a break on parts/labour and will rush things to get it done for me. One of them sells race gas, and I already have enough sales lined up for next spring to make the guy some money, simply because he gives me a deal on race fuel, I use it and people come up asking about it, and then I end up sending them his way... In the end it helps the guy out.

I got a lead on another sponsor about a week ago. Was in for a haircut, girl cutting my hair saw my race trailer in the parking lot. And while it is a sharp trailer, she suggested a wrap for it. She then told me her husband is a manager at a local graphics shop that does wraps and they sponsor people. So I'll be in to check them out and maybe get a free wrap for the bike and trailer.

What they got in return was national coverage on a 6 show tv series I was featured in, and my trailer is a rolling billboard. I have media connections, and if plans fall together for next year there will also be more exposure through that.

Aside from my online sponsor, all the other ones I have are basically because of my personality and how I deal with people.

I have a tent that lays up in the bed of my truck. I had so many people asking me about it, that I knew I could sell some. I contacted the company for a sponsorship, stating that I basically display the product every weekend and that I would be able to sell them on the spot... I didn't even get a reply.
 
I have the same sponsors for years now..VISA and MASTERCARD.

Jokes aside,just by going to track days, National and club level races,i noticed the decline of attendance.
If i was a sponsor ,i would be having second thoughts of spending on any kind of live event.
That letter by Ken sounds good and i think the main approach is to get in with big companies who have a bucketfull of budget ,and you only asking for drops.
They don't know you,no real expectations ,so if it doesn't work out,they just write it off.
As for local dealers,i ask if they can do anything and if i get something i'm happy.If not,i'm still happy that they are around and i don't have to mail order stuff.
 
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Well I'm capable of funding my own season. There's no way I would expect actual cash from anyone with the way road racing is right now, there's just not enough exposure. I have a few people helping me right now wether it's answering questions or getting a deal on parts/service and I'm happy to run run their sticker/represent them, heck I'd do it just because their nice enough to listen to my jabber. I'm excited to put in a full effort this year and it'll help me build a resume for the year after.
 
john bickle said:
I'll tell you what I don"t like.

Trying to make me feel I'm obligated.
Telling me you won this and that and are going to win this years championship.
Telling me what you will do for me "If" I sponsor you.
Telling what I am going to do for you.
Then forgeting I exist after you have what you need.
Putting a sticker on your bike does not mean anybody owes you.

So here's some food for thought. I can place an add in RoadRacing World for under a $1000 for the year. It also goes in the Track Day Directory.
So why would I give you $1000 worth of product? What is getting me a better return? You or RRW?
Why does everyone in this sport trying to race keep going to the same "well" year after year?
Keep in mind "We" could sponsor everyone and then we'd be broke and then you would have no one to even buy stuff off of.

AND DO NOT EVER ASK ME WHAT MY racer discount is! [think about that]That phrase came from the US becasue times were so good they gave you a discount to
GET RID OF YOU! They could care less who or where you were from. Funny how times have got really tough and "Racer Discounts" have got much harder to find.
So use your head when talking to someone. If all I'm going to get is the "warm fuzzy feeling" then get me the warm fuzzy feeling!
And don't blow smoke up my butt. I and all the other companies up here have heard it all,,,imagine it and I've heard it!
So my advice,, don"t go inside the sport,, they're all burnt out. Go get some money outside the sport and then pay your way inside the sport and show me what you can do for me. That goes a long way for next year. Steve Dick from BC #1 plate holder at Calagry, at 50 years old would sell a minimum of 10 sets of warmers a year for me. Do you think Steve ever paid for anything? And,, he never ran stickers for me,,casue I never asked. He was a class act and earned my respect.
So consider this,, XYZ company is giving you a pay cheque to be a salesman. Want a raise,,,?
Click to expand...

well put. My area of business I work the same way. Your attitude gets the discount not how much you spend or when you ask.
 
Change "sponsors" for "partners" and you're on the right track. It's all about what you can do for them. You need to be a spokesperson and a salesman for said partner. Getting that partner into business areas that he doesn't reach will benefit his business and make him happy to supply you with XXX. Carrying yourself properly on and off track and keeping a tight program is a must. I think Caboose mentioned having your bike ready for corporate displays or business functions for your partners. This is key. Where the topic of racing can be started just by seeing the race bike. With discussions comes action.

I don't have all the answers....but many racers need to re-think the whole sponsors idea, be realistic and timely in your approach to potential sponsors. The days of showing up with your trophy and your hand out expecting to receive something are long gone.

Good luck to all for 2013!
 
john bickle said:
I'll tell you what I don"t like.

Trying to make me feel I'm obligated.
Telling me you won this and that and are going to win this years championship.
Telling me what you will do for me "If" I sponsor you.
Telling what I am going to do for you.
Then forgeting I exist after you have what you need.
Putting a sticker on your bike does not mean anybody owes you.

So here's some food for thought. I can place an add in RoadRacing World for under a $1000 for the year. It also goes in the Track Day Directory.
So why would I give you $1000 worth of product? What is getting me a better return? You or RRW?
Why does everyone in this sport trying to race keep going to the same "well" year after year?
Keep in mind "We" could sponsor everyone and then we'd be broke and then you would have no one to even buy stuff off of.

AND DO NOT EVER ASK ME WHAT MY racer discount is! [think about that]That phrase came from the US becasue times were so good they gave you a discount to
GET RID OF YOU! They could care less who or where you were from. Funny how times have got really tough and "Racer Discounts" have got much harder to find.
So use your head when talking to someone. If all I'm going to get is the "warm fuzzy feeling" then get me the warm fuzzy feeling!
And don't blow smoke up my butt. I and all the other companies up here have heard it all,,,imagine it and I've heard it!
So my advice,, don"t go inside the sport,, they're all burnt out. Go get some money outside the sport and then pay your way inside the sport and show me what you can do for me. That goes a long way for next year. Steve Dick from BC #1 plate holder at Calagry, at 50 years old would sell a minimum of 10 sets of warmers a year for me. Do you think Steve ever paid for anything? And,, he never ran stickers for me,,casue I never asked. He was a class act and earned my respect.
So consider this,, XYZ company is giving you a pay cheque to be a salesman. Want a raise,,,?
Click to expand...
well put john
the last guy i sponsored was frank trambino.
i had a deal with him for a 150.00 for a set of bodywork..he would come and ask for 5 set of bodywork at the begining of the year.and after every race week end he would ask for 5 more sets.(it takes me 3 days to make one set) so do the math.
after a while people would come up to me and ask me to fix there bodywork. i started to notice that was fixing a huge amount of my bodywork that i never sold and had never been painted in frank colours first. so i started to ask were they had bought it.
they said frank sold them the stuff.
so not only do i loose money /time by giving the stuff to frank but now i loosing future sales by him selling my bodywork under me.
and he would even put my sticker under the tail section (were the tire is) so no one could see it.
we wanted me to change my squidskins name because he though is was silly.
he was the last guy i help out were i expected something in return.

the other i really like are people that email you asking for free stuff....come on really you dont even have the respect to call to beg for a hand out...
 
also if you have no racing track time dont expect crap. i have had people that have never turned a wheel on a race bike ask me for free bodywork and 20g in cash.
i said for that kind of money i would have my bodywork on ben spies ama championship winning superbike as i laugh my butt off and hung the phone up him.
 
I have found it to be a more effective use of my time, to just do my regular job and pay my own way.
 
Not to say this is something that discourages potential sponsors from giving and cash or product, but...why do people put a sticker for every single part they have ever bought on their race bike? Yeah, I know you look like a pro now, but...no one is going to get anything, even a 5% discount, if you are just going to slap the sticker on there anyway. IMO obviously
 
kellen said:
Not to say this is something that discourages potential sponsors from giving and cash or product, but...why do people put a sticker for every single part they have ever bought on their race bike? Yeah, I know you look like a pro now, but...no one is going to get anything, even a 5% discount, if you are just going to slap the sticker on there anyway. IMO obviously
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there wasnt one sticker on my bike this year unless they had given me something for me to advertise for. pretty much the reason I only had 3 stickers on my bike. 2 from sponsors and 1 for tire contingency
 
Snipes20 said:
there wasnt one sticker on my bike this year unless they had given me something for me to advertise for. pretty much the reason I only had 3 stickers on my bike. 2 from sponsors and 1 for tire contingency
Click to expand...

I agree with this method.... everyone dishing out stickers for parts bought basically get free advertising. I brought used body work and didn't bother to peel off and clean whatever stickers were on there before (gone this winter because I have to repair/repaint).

But I will be doing the same thing next year. I'll be putting stickers for places where I have had a supremely positive experience or some sort of support from the shop, in addition to the 1-2 services around where I would call the owner/operator a friend.
 
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