Find the decision maker not the gatekeeper. Get to the person who spends the marketing dollars. Your creativity and ability to think outside the proverbial box is absolutely necessary. ideas don’t usually come to mind overnight so spend some time learning about a prospective company and its products, then match your skills with products you believe in and come up with a marketing program that you are willing to do that brings value to the company, more value than the dollars you are looking for. Whatever you come up with to promote products and services make sure you follow through with what you said you would do. When you do you will build a credible relationship with the company and this will result in successive years sponsored by the same company. Most importantly you will need to build credibility with the buying public and your peers. You do this by being honest and helpful with people you come in contact with. By the way, don’t solicit sponsorships from competitive companies. if you have a hard bait sponsorship it should be your only hard bait sponsor. don’t go after just any sponsor; only approach those companies where you believe in the product and can speak from the heart with honesty about the product to consumers. Be professional how you present yourself in public, whether it is at the boat ramp after a tournament, in the local tackle store or at a big sports show. For example, if you attend a sportsman’s show and are hanging around a prospective sponsor’s booth be professional. don’t hang out in front of their booth and talk to one of their competitors sponsored fishermen for hours. let that fisherman do his or her job. This is not smart and will not leave a good impression. You need to realize that companies and their representatives talk to each other. if you do a great job for a current sponsor that good news will spread; but not as fast as if you aren’t honest, friendly and go out of your way to earn your sponsorship dollars. You will want to separate yourself from the hundreds of other anglers looking for sponsors or those who have sponsors but don’t do more than they get paid for.
Your sponsorship is a “marketing partnership” between you and a company selling product.
When you get your first sponsor and subsequent sponsors make sure to let them know what you are doing. Send quarterly reports with any store appearances, tournament results, articles you have had published, seminars you’ve done or forum questions where you answered positively about their products. The decision makers at companies are busy with the daily business of business. They aren’t following your every move. You need to make them aware of what you are doing for them so they can measure the value they are receiving for their sponsorship of your fishing career. Be sure and ask what method is best for this communication, email, phone calls or personal appearances and how often they want updates. The single most important piece of advice i could give you to get sponsors and keep the ones you may already have is to always do more than you get paid for. always look good, wear your shirts and hats whether you are on stage, in the parking lot after weigh-in or at a trade show. People are always watching you so your reputation and the way you carry yourself matters. i’m talking about building professional credibility. Credibility is compromised of your trustworthiness, honesty and expertise. Work hard for your sponsors and the rewards will come, even if that reward is the same contract year after year while others are losing theirs. You will rise to the level where your value in the marketplace meets the value you bring to it. When times are good for a company and it can be credited to your efforts you will take another step up the ladder. remember how fortunate you are, there are a lot of anglers who would love to have your contract! By being creative in your approach and your ideas of marketing the company along with patient endurance, you will reach your goals and succeed beyond what you can currently imagine. each door you open leads to another opportunity and each experience will make you better at marketing yourself and your sponsors. This is your future, don’t hold back!
Remember: “Do more than you get paid for”.
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