How to get race sponsorship.

[Doc]

Good advice.

Got a proposal email the other day for lawn mower racing with the email title being "Free Advertizing". Regardless of whether or not lawn mower racing is a viable platform.... having a blatant mistake in the opening impression isn't the best way to start things.

I think being on a first name basis with Michael Lemeire is pretty cool.

Dude... You didn't even spell my name right.

The next time you see Colin tell him I said hey and I hope to visit this year at his ranch.

[RyanNicholson]

Alex, just out of curiosity... how helpful is estimating your reach/influence as a brand rep (social media, appearances, publications, etc) and including that in your pitch? Or is that something you guys estimate on your end typically...

I know most marketing ROI is measured in some form of that, just wondering where that falls into the equation.

[Woodcraft]

Good stuff from all....and I can add a little

My 2 cents here...90% of riders offer to list you as a sponsor, run your decals and send droves of people banging down your door. Most of these guys have the best intentions when the season starts. Then, reality sets in and life gets busy and they are spending all their time just trying to do their best on the track - which is totally normal. Every single bike in the paddock has stickers on it.....there is not a ton of value there. No one reads sponsor listings on the result sheets before making their next pruchase for 520 chain. Most of the "sponsorship" discounts given are out of a love for the sport and wanting to help people who try hard and put on their best efforts. They guys who get the real good deals go over and above. Below are a few things I can add to the list - some are simple and some take thought.

1) Find out what the time frames for sponsorship submission are and make it happen within those time frames. Many riders are late.
2) Don't have Levels 1-4 asking for $250,000-$25,000 in cash unless you have a current AMA #1 plate in your posession. However, making specific & realisitc requests is a good way to get what you need. If you want 30% off - state that, and explain how you are going to give them a 3X return on that deal by doing A,B,C (other than stickers & sponsor listing - which is assumed).
3) Make the proposal about what you can do for the sponsor. Industry companies get hundreds of requests each year. People don't care that you got 3rd place in AM LWSS 6/14 at Gingerman raceway....they want to know what you can do to help them sell more stuff. Riders who actively help companies get a good name are valued....because they are rare. Some of my best sponsored guys EVER have been 3-4th place guys who make genuine efforts to send us customers. The race results....I didn't even really care. They had nice looking efforts, were good guys, and most importantly sent me 1-2 guys a month who mentioned the referring sponsored rider by name before making an order. You can't ask for any more than that.
4) Aim for long term relationships. If you have a company that makes stuff you like, send a resume and graciously take whatever they offer. Then - PROVE YOURSELF. If you send customers over, have them mention you when they call. If you send guys over to a company, list them off by name in the following year's proposal. If you did a promotional write up on a forum that had 600 views - state that stuff & provide the link. If you see someone bashing your sponsor on a forum, call them and let them know. That stuff can go a long way and is within the power of everyone that races...not just top experts.
5) Don't send pictures to your sponsor showing a competing brand's decal on it.....and none from the company you are sending it to. I got a photo the other day of a bike that had Amour Bodies and Sharkskinz decals on it SIDE BY SIDE. Really? This happens all the time. The main prupose of sposorship is that you EXCLUSIVELY promote the brand that you are requesting support from. There are, of course, exceptions when companies produce a broad range of products....and everyone has things that are more important than others. For Woodcraft, it's Rearsets and Covers as #1, Vortex - sprockets, Pit Bull - stands....even though we all make lots of other stuff.
6) Be honest, and do everything you say you are going to do. If something comes up that changes the course of your season....take a few minutes and give everyone a heads up. It's rare that a company will punish someone who is being 100% up front.

In the end, companies are in this industry because they love it. I know that's why I'm here. We want to support guys who share our passion for the sport. If you can make fiscal sense out of your proposal, it will have a lot more legs. There are only a couple (2-3) riders in each region who have the clout to influence people without saying a word....the guys who completely dominate on track and are good guys off the track. The rest of us need to work in order to have sponsorship be more than an act of benevolence on the part of the sponsor.

[Kurlon]

TLDR: I need sponsorship, paypal accepted, send monies to kurlon@...

There was a discussion on this exact topic recently over on the WERA board as well, focusing on the racer resume for anyone who frequents the site. http://forums.13x.com/showthread.php?t=293513

[a13x]

Alex, just out of curiosity... how helpful is estimating your reach/influence as a brand rep (social media, appearances, publications, etc) and including that in your pitch? Or is that something you guys estimate on your end typically...

I know most marketing ROI is measured in some form of that, just wondering where that falls into the equation.

Suppose it depends on the brand and their internal goals.

Would Rider A have better chance than Rider B if Rider A has 150,000 Twitter followers compared to Rider B having 10,000? Well, not if Rider B has better on-track results.

At the end of the day that's all part of the 'mumbo jumbo' marketing stuff that just helps round out the overall picture. Each brand will have things they weight more than others, tough to know what those are. I'd recommend sticking to the high points, calling out good information, and going from there.

[nt650hawk]

If someone wants to manage me and get sponsorships and endorsements for me I’m fine with that..

btw I love the WOODCRAFT TIRE WARMERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SVRACER01]

If someone wants to manage me and get sponsorships and endorsements for me I’m fine with that..

btw I love the WOODCRAFT TIRE WARMERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

ya, i need someone to sponsor me an engine rebuild

[mzdagrl]

If someone wants to manage me and get sponsorships and endorsements for me I’m fine with that..

What's the salary?

[CBR929RE]

What's the salary?

whatever he's paying I'm offering a dollar more

[tsorfas]

ya, i need someone to sponsor me an engine rebuild

i remember talking with you about racing on the open track... we gotta get your engine rebuilt!!

[Brendin87]

If anyone wants to send me an example of what one of these looks like that would be great!!

[Jim]

i never thought about telling a sponsor what i wanted from them. it was just asked to me 5 minutes ago, as I responded to them stating I've received an acceptance letter from another manufacter, but preferred to use their products for 2012.

it does make sense to carefully chose what products you're using for sponsorship. i've actually dropped a few as they dont offer great discounts & got to the point that too many didnt look good for the sponsors i do want to keep.

now i'm looking at my list and determining to factors: products i plan on purchasing more than once a eyar & who pays contingency.

[Brendin87]

Do you guys also send these requests to companies that have nothing to do with the motorcycle industry?

[Jim]

Do you guys also send these requests to companies that have nothing to do with the motorcycle industry?

not often. some guys on here know the owners of small businesses, who will toss them some $ for their entree fees if the rider promotes the business name on their bike & online.

[Doc]

Do you guys also send these requests to companies that have nothing to do with the motorcycle industry?

I have but it depends on what they could get out of sponsoring you.

I spoke with Magic Hat Brewery a few years back, They ended up giving me a bunch of beer (that I donated to the cornerworker barbecue) some T-shirts and other Swag and I listed them as a sponsor and sent some pictures to them during the year. They are outside the industry but helped in a small way.

[CBR929RE]

do you have to be sponsored by the company to qualify for contingency from them?

[Degsy]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

do you have to be sponsored by the company to qualify for contingency from them?

No. Companies that offer contingency want you to use their products and run their stickers.

[Chippertheripper]

I've never been big on sponsorships at all, personally. I'm still a bit confused too because lrrs is such a small club, anybody who's going to see me sponsored by x or y already probably knows of the products or organization anyways.
Cliffs, on the other hand, went out of their way to take care of me beforehand. And thus, I'll do anything I can to return the favor. Like jimmy said, to think about who I'd want to represent means finding a product or service aside from them that's worth it. All I can think of, really, is like street and comp, a certain td organization, and Dunlop. But reaching out and asking for help is not something I'm accustomed to...

[Trackday Guru]

All good information. And it's nice to see that Alex and Eric are chiming in also.

My .02:
Just because LRRS is a small club doesn't mean you can't get sponsored. I am nobody....ask anyone who knows me, they'll tell ya. Yet, with a good plan, good execution and good follow-through I was able to (as a Novice) obtain 19 sponsorships from companies both within, and outside our industry.

What was this worth? How much did I save?

From my sponsors, at no cost to me, I was able to procure a brand new 2011 GSXR, a full ti exhaust system, free helmets from Suomy, free tires, literally a couple thousand dollars worth of gift cards (48 cards X $50 each), money and other perks (my fees paid, swag, etc.) for my season. I even lost a major corporation as my primary sponsor in April only to have them replaced with Applebee's (corporate) less than three weeks later.

I turned down sponsorships last year from 7 companies for one reason or another, and in 2012, not only will I race completely cost-free, but I'll actually get paid to race each weekend from my sponsorships. And I'm not threatening for wins anytime soon. Not too bad.

I'm not trying to gloat here, just pointing out that it CAN be done. It IS being done, and I'm proof.

Heck, even Shane and his dad were in my garage looking for help with this this past season.

Just this week my sponsorships for 2012 were renewed by Hindle, Bazzaz, Motonation (AGV and Sidi), and Renthal. Keeping in touch with your sponsors throughout the year sure does make it nice this time of year knowing I'll be retaining those sponsors.

Bottom line: HAVE A PLAN. and follow through - guys like Alex and Eric will certainly appreciate it. Take care of your sponsors and for God's sake, don't forget them. They WILL take care of you...no matter WHO you are, what series you race in, or what classes you run.

[tsorfas]

I could never picture that! especially as a novice

[Trackday Guru]

I could never picture that! especially as a novice

That's the paradigm.
People think that because we're just club racing, they have nothing to offer potential sponsors.

Anyone who could use some help or direction, Ping me. (email will guarantee faster response. "overrev124@gmail.com".

I can offer anything from giving you some direction and guidence, to giving you turn-key proposals...up to, and including the actual proposal I use, taylored to what you are/aren't willing to do for your sponsors. And that's a key point.....what are you willing to do for your sponsors? I'm proof you don't need to be winning to get sponsored. Need proof? think of this:

Shane wins nearly every event he enters now at Loudon, yet his bikes are what??? 2008's? I'm NOBODY and yet I had reps from MAke-A-Wish, Applebee's and American Suzuki IN MY GARAGE this season watching me race. Don't believe me? Ask Shane next time you see him. I introduced him to the American Suzuki rep.....

I never once sent a potential sponsor a "racing resume".

I can promise those interested two things:

1.) This isn't a free offer - cost is commensurate with service delivered.
2.) You CAN get sponsored if you do the work and follow through on what you promise.

Mike

[Ray-Ray]

That's the paradigm.
People think that because we're just club racing, they have nothing to offer potential sponsors.

Anyone who could use some help or direction, Ping me. (email will guarantee faster response. "overev124@gmail.com".

I can offer anything from giving you some direction and guidence, to giving you turn-key proposals. Up to, and including my actual proposal taylored to what you are/aren't willing to do for your sponsors.

I never once sent a potential sponsor a "racing resume".

I can promise those interested two things:

1.) This isn't a free offer - cost is commensurate with service delivered.
2.) You CAN get sponsored if you do the work and follow through on what you promise.

Mike

Hi Mike!

[tsorfas]

I tried emailing you mike but it came back with fail to deliver, is that email address right?

[Doc]

All good information. And it's nice to see that Alex and Eric are chiming in also.

My .02:
Just because LRRS is a small club doesn't mean you can't get sponsored. I am nobody....ask anyone who knows me, they'll tell ya. Yet, with a good plan, good execution and good follow-through I was able to (as a Novice) obtain 19 sponsorships from companies both within, and outside our industry.

What was this worth? How much did I save?

From my sponsors, at no cost to me, I was able to procure a brand new 2011 GSXR, a full ti exhaust system, free helmets from Suomy, free tires, literally a couple thousand dollars worth of gift cards (48 cards X $50 each), money and other perks (my fees paid, swag, etc.) for my season. I even lost a major corporation as my primary sponsor in April only to have them replaced with Applebee's (corporate) less than three weeks later.

I turned down sponsorships last year from 7 companies for one reason or another, and in 2012, not only will I race completely cost-free, but I'll actually get paid to race each weekend from my sponsorships. And I'm not threatening for wins anytime soon. Not too bad.

I'm not trying to gloat here, just pointing out that it CAN be done. It IS being done, and I'm proof.

Heck, even Shane and his dad were in my garage looking for help with this this past season.

Just this week my sponsorships for 2012 were confirmed by Hindle, Bazzaz, Motonation (AGV and Sidi), and Renthal. Keeing in touch with your sponsors throughout the year sure does make it nice this time of year knowing I'll be retaining those sponsors.

Bottom line: HAVE A PLAN. and follow through - guys like Alex and Eric will certainly appreciate it. Take care of your sponsors and for God's sake, don't forget them. They WILL take care of you...no matter WHO you are, what series you race in, or what classes you run.

This man worked HARD and is GOOD at marketing himself.

[Jim]

Mike, I'm still waiting on your oil guy. I think he's still waiting in the 2012 budget.